Three Essential Things To Include In A Pain Journal

Injury negotiations take time, and, over time, you may forget some of the details of your injury and recovery. Therefore, keeping a pain journal is a good way of remembering these details. Here are three essential things that should not miss in this journal:

Pain

Pain is a major indicator of injury and improvement, which is why it's one of the things to include in your journal. Even if you have decided to limit the number of entries in your journal, pain must be one of the things to include. Here are three pain-related things to include:

• Description – describe the type of pain you are feeling, whether it is intermittent or continuous, how long it lasts, and such like things. For example, you may have throbbing pain that continues for a couple of hours before tapering off.
• Location – indicate where you feel the pain. For example, is it the leg, back, wound, or all over?
• Rating – estimate how painful your injury is. If you have discussed the issue with your doctor, then use his or her guidelines to rate your pain; otherwise, do it your way, but be honest and consistent.

Activities

The nature and level of activities you do each day are also a good indication of your recovery process, so this is something else to include in your diary. You should also indicate the duration of these activities, and how you felt during and after carrying them out. For example, indicate if your back pain increased after you sat for three hours at your desk. It's also advisable to include activities you find difficult to engage in. Can you lift boxes, bend down to pick up objects, or do the dishes?

Medications

The third essential thing to include is the medications you are taking. Include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, supplements, and even home remedies you are using to manage your injury. Apart from the names of the drugs, include other relevant details such as dosage, side effects, and whether or not the medicines made you feel better. This information, together with other relevant ones, will give a clearer view of your injury and recovery process.  

The defense team may request for your pain journal, peruse it, and cross-examine you on it. Therefore, be honest to avoid exaggerations. Also, don't include your personal rants, ravings, and exasperation. Such things are potentially embarrassing, and you may not wish them to become public knowledge. Talk to a lawyer, like John J Bublewicz Attorney At Law, for more information on what to include in your pain journal.     

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