How to Create a Fatigue Diary
It is so important to look after yourself during treatment, but this can become hard. It is difficult to tell what might be expected during treatment and what could become a concern.
Why keep a daily diary?
Keeping a daily diary of your energy levels and when you have treatment can help you work out how treatment affects you. This will help your doctor be able to offer you more effective treatment for fatigue, based on your notes.
Not only will it help your doctor and nurses but mostly importantly it will help you! This diary will show you how you feel at certain times of the day, week or after a certain activity. This will help you be able to plan out your week ahead and know when to do specific tasks/activities, all whilst keeping an eye on your health.
Using a scale of 1- 5, of how fatigue is affecting you will help give you more understanding of the energy levels you had at that time, and will help family and friends understand how you are feeling and what you are struggling with. Letting them know you feel like a 1 or a 2 today will let them know you are struggling without having to explain.
Traffic light system
I struggle with fatigue and have come up with a traffic light system with my partner. Red means I'm having a really bad day, orange means I can do some stuff and green means I'm feeling good. This lets him know if I need extra help that day. This can be another way you can communicate to your family and friends if you are struggling.
Check out the guide below to help create your own fatigue diary
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
Treatment/Activity |
Notes | |
| Mon | 2 | 2 | 3 | Short Walk | Slept better after walk. |
| Tues | Treatment Day | ||||
| Wed | |||||
| Thurs | |||||
| Fri | |||||
| Sat | |||||
| Sun |