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Pain Diary

A tool for monitoring, understanding, and managing chronic pain

Why keep a pain diary?

It helps you better understand your condition, notice recurring patterns, and identify what increases or decreases your symptoms. Regular entries make it easier to evaluate treatment effectiveness and prepare for your doctor's appointment. This gives your doctor a clearer picture of the course of your illness. The most important thing is consistency.

Tips and Pain Scale

Record at fixed times: Ideally morning, midday, and evening. If an unusually severe attack occurs, record it as well.

Pay attention to: sleep, stress, fatigue, cold, wind, weather, exertion, eating, or talking.

Level	Pain intensity description (Scale 0–4)
0	No pain – full comfort.
1	Mild – noticeable but does not interfere with daily activities.
2	Moderate – clearly felt, impairs concentration or some activities.
3	Severe – very distressing, dominates attention, significantly limits functioning.
4	Unbearable – prevents all activity, requires urgent intervention.

Why 0–4? Unlike the traditional 0–10 scale, this five-level Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) reduces subjectivity and makes it quick, intuitive, and reproducible — crucial when filling in the diary multiple times daily during severe fatigue.

Section 1 · Baseline Information (fill in once)

Diagnosis (if known):	Pain present since (date/year):
Side of face: right / left / both	Main area: V1 (forehead, eye) / V2 (cheek, jaw) / V3 (lower jaw)
Probable cause (e.g. extraction, implant, shingles, trauma):	Allergies:
Regular medications (name, dose, times):	Rescue medications (for attacks):

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Section 2 · Daily Symptom Log

Date / Day	Time	Intensity 0–4	Constant / attacks	No. of attacks	Rescue med (name/dose/time)	Helped?	Triggers
	AM
	Noon
	PM
	AM
	Noon
	PM
	AM
	Noon
	PM
	AM
	Noon
	PM
	AM
	Noon
	PM
	AM
	Noon
	PM
	AM
	Noon
	PM

Sleep (hours / quality):	Stress 0–4: ___ · Fatigue 0–4: ___	Weather / wind / cold:
What brought relief?
Emotions accompanying the pain:

You can print this page multiple times. Neuropathic pain can spread to adjacent areas — if it was unusually severe or atypical, describe it in detail on the next page.

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Section 3 · Detailed Attack Description

Complete when a more severe or atypical pain attack occurs.

Date and time:	Pain intensity (0–4): ___
Side: right / left / both	Area: V1 / V2 / V3 / multiple · radiating? ___
Character: stabbing · electric ("like a shock") · burning · searing · throbbing · dull · other: ........................
Duration: seconds · minutes · hours · most of the day
Possible triggers: eating · talking · brushing teeth · touching face · cold air · wind · weather change · stress · fatigue · no clear cause · other: ........................
Accompanying symptoms: tingling · numbness · hypersensitivity · eye tearing · muscle tension · difficulty eating · difficulty speaking · other: ........................
What you tried and did it help? (medication/dose/time, warmth, cold, rest, breathing, sleep, avoiding trigger)

Impact on daily functioning

Area	Mild	Moderate	Severe
Sleep
Eating
Talking
Work / responsibilities
Mood

My observations (what brought relief, additional symptoms):

Relief may come from: rescue medication · rest · sleep · relaxation · physical activity · warmth · cold · avoiding the trigger · other — write them down.

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Section 4 · Summary for Your Doctor

Fill in before your appointment to help your doctor assess the course of your condition.

Observation period: From: ___________ To: ___________	Days with pain: ___ / ___
Average number of attacks: ___ per day	Intensity: typical ___ / max ___
Course of pain: constant · paroxysmal · mixed
Most common character: electric · stabbing · burning · throbbing · dull · mixed · other: ............
Most common triggers: stress · fatigue · eating · talking · brushing teeth · cold/wind · touching face · no pattern · other: ............
What helps / what doesn't:
Medications + doses:
Days rescue med was used: ___ · Side effects:
Greatest impact on life (sleep / eating / work / mood):

Questions for your doctor:

About the author

Hi, my name is Natalia. Since 2014, I've been living with chronic pain caused by damage to the trigeminal nerve. My story began suddenly — I was barely 25 when, after surgery to remove a tumor, my nerve was damaged. Overnight, severe pain appeared in my jaw area and has stayed with me ever since. To understand it, I began studying everything about pain, and now I want to share that knowledge with you.

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Legal disclaimer: This material is for informational and educational purposes only and cannot replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or a treatment plan. All medical decisions should always be consulted with your treating physician. In an emergency call 911. Mental health crisis: 988.