Guide · Bowel diary
What to write in the notes column of a bowel diary
Which extra details are worth adding to a bowel diary, from whether it felt complete to medicines and urgency, with example notes and what to leave out.
In short: the notes column is for short facts that the date, time and stool type can’t show: whether it felt complete, whether you had to rush, any medicine you took, and anything unusual about the day. Keep each note to a few words, describe what happened rather than what you think it means, and if your doctor asked you to record something specific, note that first.
Start with what your doctor asked for
If a doctor or nurse gave you a diary or told you what to track, that comes first. Hospital forms differ. The Royal Berkshire NHS 14-day diary asks for stool type, how many times, time of day, any bowel medicine taken and “any comments”. The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS bowel diary also asks about urgency, leakage, pain, bloating or cramps, and whether your bowels limited your day. Both checked October 19, 2026.
If nobody gave you a list, the details below are a sensible starting point.
Details worth a short note
| Note | Why it helps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Did it feel complete? | A doctor may ask whether you felt fully emptied or still felt stuck. Type alone doesn’t show this | “Felt incomplete” |
| Urgency | Whether you had to rush is a common question on clinic forms | “Had to rush” |
| Straining or a long time | Shows effort that the stool type might not | “Strained, ~15 min” |
| Pain, bloating or cramps | Clinic forms often ask for these alongside bowel movements | “Bloated before” |
| Medicine | Anything taken for your bowels, or a new medicine, with the amount | “1 laxative sachet, 9 pm” |
| Approximate time | If you logged it later, say so | “Time approx.” |
| Unusual day | Travel, a missed meal, illness or a big change in routine | “Travelling”, “Ate out” |
| What your doctor asked about | Food, drinks or activity, only if requested | “Run, 30 min” |
Write a note only when there’s something to say. A blank notes cell on an ordinary entry is fine.
An example week
| Date | Time | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 6 | 7:40 | 4 | |
| Tue 7 | 8:10 | 2 | Strained, felt incomplete |
| Wed 8 | — | — | Nothing recorded |
| Thu 9 | 7:30 | 3 | |
| Fri 10 | 13:00 | 6 | Had to rush; ate out Thu night |
| Fri 10 | ~18:00 | 5 | Time approx. |
| Sat 11 | 9:15 | 4 | Travelling |
These entries are made up to show the format. They don’t describe a typical or healthy pattern.
What to leave out
- Conclusions. Write “had to rush”, not “IBS flare” or “bad gut day”. Describe what happened and leave the meaning to your doctor.
- Long paragraphs. If a day needs more, write one line in the diary and keep the detail elsewhere.
- Guesses presented as facts. If you’re not sure, say “approx.” or “not sure”.
- Anything you wouldn’t want to hand over. A diary is often shown to someone else.
Notes don’t replace a call to a doctor
A diary is for patterns over time. Some things shouldn’t wait for the next appointment. The NHS advises getting help for blood in your poo or a change in your poo that lasts three weeks, and urgent help for black or dark red poo or bloody diarrhoea. See NHS: bleeding from the bottom, checked October 19, 2026. If something worries you, contact a doctor rather than only writing it down.
Paper, printable or app
The free printable bowel diary has a notes column for exactly this. The Gut Elements app records the date, time and stool type in a few seconds, but it doesn’t have a notes field yet, so keep notes on paper or in your phone’s notes alongside it.
For the basics, read how to keep a bowel movement diary. To check stool types, see the Bristol stool chart in plain words. And before an appointment, read how to share your bowel diary with a doctor.
Piyush Sachdeva is the founder of Gut Elements and the accountable editor of this guide. Diagnosed with celiac disease at 13, he has spent most of his life learning how much his days depend on his gut, and built Gut Elements as the simple, private bowel tracker he wanted. He is not a doctor or dietitian; he shares his own experience, not medical advice.