Keeping a Health Diary Can Empower You in Your PsA Journey

With chronic illness, we often rely on our medical team to monitor our overall well-being. We can gain insight and make better decisions about our own conditions by maintaining a health diary.

Living with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) necessitates playing secretary as we track medications, appointments, tests, and symptoms to manage the condition.

These tasks become increasingly daunting with multiple illnesses or an especially unpredictable condition. Sometimes, it feels like our lives are being overtaken by the extra work, making it ever more tempting to hand complete control of the monitoring to our physicians.

Keeping a health diary is a transformative approach to keeping track of changes and assisting doctors in treating us. A simple health diary or symptom tracker empowers us to take a piece of our lives back when our bodies feel out of our control.

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How psoriatic arthritis impacts daily functionality

“The nature of chronic illness means that developing a routine could feel more difficult to do because your body and symptoms can dictate how your day goes,” says London-based body and self-acceptance coach Kitty Underhill.

“You may plan to get some things done on your to-do list; however, you may end up running out of spoons before finishing your list, or a symptom may get in the way of you getting things done,” she continues.

The frustration that arises when the symptoms of PsA flare can be as debilitating as the condition itself, especially when we move in and out of flare-ups and get lost in the battle to survive through the next day. But we must give ourselves permission to be compassionate with ourselves on tougher days.

“Internalised ableism, or even people in our lives, say we should be able to ‘push through,’ but if we ignore our bodies’ cues, this could exacerbate symptoms or cause burnout,” adds Underhill.

Implementing a health diary can help us monitor patterns and feel more in control of our turbulent bodies.

What is a health diary?

Sometimes referred to as a health journal, a health diary is a tool that monitors our symptoms, medications, and medical interventions on a daily or weekly basis.

Your health diary could be a note on your phone, or you might prefer to use an app or keep a physical journal. Choose whatever option feels most manageable and accessible for you.

In this diary, you’ll first note your illnesses and their associated symptoms. It may also be helpful to keep track of conditions in your family so you can easily spot any hereditary connections in your health.

From there, you can track your symptoms as they wax and wane day to day. It’s also useful to add notes on each visit with your doctor, noting any revelations, treatment advancements, or advice they offer.

“Fill in the diary at the hospital on days you have appointments,” says Ashley Couto, a travel journalist and brand and web designer who has PsA. “Do it while it’s fresh, and you can even have it open and take notes as the doctor speaks.”

You could also include notes on your mental state following each appointment and use them to track your moods in association with flare-ups and periods of remission.

A health diary is also an excellent method for monitoring your medications. You can track side effects and keep an eye on dosage to give feedback to your healthcare professionals.

How to manage and track symptoms with a health diary

“Self-management has particular value in that it represents an amalgamation of the goals of the patient, family, community, and the clinician, with everyone working in partnership to best manage the individual’s illness while facilitating comprehensive care,” says Dr. Hana Patel, a UK-based general practitioner and GP Medico-Legal Expert Witness.

“By tracking your daily activities, food intake, exercise, and emotions, you can gain insight into your habits, identify areas where you need to make changes, and track your progress,” she adds.

Graphic designer and ceramicist Kate Dunbar, who used a range of holistic and medical methods to put her PsA into remission, has experimented with various forms of a health diary and symptom tracking to manage the condition.

“I was trying to keep track of the food I was eating and seeing if I had some sort of reaction to it,” she says. “And I also had a patient-shared care booklet, so I had my monthly blood tests and listed all the different things that they were looking at, including inflammation markers, so I could also track and see the inflammation.”

Conversely, Cuoto, whose symptoms of PsA started in childhood, does not keep a health diary herself but uses the one her mom kept throughout her childhood to reference her medical history.

“When I switch medications or have to see a new specialist, a lot of times, I’ll get pushback when I don’t want to go on a specific medication because I know I’ve already been on it,” she says. “As an adult, I remember everything, but I don’t really remember why I stopped a medication I took when I was 5 [years old], so this gives me that easy clarity.”

Approaching your health diary and staying motivated

“To create a health diary, it’s very important to make sure you set a positive intention before starting it,” advises Underhill. “What do you want to gain from having a health diary?”

She continues: “What would having a health diary look like for you day to day? How can you ensure this diary does not become a tool to beat yourself up with but instead be a tool for self-illumination and care?”

With your intentions set, the next task is maintaining your health diary. Implementing a habit long-term is tough; it’s hard to make the time for it, and it’s easy to give up when we fail to be consistent in our efforts.

“To keep motivated with a health diary, remind yourself of why you’re doing it and its benefits,” says Underhill. “It’s also a good idea to set reminders on your phone to fill it out!”

“If it’s a physical book, keep it in your bag for when you’re on the go, or keep notes on your phone if you don’t have it with you,” she adds.

Don’t give up if you miss a few days or weeks; it’s always worth returning to. Even a few pieces of extra information dotted throughout the years can track the rise and fall of symptoms and manage treatment more effectively.

Cuoto resisted the healthy diary as a youth because “it somehow felt like a defeat,” but she is now considering restarting.

“Now that I’m thinking about it again, I’m going to keep a written record,” she says. “I like to journal, so I’ll just be adding a daily check-in at the end to keep it simple and manageable for myself.”

The bottom line

“The more people have access to things like [a health diary] themselves, they can see trends and make informed choices about their health,” says Dunbar. “I like to feel like I’ve got some control, especially when you’re very ill, and suddenly you feel like your body is rebelling against you, and you’re confused.”

“If you can take some of that knowledge and power, it just makes you feel better,” she adds. “I’d much rather feel that I have some power and understanding while trying to figure it out.”