Blobby Chart
Symptoms that come and go can be hard to treat simply because effective treatments may reduce frequency and severity but not abolish the symptom.
The blobby Chart, example illustrated below is one simple way of keeping a Diary of how various remedies impact the frequency and severity (or duration) of intermittent 'attacks'.
We use it a lot for patients affected by intermittent palpitations such as Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.
Instructions
- Download and print out the blobby year chart at bottom of this page- essentially an annotated calendar year.
- Add your details, each time you have any symptoms mark with a pen or pencil the day that you are affected.
- The size of the mark serves as a severity score.
- Add any treatment changes or lifestyle issues that may affect symptoms in the margin.
You will then have a very useful diary to discuss symptoms with your Physician, or even for self-reflection on lifestyle measures that my affect symptoms- is this example below where PAF got better as Flecainide dose was increased and worse after a Boozy Holiday in Spain! This would lead to the reasonable conclusion, based on this one bit of paper that the patient's were well controlled on the higher dose of Flecainide except when away on holiday possibly linked to extra alcohol consumed when away.
Download the printable PDF by click on image below
