Looking to keep a diary of some sort .. what can people recommend?

I would say the best advice is rather than searching for an elusive cure ...if there even is one, spend some time coming to terms with your diagnosis and learn to take rest even when you are having a good day. Eat the best diet you can afford and cut back on stressors. There is no magic power in these foods but they provide your body with the best potential chance of healing itself. I have only have this for six months and it’s like a roller coaster of increasing energy and hope , only to have a few bad weeks where I feel hopeless I will ever recover. I have stopped looking for a magic cure but spend more time being thankful for what I do have , I am lucky my husband is very supportive, try and find new interests that you can do when you are not so great and enjoy a different life. I hope that’s not too depressing but being unrealistically optimistic of a miracle cure could find you in a dismal hole . I am a Christian so pray for an actual miracle daily. Take care of yourself

Use the diary on your phone to record how you feel at certain times during the day and then you can search those entries. Set up a calendar of CFS so you can see only those entries.

as a 10+ yr suffer who has come out the other side and leads almost a normal life, it was pacing that worked for me. If you bust then look back at the diary and see which days you did too much and try again without doing quite as much. I describe it as learning to run a marathon when you can’t yet walk. It takes a long time, for me several years but knowing when I spent too much energy helps understand for next time

bwst of luck

I have had ME for 17 years and in bed at the mo with a relapse  but I can recommend the lightning programe and implants of male toresrone but exspensive x

but my Professor Findley recommends 5 half hour rests a day x

but stress fo me is the culprit and I also have Lupus ,fibro,and others and on steroids and warfarin as the Lupus gave me blood clots x

well I wish you well in your journey it’s not easy but trust in your self to do the right things x

I spent a good couple of years doing diaries. I found it a positive thing because you feel as though you are taking control of your health. I spent a lot of time experimenting in cutting out various foods and monitoring exercise and in the end did an intolerance test and found the 10 plus M.E symptoms I had that prevented me for working and being dependant on my husband, in the end was simply down to a milk allergy and was not actually M.E despite having the diagnosis from a professional. So I say just have as many tests as you can first, because M.E seems to be such a broad umbrella of symptoms and seems to manifest so differently in everybody, meaning there could be a whole host of reasons why people are developing it. 

Great attitude, Meg.  A diary is a good idea. I filled in a table I made in word for my 16 year old daughter.  It had rows for breakfast, lunch, dinner (snacks, drinks) and supplements.  Being able to copy and paste is helpful.  Also noted other factors like unusually hot weather, period etc plus (briefly) symptoms and energy levels.  Doing a brief diary is probably better than getting into too much detail if you are short on energy. 

Hi Meg

I just list note worthy things on a 1 page monthly calendar. With CFS not much space is needed LOL. 

Also get a kick scooter, you can go 30 feet with the same energy it takes to take one step. I use it in the house and in the grocery store when i just need a few things (hang a bag on the handlebar)

I give myself a mark out of 10 every day in my diary and if my scores are going down I look back to see why I've got worse and see if I can avoid repeating these things and if my scores go up do more of what I was doing when they increased. I try and write down something positive about every day and make a note of any mental or physical things that make me worse. Emotional stress can be as draining as physical activity so make sure you take this into account and take time out to properly relax. Also keep a note of any foods that you feel better after eating and try and eat them more often.

Thank you all so much for your responses, so much wisdom and advice between us all