The toolkit · For teens · For parents
Daily Medical Symptom Tracker
A structured log to record physical health data before medical appointments, counter diagnostic overshadowing, and track how a condition changes over time. Print it and keep it with your Patient Passport.
Fill it in daily, or during symptom flare-ups, and bring it to your physician visits. A few weeks of rows shows a pattern that a single description in the exam room cannot.
What each column is for
- Date and timeWhen it happened. The time of day matters as much as the date.
- Symptom(s)Dizziness, pain, fatigue, nausea, and so on. Name each one.
- IntensityA 1 to 10 scale. Be consistent with yourself from day to day.
- DurationMinutes, hours, or constant.
- Impact on activityWhat it stopped you doing: missed school, unable to stand, had to lie down.
- Triggers and factorsWhat came just before: standing up, heat, food, exertion.
- Notes and moodMedication response, heart rate if you know it, and how you felt.
10/12, 9:00 AM. Dizziness and tachycardia, 7 out of 10, for 45 minutes. Had to sit down on the class floor and missed first period. Triggered by standing up in line and a hot classroom. Heart felt racing (130 bpm). Felt frustrated and tired.
What to say when you bring it in
I have tracked my symptoms using this log over the past several weeks. As you can see, these episodes consistently impact my ability to attend school and perform daily tasks, specifically triggered by physical position and exertion rather than emotional stress.