? for Anyone & Everyone. What are your 'measures' of wellness??

[Guest guest]

Or measures of illness if it's easier to put it that way?

I'm keen to try and record any improvements in my health. I've re-

started recording my daily basal metabolic rate (which has been low

for the past 10 years that I'm aware of), and I want to assign a

daily score to other things too such as fatigue, muscle tightness (I

have FMS), cognitive function.....and perhaps some others that I

can't think of right off (that'll be the brainfog!).

I've finally received my Pangborn and Baker book which has given me

more confidence to start a plan of action. I think recording specific

improvements (hopefully) will be very interesting for me, and useful

seeing as I don't have access to most of the recommended tests

(Genovations etc, plus GSH etc.)

So my question is what for YOU would be the most useful indicators of

your improved health? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything

obvious!

TIA to anyone with any ideas. )

Anne.

[Guest guest]

Ability to actually function (move, walk, bend, think) closer to the

time I wake up or get up, as opposed to 6 to 12 hours later. I would

pretty much kill for this again.

in Champaign IL

>

> Or measures of illness if it's easier to put it that way?

>

> I'm keen to try and record any improvements in my health. I've re-

> started recording my daily basal metabolic rate (which has been low

> for the past 10 years that I'm aware of), and I want to assign a

> daily score to other things too such as fatigue, muscle tightness

(I

> have FMS), cognitive function.....and perhaps some others that I

> can't think of right off (that'll be the brainfog!).

>

> I've finally received my Pangborn and Baker book which has given me

> more confidence to start a plan of action. I think recording

specific

> improvements (hopefully) will be very interesting for me, and

useful

> seeing as I don't have access to most of the recommended tests

> (Genovations etc, plus GSH etc.)

>

> So my question is what for YOU would be the most useful indicators

of

> your improved health? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything

> obvious!

>

> TIA to anyone with any ideas. )

> Anne.

>

[Guest guest]

I second 's response.

Vickie

Houston Hostage

>

> Ability to actually function (move, walk, bend, think) closer to >the

> time I wake up or get up, as opposed to 6 to 12 hours later. I

>would

> pretty much kill for this again.

>

>

> in Champaign IL

>

>

[Guest guest]

anne_likes_red wrote:

> Or measures of illness if it's easier to put it that way?

>

> I'm keen to try and record any improvements in my health. I've re-

> started recording my daily basal metabolic rate (which has been low

> for the past 10 years that I'm aware of), and I want to assign a

> daily score to other things too such as fatigue, muscle tightness (I

> have FMS), cognitive function.....and perhaps some others that I

> can't think of right off (that'll be the brainfog!).

>

I don't put actual numerical scales to these things. But I do keep a

daily diary (2-page format, separate columns for foods & meds,

activities, physical symptoms, emotional state, and any readings such as

blood sugar or lab tests). I write down when I wake up, and when I

fell asleep the night before, when I napped, etc.

It's easy to rifle through a few pages, or go back and look at a month

ago or six months ago, and get a feel for the differences. Some of the

ones I pay attention to:

1) how long did I sleep? Did I need a nap more than once a week?

2) how did I feel when I woke up - headache? sore lower back? stiff

all over (FMS)? draggy? wheezing from asthma?

3) how often I took my PRN (as needed) pain medications, and whether

they helped and for how long. (Also describe the pain.)

4) did I get a migraine, FMS flare-up, or bad diarrhea/IBS? How often?

Could I identify the trigger(s)?

5) did I go for more than one day in a row without getting dressed,

showering, etc.?

6) did I have the energy to make decent meals, or was I binging on carbs

and junk food all day?

7) how have my blood sugar levels been?

8) did I have energy to make my appointments (PT, doctor, etc.) or did I

cancel? Ditto fun things scheduled.

9) did I do anything like go out for an appointment, shopping, or

several errands (and I list every place I went, like " PT, Staples (UPS),

health food store " , or " Pilates " , or " audiologist, Post Office, shoe

repair " ). Did I stay in, but do five loads of laundry and spend 3 hours

on the computer? Did I clean out a closet? Spend 2-4 hours on

financial stuff, evaluating investments and reconciling account

statements? I can see at a glance how much " activity " I managed, both

physical and mental, and how long it took me after waking up to get up

and go out.

10) how did I feel after the activity? (I also check forwards two days,

since my post-exertional crashes usually show up two days later.)

11) how many hours of TV did I watch? (if I am whacked physically but

not mentally, I like to read - if I'm whacked BOTH physically and

mentally, I will park myself in the recliner in front of the TV for many

hours on end)

12) how many days did I write something positive or note a good mood?

how many days was what I wrote negative, angry, afraid, stressed, hurt,

defensive? how many days did I record nothing whatsoever in the

emotions column? (a long stretch of the latter often means my

antidepressants need tweaking, especially if it accompanies

no-shower/no-dress days).

I can usually build a picture in my head of my overall physical and

mental well-being, but when I'm particularly brainfogged, I will grab

(or print out) a large calendar, and make some simple marks. I will

write MIGRAINE in big letters over each day with one, maybe write ACTIVE

on days when I really accomplished something, and give a letter grade

for physical and mental state (such as bod: C+, brain: A-) I write

these things in the same place in every day's block. Then I can look at

a whole month and see the overall trend.

I probably forgot some, but this gives you the general idea. I know the

doctors like you to tell them things on a scale of 0 to 10 or 0 to 100,

but I just don't think that way!

Hope this helps.

--

el (andreafrankel at sbcglobal dot net)

" wake now! Discover that YOU are the song that the morning brings... "