One tool we use to help clients explain what their symptoms are to their doctors is to provide them with a calendar. We tell clients to keep this by their bedside or by the toaster oven if they want their family members to participate, and each day write down what their symptoms are. For example, if someone has severe migraines, noting how frequently are they having the headaches, did they have to lay down in a dark room, did they get nauseous, was noise bothering them, etc. If you keep these symptoms in this calendar diary, it's much easier to communicate your symptoms to your doctors a month or two later when it's so hard to remember what happened in the past. This log helps build the evidence we need to prove you're entitled to SSD or SSI benefits.