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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> What does a good headache diary look like?
        
(Message started by: turtlendog on Jan 26^th, 2008, 11:02pm)

Title: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by turtlendog on Jan 26^th, 2008, 11:02pm

What does a good headache diary look like? What does a good headache diary entry look like?

I'm not really a super organized type of person... though I sometimes wish I was. I'm trying to be better about tracking my headaches more accurately and I don't think my current headache diary is doing it, but this is not coming naturally to me.

Part of the problem, I think, is that I really need to be tracking three distinct headaches which complicates matters a bit. One of them could be tracked daily, but the other two ought to be tracked better.

Does anyone have a better example than this: http://www.nerhc.org/nss-folder/folder/boxscore3.pdf for a headache diary? I like the way that it would be a graph when filled out, which would work well if tracking by the day, but I don't know so much about tracking more often.

Would anyone like to share a few (fictional if you like) good diary entries.

I've seen the diaries at AHS, IHS, OUCH, etc. and nothing has impressed me, but maybe it's just the limits of my imagination.

Maybe part of my problem is that I want to track too much. Diet etc...

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by E-Double on Jan 26^th, 2008, 11:48pm

I used to use a color coded scatterplot made on Excel

diff Colors for meds

diff Colors for pain levels

diff color for a change in variable such as med increase or taper.

The day was broken down into 15min intervals

It demonstrated clear patterns for the doctors to see.

When I became chronic it was no longer worth the time and my docs pretty much told me to chill with it since it was pretty indepth.

It was pretty crazy but tight and a few here have used it.

It's on a different cpu so I'll have to get back to ya

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by washed-out on Feb 1^st, 2008, 7:55pm

Hmm I found something like big Excell table few months ago, when I was browsing the Internet. Does anyone have link to it? Well I know how to work in Excell but I am rather CH-newbie so it would be very helpful :p

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by artonio7 on Feb 1^st, 2008, 8:05pm

http://artonio7.com/CH_Pain_Cal_vert.pdf

Maybe if you're tracking 3 different headache types just use this in triplicate... one for each headache type... It only makes provisions for pain levels, time date and length though.

I hope it can help.

with warm regards,
Tony

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by chewy on Feb 1^st, 2008, 9:04pm

http://www.ouch-us.org/downloads/headache_diary.pdf

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by lionsound on Feb 2^nd, 2008, 8:23am

[q
on 01/26/08 at 23:48:33, E-Double wrote:

I used to use a color coded scatterplot made on Excel

It was pretty crazy but tight and a few here have used it.

That was an AWESOME chart :)

When I keep track of multiple headaches o one chart. I write a key in the margin and indicate different letters for different HA's. for example : a migraine is an A, and a cluster is a B and other(ice pick, tension, what ever else I get) is a C.

I keep a chart and a written log on the back of the chart with things I want to remember so I can tell the doc when I get there.

the trick is not to get a headache obsessing over the chart :D

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by turtlendog on Feb 2^nd, 2008, 11:52am

on 02/02/08 at 08:23:50, lionsound wrote:

[q
That was an AWESOME chart :)

When I keep track of multiple headaches o one chart. I write a key in the margin and indicate different letters for different HA's. for example : a migraine is an A, and a cluster is a B and other(ice pick, tension, what ever else I get) is a C.

I keep a chart and a written log on the back of the chart with things I want to remember so I can tell the doc when I get there.

the trick is not to get a headache obsessing over the chart :D

I'm looking forward to seeing it, but haven't yet. Do you have a copy?

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by barry_sword on Feb 2^nd, 2008, 1:12pm

This is my own way of keeping track of my CH's. I colored coded it so my Neuro and I could see my hit days. A little small for putting in any detail but still works for me.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dc23b3127cceb53c4eec659e00000026101AZtGrZu5asU

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by dougW on Feb 3^rd, 2008, 3:39pm

Here are links to the CH diaries we are using on the ClusterBuster site:

In pdf format:
http://clusterbusters.com/CB.CH.GeneralDiary.pdf

There is also a link on the main page to the same in word format but I can't directly link to it. Click on "diary in word form" on the right side men:
http://clusterbusters.com/

There is also a Pain Tracker Scale:
http://clusterbusters.com/tracker.htm

These are very detailed (read: extensive/big) diaries, several pages long but the information will be helpful to you and possibly later when clinical research gets underway, whether you use the ClusterBuster treatments or not.
Once you get used to the forms it only takes a few minutes each day to complete them, even when I'm at 5 or 7 hits a day.

Doug

Title: Re: What does a good headache diary look like?
Post by superhawk2300 on Feb 12^th, 2008, 11:26am

I've never had a "good headache" but if I did I guess I would track them as it would be easier than tracking the bad ones.

Sorry.

Seriously, my doctor just gives me this loose sheet that asked when it started, what I did about it, and when it ended.

I do a pretty piss poor job on it as well , when I do it.

The way I look at it is I am doing everything I can about them, I usually get them while sleeping (I used to anyways, so no immediate trigger there) and I get them every single day of my cycle (again, no trigger info available), so keeping track isn't gonna do much good for me and it might just make me more depressed.

That being said these are all great suggestions that beat the loose photo-copied papers my doc gives me.