When you live with a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC), keeping track of patterns in your bathroom habits, symptoms, and other factors that affect your condition can help you manage your care effectively and feel your best.
“Patients are key to keeping on top of [their IBD], and their symptoms help to guide if further testing or changes in medications are needed,” says Svetang Desai, MD, a gastroenterologist at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital in Sugar Land, Texas.
So what specifically should you be keeping tabs on? While tracking may look different for different people, in general, there are a few details you’ll want to log. Here’s what to keep track of, when tracking is important, and when it might be okay to stop or ease up.
1. Bowel Movement Changes
- Frequency How many times are you going to the bathroom, and are you waking up at night to go?
- Consistency Are your stools formed, loose, or watery?
- Urgency Do you get hit with a sudden need to go?
- Blood in your stool, which may appear red or black
- Accidents or leaking
- Cramping or pain (including rectal pain) during bowel movements
You should also record the date and time that your bowel changes started, says Dr. Desai.
2. Gastrointestinal Symptoms
- Abdominal pain, cramping, or discomfort
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Bloating
Rate the intensity of your abdominal pain on a scale from 1 to 10 so you and your doctor can track how severe the problem is and whether it’s getting worse, Desai says. Again, be sure to include the date and time when your symptoms started.
3. Non-Gastrointestinal Symptoms
IBD can cause extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), or symptoms in other parts of your body. “These can sometimes be related to IBD itself, complications of the disease, or its treatment,” says Dr. Park.
- New or worsening joint pain, stiffness, or swelling
- Skin changes such as rashes, sores, skin tags, openings (fistulas), or tears (fissures)
- Mouth sores
- Eye pain, dryness, itching or burning, vision changes, sensitivity to light, or redness
Similar to abdominal symptoms, you should note when the symptoms started and rate any pain on a scale of 1 to 10.
4. Dietary Triggers
5. Sleep and Stress Levels
Other Things to Know About Tracking
There are no rules when it comes to tracking for your IBD. It’s about finding what works for you and helps you feel your best. Here are some important things to keep in mind.
- Track important details, but try not to obsess. The goal of tracking is to look for patterns that could be related to your IBD. “The point is not to become overly focused on every sensation in your body,” says Park.
- Use the tools that you prefer. A notebook, the notes app on your phone, or a symptom tracking app (like Aidy or Bearable) can all get the job done. The key is that you track the same things consistently to spot trends, Boutte says.
- You may not need to track all the time. “Most people don’t need to track forever. It’s most useful right after diagnosis, when starting or changing a medication, during a flare, and before a visit,” says Park, who adds that once you’ve been stable for a while, you may only need to start tracking again if your symptoms start acting up.
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