Types of diary
You may hear the terms ‘wearing off’ and ‘motor’ diary used – both are ways
of recording your symptoms and their relation to medications you take.
For examples of these diaries you can download, together with information on
how to use it, see Where can I find more information?.
It may also be helpful to keep a medication record in which you record the
name of each medication, the dosage, timings and also any special instructions
for taking them, such as at mealtimes etc. Again, this information can be
helpful for your doctor in reviewing your medication regime. For a sample
medication record see Guide to Living with Parkinson’s Disease: Medication record.
For an example of a more general diary page, see Patient Information Leaflet 4 – Taking Control: Advice on keeping a diary.
What information should I record?
Providing the information is accurately recorded, the structure your diary
takes is entirely up to you – you may prefer to write information on a blank
sheet of paper or on a printed template for each day, or you may wish to use a
computer. The most important thing is to record information that will be
helpful to your doctor, such as:
- the times of day when you
take your medications
- the times of day when you
have good symptom control
- which symptoms re-emerge
during the day and when
- which symptoms you
experience at night
- any complications you may
experience, such as dyskinesia,
and when they occur – particularly in relation to medication times
- what meals and snacks you
eat and at what time, noting whether eating certain foods affect your
symptom control – protein, for example, can interfere with the absorption
of some medications
- wearing off symptoms – it
may be helpful to rate each of these on a scale of one to five, according
to how much they impact on your daily life. This can help when medications
change or dosage is modified.
Recording additional information
Doctors may not routinely ask you about some aspects of your daily life, so
you might find it helpful to record additional information that you consider
useful for your doctor to know. By doing so, they can be aware of any other
difficulties you personally experience. You may wish to record:
- any additional help you
need in coping with daily activities as your needs evolve
- aspects of daily life you
find difficult and which cause stress and anxiety, for example
communication, washing, dressing, eating, general movement, socialising,
or coping during the night.
