Injury Pain Journal: Free Printable Daily Log

Pain and suffering are real damages under Kentucky law, but they don’t come with a receipt. Medical records show diagnoses and treatment; they rarely show what it was like to miss a child’s game, sleep in a recliner for a month or give up a weekend job. A journal written at the time fills that gap. See how pain and suffering work in Kentucky.

• Pain level (0 to 10) in the morning, afternoon and evening, and where it hurts
• Sleep: hours slept and how often pain woke you
• Medications and treatment: what you took, therapy sessions and appointments
• Work: hours or days missed, or tasks you couldn’t do
• Daily life: chores, driving, child care, exercise or events you skipped or needed help with
• Mood: anxiety, frustration or trouble concentrating

Download the PDF and print as many daily pages as you need. Keep the journal in one place, like your nightstand, and fill it in at the same time each day. If you prefer your phone, use the same headings in a notes app and date every entry.

• Be specific: “couldn’t lift the laundry basket” says more than “bad day.”
• Don’t exaggerate or minimize. Accurate notes are the most credible.
• Write good days too. Improvement is part of an honest record.
• Keep receipts and mileage for medical trips in the back pocket of the journal.
• Share symptoms with your doctor; a journal doesn’t replace medical care. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, has plain-language information about pain.

If you bring a claim, the insurance company or the other side may ask for your journal. Write it as if a stranger will read it. Avoid opinions about the other driver or the case, and talk with your lawyer about what to share. See social media after an accident for similar advice about posting online.

• Medical bills and explanation-of-benefits letters
• Pay stubs and notes from your employer about missed time (see lost wages claims)
• Photos of visible injuries every few days
• Letters from insurance companies