PainTracking.com
Title
Paintracking Home Page
Description
Deborah A. Barrett, Ph.D.
In 1994, at age 28, I developed fibromyalgia during the final throes of my dissertation in sociology. My symptoms began suddenly after several months of little sleep, intensive typing, no knowledge of "ergonomics," plus a sense of physical invincibility attributable to reaching my mid-twenties without having suffered anything "chronic." Like most cases of fibromyalgia, it took several specialists, clinics, and finally, my own researching, until my symptoms were matched with the appropriate diagnosis. By then I had deteriorated substantially: I could barely feed myself, brush my teeth, or open doors. After a year of struggle and deterioration, I regained functionality through a combination of physical therapy, exercise, medication, careful pacing, and sleep. I still suffer from pain and fatigue, but nothing like the constant, intense pain I experienced daily in the first year. The most important factor in my recovery has been daily record-keeping or "paintracking."
In 1995, I completed my Ph.D. in sociology at Stanford University with the help of a voice-activated computer software. Since then I have worked as a postdoctoral fellow at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Emory University, and Duke University. During this time, I have also been writing about fibromyalgia, helping others adjust to life with chronic illness, and answering the frequent questions my writings have generated.
It is my strong belief that systematically tracking one's symptoms as well as activities, medical regimen, and external conditions, provides invaluable information for improving. Self knowledge is particularly important in conditions such as fibromyalgia because no established medical treatment exists and symptoms remain "invisible" to onlookers. Understanding the reasons for our ups and downs allows us to adjust our daily activities to achieve the greatest improvements (however small at first).
