It can take quite a while to fully recover from a personal injury, and just as long to receive compensation from the responsible party. The length of the legal process can often make it difficult for injury victims to recall how their injury has progressed from the original incident that caused it.
Creating a personal injury journal is a great way to recall exactly how you were feeling on any given day during the recovery process, which should help strengthen your legal case later on. Here is what you need to record when starting your injury journal.
Recording Method
A daily injury journal is necessary to help document your recovery process. You should start recording the information from the very first day of the injury so that you document how the injury becomes better or worse over time. You can write these entries in a notebook, a text document on your computer, or organize them in a spreadsheet. Do whatever it easiest for you so that you record the information every day.
Try to make the entry at the end of the day so that you have a good gauge of how you are feeling after a full day of daily activity.
Symptoms
Start by writing down the physical symptoms that you experienced during the day. Loss of mobility of your body, muscle stiffness, and overall pain are some things that you should record. However, mental symptoms should be documented as well. It is common to feel depression, anxiety, or fear following an accident, which can affect your daily activity and what you feel up to doing.
Make note of any new symptoms you are experiencing for the first time, when symptoms appear to go away, and when symptoms come back.
Symptom Ratings
Rate each symptom on a scale of 1 to 10 for each day that you experience it. The rating system will help track how every symptom has improved or gotten worse. Daily tracking will also make it easier to compare improvement over time, which can help prove your injury case later on.
Symptom Frequency
Symptoms can come and go during the day, or be persistent all the time. You should document if the symptom only occurs during the mornings or afternoons, for a few hours during the day, or only when doing certain activities.
Affected Activities
Your symptoms are likely creating a disruption in your life that is not allowing you to go back to your daily routine and activities. Document which activities you are unable to do each day, such as going to work, exercising, cooking, lifting objects, driving, any anything else that is notable.
Medications
Make a list of all medications you are taking that are related to the injury, as well as the side effects that they are causing. These side effects are just as important as the injury symptoms you have sustained. Documenting the side effects will help provide a full picture of the effects of the injuries on your body.
Doctor Visits
Keep track of all doctor visits. You should write down the doctor that you meet with, what is discussed, and what you are told to do after the visit. This will help prove that you are closely following your doctor's orders to help improve your recovery. Document any physical therapy sessions as well, especially if they are recommended by your doctor.
Once medical care is over, turn your injury journal over to your attorney so they are as prepared as possible to represent you. This will help set you up for success when it comes to the legal battle following a personal injury. Reach out to Clearfield & Associates to help handle your case and get you the compensation that you deserve.