Symptom diary
This symptom diary provides a simple way for you to keep a record of how your AS is affecting you during your treatment, both physically and emotionally.
Why is it useful to record this information?
By completing the symptom diary, you will have a clear and accurate record to share with your healthcare professional, so they can decide if your AS symptoms are being managed effectively. If they decide your symptoms are not being managed as well as they could be, they may consider changing your current treatment plan.
How to complete the symptom diary
You will need to fill in details in the symptom diary between each of your scheduled visits to your healthcare professional. Take your completed symptom diary with you every time you have an AS appointment to help discuss how your symptoms are affecting you and whether they have changed.
The diary contains a number of questions. These include:
- How is your overall level of fatigue/tiredness?
- What is the overall level of pain in your neck, back or hips?
- Is your AS impacting on your daily activities?
- How is your AS making you feel?
Before each hospital/AS clinic visit, rate how your AS has affected you on a scale of 0 (not at all) to 10 (very much) for each of these questions.
It is also important to write in more detail how you are feeling, in addition to rating your symptoms on a scale of 0 to 10. You will find there are other questions in the symptom diary which require more information. These questions include:
- What sort of activities have you missed because of your AS symptoms?
- Have you felt self-conscious about your AS?
- Have you taken any time off work due to your AS symptoms?
There is space within the symptom diary to record any other additional information you think your healthcare professional may wish to know. For example:
- How you are feeling emotionally?
- If you have experienced any other symptoms not listed in the diary
- What symptom bothers you most?
- How long your symptoms last?
- When you have a particularly good or bad day?
- Is there anything you have done that helped your symptoms?
Getting the most out of the symptom diary
When you take your completed diary to your healthcare professional, it is important they recognise how your symptoms have been since your last visit. Reading your diary before your visit, to refresh your memory may be helpful so you can answer any questions you may be asked. To see a list of questions that your healthcare professional may ask you, click here.
Tell your healthcare professional when your scores are very high or very low, and also let them know if there are any symptoms in particular which cause you more pain.
If you have written more detailed notes about your AS symptoms, it may also be useful to share these with your healthcare professional.
Click here to download the symptom diary.