Managing chronic Lyme disease means tracking symptoms that shift, cycle, and overlap across multiple body systems. A daily log template gives you a consistent structure so that nothing falls through the cracks, and your doctor can see the real trajectory of your condition, not just a snapshot from your appointment day.
This template takes five minutes or less. It covers the multi-system nature of Lyme while staying practical for daily use.
Daily Log Categories
1. Symptom Severity by Category
Rate each category on a 0 to 10 scale. Only rate the categories that are active for you. Over time, you will find your core set.
Musculoskeletal
- Joint pain: severity and location (knees, shoulders, wrists, ankles, other)
- Muscle aches: severity and location
- Stiffness: severity, worst time of day
- Swelling: location, visible or felt
Neurological
- Brain fog / cognitive clarity: 0 to 10
- Nerve pain / neuropathy: severity and location
- Headache: severity, type, duration
- Dizziness or balance issues
- Light or sound sensitivity
Fatigue
- Overall energy: 0 to 10
- Post-exertional worsening: did yesterday’s activity make today worse?
- Need for rest: hours of lying down or napping beyond normal sleep
GI
- Nausea, bloating, appetite changes
- Note if GI symptoms may be medication side effects
Mood
- Overall mood: rate or describe
- Anxiety: 0 to 10
- Any sudden mood shifts
2. Medications and Supplements
- Antibiotics: name, dose, taken on time? Yes/No
- Herbal antimicrobials: name, dose
- Supplements: list what you took today
- Pain medications: what, dose, effectiveness
- Any medications started, stopped, or changed today
3. Herxheimer Reaction Notes
- Did you experience a suspected herx today? Yes/No
- Symptoms that worsened: which ones and by how much
- Timing: how long after taking medication did worsening begin?
- Duration: how long did the suspected herx last?
- What helped: detox support used (epsom salt bath, binders, hydration, rest)
4. Sleep
- Hours slept
- Quality: refreshing, light, fragmented, unrefreshing
- Night sweats: Yes/No
- Vivid or disturbing dreams: Yes/No
- Time to fall asleep
5. Activity and Context
- Physical activity: type, duration, intensity
- How you felt during and after activity
- Stress level: low, moderate, high
- Weather notes: temperature, barometric pressure changes
- Diet: anything unusual or different from routine
Sample Daily Entry
- Date: March 9
- Joints: 5/10, knees and right shoulder. Stiffness worst in morning, improved by noon.
- Neuro: Brain fog 6/10, word-finding issues in afternoon. Tingling in feet 4/10. No headache.
- Energy: 3/10. Needed 2-hour nap. Post-exertional worsening from yesterday’s walk.
- GI: Mild nausea in morning, resolved after eating.
- Mood: Low, irritable. Anxiety 5/10.
- Medications: Doxycycline 100mg 2x (taken on time). Cat’s claw tincture. Magnesium, B12, CoQ10.
- Herx: Possible. Joint pain and fatigue worsened about 3 hours after morning doxycycline. Lasted about 4 hours. Drank extra water and took activated charcoal.
- Sleep: 7 hours, woke twice. Night sweats. Unrefreshing. Vivid dreams.
- Activity: Light stretching only. Stress moderate (medical bill arrived).
- Notes: Third day in a row with energy below 4. Joints seem to be cycling, were better early in the week. Will discuss herx pattern with doctor if it continues.
Weekly Review
At the end of each week, look at your data and ask:
- What was my average energy this week? Better or worse than last week?
- Which symptoms were most active?
- Did I notice any suspected herx reactions? How frequently?
- Were there days that were significantly better? What was different about those days?
- How did my sleep quality correlate with the next day’s symptoms?
- Did activity levels affect symptoms 1 to 2 days later?
- Any trends I should bring up at my next appointment?
Track Lyme Daily With the Clarity App
The a dedicated Lyme symptom journal turns this template into a quick daily check-in on your phone. Log multi-system symptoms, medications, herx reactions, sleep, and activity in one place. Over weeks and months, the data reveals your cycles, your treatment response, and the factors that make the biggest difference in how you feel.
For a comprehensive overview of what to track and why, read our chronic Lyme symptom tracking guide. To learn about the neurological symptoms that often get overlooked, check out Lyme and neurological symptoms.
Start your daily Lyme log today. Start tracking your Lyme symptoms or download it from the App Store.