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        New Message Board Archives >> 2005 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> to journal or not to journal
        
(Message started by: yikes-another-one on Mar 25^th, 2005, 6:05pm)

Title: to journal or not to journal
Post by yikes-another-one on Mar 25^th, 2005, 6:05pm

It seems to me most doctors don't care about
a headache journal.

when it doens't have a clear pattern,
when it doens't point to any clear triggers....

No one wants to see it, or even read it.

Why am I bothering?

Although,
looking back, I do tend to minimize the pain levels
unless I am tracking them as they happen,
I seem to have a really bad recall.

Maybe still in denial???

How about you guys?

Doyou notice if your journal is more accurate
than your memories?

Title: Re: to journal or not to journal
Post by Karla on Mar 25^th, 2005, 7:40pm

I don't journal anymore but I did when my ha first started. It helped me determine that every time it rained or snowed I had a most intense ha. It helped me determine that my ch ocured at the same time every day and night and that I had no triggers other than barometric pressure.

Title: Re: to journal or not to journal
Post by Gator on Mar 25^th, 2005, 7:53pm

My neuro asked me to keep one. I was very faithful about keeping it up to date. At the time I was banging my head about 8 times a day. Seemed all I ever did was have attacks or write about them. When I went back to the neuro, he never asked for it. I wanted to beat him with it. Since then, I don't bother. Being chronic, it just doesn't really seem to matter anyways. I'm going to get hit about 5 times a day whether I write about it or not. Maybe I should start again and write a book.

Title: Re: to journal or not to journal
Post by yikes-another-one on Mar 25^th, 2005, 7:56pm

[smiley=laugh.gif]

makes you feel pretty sane,

doens't it?

figures, the one time I listen to my doctor,
he don't wanna read the results.... ;)

hahhahahaahahaha

at least we still have our sense of humor
twisted though it may be....

Title: Re: to journal or not to journal
Post by gore2424 on Mar 25^th, 2005, 8:15pm

when I became chronic in Nov 1999 my shrink had me purchase a book called "Managing Pain Before It Manages You " nothing in book (relax,massage,etc )helped me at all but it had a pages of (1) pain chart,(1) food diary, (1) daily thoughts, (1) daily activities, and I made hundreds of copies for almost 8 months I wrote in it every day then now about 2-3 times a week it has helped me know what not to eat, avoid certain smells like perfume paint, relax when upset so i guess i am saying I have keept this and shared it with all the neuro Drs and the Doctors in Mayo clinic that operated on my brain even have taken it to many trips to ER so in closing i would say YES it is my thoughts close to when they happened and dont have to rely on the few brain cells i have left inside my head Terry

Title: Re: to journal or not to journal
Post by don on Mar 26^th, 2005, 12:16pm

Keeping a journal cant hurt. At the very least you can read it over and gain some more clarity that you can verbally communicate to your Doc.

Make a copy and ask your Doc to keep it in your file.

Title: Re: to journal or not to journal
Post by ben_uk on Mar 29^th, 2005, 7:16am

Article in NewScientist 11 sept 2004
Page 15
Depressing news for diarists.
"DEAR diary. Worrying news today. I read in a magazine that people who keep diaries are more likely to suffer from headaches, sleeplessness, digestive problems and even social dysfunction..."
That is the conclusion of a study by UK reseachers Elaine Duncan of the Glasgow Caledonian University and David Sheffield of Staffordshire University. They compared 94 undergraduates who were regular diarists with 41 non-diarists.
The volunteers filled in standard questionaires about their health.
"We expected diary-keepers to have some benefit, or be the same, but they were the worst off," says Duncan, who presented the findings to a British Psychological Society meeting in Edinburgh this week.
"You are probably much better off if you don't write anything at all."
Because the study looked at existing diarists, it is not clear wether keeping a diary makes people less healthy or if less healthy people are more likely to keep a diary. But the findings are surprising because other studies suggest that people find it easier to recover from a traumatic event if they write about it.
One possibility, Duncan says, is that keeping a diary makes people dwell on their misfortunes. "It's probably better not to get caught in a ruminative, repetitive cycle," she says. She hopes to do futher studies to see if writing about positive or negative things, makes a difference.
:oBen