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Who Keeps A Health Diary?

Australiadiabetic2

Australiadiabetic2

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Location
Sydney Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have decided since becoming type 2 diagnosed to take some responsibility for my own health now.

Sure you can visit your GP and diabetes clinic nurse etc to help manage it but its really up to you ,your the one with the disease and lets face it ,its only a job to them they couldn’t careless really.

So ,i have decided to make a “ Health Diary” , it has 2 benefits ,i can personally keep track of my own health to see if im improving and to be aware of any conditions i may have or experiencing.
Second is diary notes i can give to the Doctors etc

So everyday and yes it is time consuming but your health is most important as i just found out, so everyday i record my Diet and calories, blood sugar level reading,sometimes more than once, my medication, how many steps i took on the fitbit or how much exercise i did and what exercises i did, how much sleep i got ,and how i feel during the day eg energised,dizzy,lethargic etc
I also record if i went to the toilet easy, and how much water i drunk, i make sure i moisterise my feet and brush my teeth daily and see if my gums are bleeding or ok

Weekly i record my weight, checklist to check feet and dental gums , skin for rashes, and Weekly average BSL readings
And see where i can improve my diet and if my feet need moisteriser etc

I also keep a 3rd file on when to see Health specialists appointments eg ,podiatrists , Eye checks,GP, diabetes clinic etc and keep in plastic sleeves my blood tests results and any notes from these professionals
 
I kept something similar when just diagnosed. It helped me to figure out where I was at and where I was going, besides giving me something I could discuss with a variety of specialists. The only thing I'm missing in your rundown is carb intake; they directly affect your bs, and to me, putting that beside my bs was eye-opening. Basically it was a time-bs-food/carbs, and notes thing, where notes was anything from migraines to activity. Tried to keep it brief so people wouldn't have to plow through copious notes at the hospital. ;)
 
I keep very detailed food and BG, insulin shots, meds, feelings, etc logs and take printouts to all my appointments. It’s a bit of a PITA, but the data can be so useful.
 
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I try to keep a dairy but it’s not that healthy?!?!!!?
 
I've kept an annual Excel workbook since diagnosis. Pretty basic but record various BG readings, what I eat, rough calorie count, carb count, protein, fat. Back when trying to lose weight, also recorded daily weight, time exercising and various other bits and pieces. Not really sure how much it's helped. I guess the main thing has been accountability for BG levels and carbs ingested.
 
I record what I eat, my macros and weight, my blood tests occasionally- if there's anything unusual I'll add to it - but to be honest haven't time for anything else to busy with living life lol

ETA I did keep detailed records in the beginning it helps to see what your body likes and doesn't but after a while I reduced it as it was all I was thinking about
 
I use an app called Blood Glucose Tracker. I record all my BG readings and it publishes them in a nifty graph. I also record my weight, my BP and there are options for food, medication and notes which I don't use (yet). The diabetes educator gave me a notebook to record my BGs in, but it was just not practical for me, so the app is awesome, and on my phone, so I pretty much always have it with me. I didn't want to get too obsessive about recording food and stuff, as I know I've started that stuff in the past many times, and it fades away over a few weeks or months. The graph is my favourite feature, and I can set my own upper and lower ideal limits so the graph is green when I'm in the zone, and red when I'm not. Best thing about it? It's free and doesn't have ads! This is the one I use: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.littlebytes.android.bloodglucosetracker but I've also read people here use one called mysugr and speak highly of it.
 
I have used the same excel spread sheet file since diagnosis, 4 and a half years ago. A page each for all my health markers, glucose, BP, pulse, kidney & liver stuff, full blood counts, vit and mineral tests, weight, body composition, food diary, and all my self testing data.
 
I've kept a food diary since 2012.
Update it even though I more or less know what results are repeated.
It was vital for diagnosis and how intolerant I was to carbs and starchy vegetables and to persuade my endocrinologist how my treatment was affected by food.

I have blood glucose booklet going back to 2009.
 
I do one for my hubby. In it it says when he gets up. When he tests , what's he's eaten , appointments . What he's done throughout the day . If he's had to have a nap due to him also having M.E.
 
When I first started testing I used to write down my BS readings but have not bothered since.
 
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