Seizure calendar, seizure log, seizure diary: what goes in and which template fits
Printable seizure calendar or an app? Which fields clinic templates ask for, and what Sam records for seizures, doses and the neurologist report.
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A seizure calendar records when each seizure happened. You can keep it on paper or in an app. This article shows which details clinic templates ask for. It also shows where to find a printable template and what the Epilepsy program in Sam covers. The templates linked here are published in German.
Seizure calendar, seizure log, seizure diary: the same thing?
In daily use the three terms usually mean the same. The neurology department at the University Medical Center Goettingen calls its file "Anfallstagebuch" (seizure diary). The sheet itself says "Anfallskalender" (seizure calendar). Both mean a record of your seizures with date and time.
The German institute IQWiG, which runs the website Gesundheitsinformation.de, says that for the diagnosis the medical history counts most. It covers when and under what circumstances a seizure happened and how it showed. People often do not remember a seizure well. Then it makes sense to bring someone who saw it. A calendar collects these details over weeks, until you need them at your appointment.
What clinic templates ask for
Three clinics publish templates that show how a calendar can be built. They are the University Hospital Essen, the University Medical Center Goettingen and the epilepsy centre at the Diakonieklinikum Rotenburg. All three are grids of days and time slots. Essen uses six slots per day, Goettingen five, Rotenburg six slots of four hours each.
The table shows which details appear in the templates and sources. The right column shows what Sam has for each.
| Detail | In the templates and sources | In Sam |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time of day | Time slots per day | Date and time, also afterwards |
| Type of seizure | Symbols or letters per type, in Goettingen you name the types yourself | Five types to choose from |
| Count | Goettingen: total per type at the end of the month | Sam counts seizures per month |
| Triggers | Essen: its own column | Suspected trigger: choice or free text |
| Medication | Essen: number of tablets per intake time | One medicine with times, each dose Taken, Adjusted or Skipped |
| Side effects | Essen: list with severity 1 to 3 | No own field, use the note |
| Menstruation, aura | Essen: column for menstruation. Rotenburg: symbols for aura and menstruation | No own field, use the note |
| Seen by others | IQWiG: bring someone who saw the seizure | Switch "Someone saw it" and the note |
| Remarks | Goettingen: a field per month | A note per seizure |
| Days without an entry | Goettingen: strike through the date | No counterpart |
The time slots differ from sheet to sheet. In Goettingen the night from 10 pm to 6 am belongs to the day on which it starts. A seizure at 3 am on the 8th goes under the 7th. If you write on paper, check beforehand how your neurologist's office handles this. Sam records the exact time, so you do not pick a slot.
Printable template: where to find one
These places offer a seizure calendar:
- German Epilepsy Association: The seizure calendar measures 10.5 x 14.7 cm and covers twelve months. Members get it free of charge. According to the page, interested people, practices and clinics can get it with a free information package. For this, contact the association's national office. Larger orders may incur shipping costs.
- University Medical Center Goettingen: The neurology department offers the seizure calendar as a PDF, with instructions for filling it in.
- University Hospital Essen: The neurology department has a seizure calendar as a PDF with one sheet for personal data and one sheet per month.
- Epilepsy centre Rotenburg: The seizure calendar is a yearly sheet on two pages.
Ask your neurologist's office whether they prefer a particular form. If they do, use that one.
Paper or app: how to decide
Paper needs no device. The association's calendar comes in a small format. In return, you count at the end of the month yourself: the Goettingen sheet asks for the total per seizure type. Paper also does not remind you about a dose.
In the app you enter a seizure on your iPhone. Sam counts the seizures per month and reminds you about doses if you have set up a plan. You need an iPhone for this. The report from Sam does not replace a form your neurologist's office prescribes.
- Your neurologist's office prescribes a form: use that one.
- You do not want to carry anything extra: you have your iPhone with you anyway.
- You like both: write on paper and enter the seizure in Sam later. You can set date and time retroactively there.
Triggers: you note what you suspect
IQWiG names flashing light as a stimulus that can trigger a seizure in some people with epilepsy. As circumstances that can occasionally lead to seizures it names, for example, too little sleep, alcohol and, mainly in children, high fever. Whether any of this plays a role for you is a question for your care team. In the calendar you only note what you suspect. For more on sleep as a suspected trigger, see Sleep and epilepsy triggers.
What the Epilepsy program records and what it leaves out
The Epilepsy program is meant for people whose epilepsy has already been diagnosed. You confirm this when you start.
Log a seizure. You tap "Log seizure" and set when it happened. Then you choose the type: Focal aware, Focal impaired awareness, Tonic-clonic, Absence or Not sure. According to the app, the names follow the ILAE classification of 2017. Three switches are ready: Lost consciousness, Injury, Someone saw it. You can add a suspected trigger (Missed dose, Poor sleep, Alcohol, Illness, Flashing lights or your own text) and a note. Only the type is required.
If you enter the seizure on the same day, Sam adds up to three values from Apple Health. These are the most recently recorded sleep, HRV and resting heart rate. If a value is missing, it stays empty. Seizures you add later get no values. The numbers appear next to the entry without interpretation.
Calendar and history. Your seizures appear in a month calendar, and days with a seizure are highlighted. Tapping a day with a seizure opens the entry, and you can change it there. Sam counts the seizure days in the current month and shows the seizures per month over time.
Medication. If you take a medicine regularly, you set up a plan for it yourself. The plan covers a single medicine with dose and times. The app says: "Set exactly as your doctor prescribed." With dose reminders switched on, Sam reminds you at the times you set. For each intake you record whether it was taken, adjusted or skipped. The reminders apply to fixed daily intakes, not to as-needed medication. You log an intake outside the set times as an extra dose.
Neurologist report. From the program you create a report as a PDF. You choose the month the report starts in: 1, 3, 6 or 12 months before the current month, or the whole record. Among other things, it shows seizures by type and how many of them were at night (onset between 9 pm and 6 am). It also shows the course per month, the last 30 days and the doses taken as scheduled. Up to 30 entries are listed too, the most recent first. Each shows the type and, if you gave them, Lost consciousness, Someone saw it, trigger and the Apple Health values. Injury and the note are not in the report. The report also says: the record may be incomplete, and a quiet log does not mean no seizures occurred.
What Sam does not have. There is no blank template to print. Duration, aura, how you felt afterwards, side effects and menstruation have no fields of their own. Put them in the note if you want to keep them. A seizure is in the diary only if you enter it. The program shows a permanent note: a quiet diary never means a seizure-free day.
What a seizure in your calendar means and what follows from it is for your care team. The German Epilepsy Association has its own page on first aid: first aid, in German. According to the association, a seizure that has not stopped after 5 minutes needs emergency services. In an emergency, call 112.
Log seizures in Sam and take them to your neurologist as a PDF
You go to your neurologist with a seizure record instead of recollection.
- Instead of a paper calendar: in the Epilepsy program you log each seizure with type and time, and days with a seizure are highlighted in a month calendar.
- Instead of memory: if you enter a seizure on the same day, sleep, HRV and resting heart rate from Apple Health appear next to it.
- Instead of loose notes: the neurologist report shows seizures by type, how many were at night and the course per month, for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months or the whole record.
Sam has no blank printable template, only the report of what you logged, and a seizure is in the log only if you enter it.
Try Sam HealthSam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or health state. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.
Sources
Updated: October 2026
- IQWiG, Gesundheitsinformation.de: Epilepsie (updated 5 April 2023, in German)
- Deutsche Epilepsievereinigung: Anfallskalender (updated 29 May 2020, in German)
- Deutsche Epilepsievereinigung: Erste Hilfe (updated 2 November 2024, in German)
- University Medical Center Goettingen, neurology department: Anfallskalender (PDF) (accessed 2 October 2026, in German)
- University Hospital Essen, neurology department: Anfallskalender Epilepsie (PDF) (accessed 2 October 2026, in German)
- AGAPLESION Diakonieklinikum Rotenburg, epilepsy centre: Anfallskalender (PDF) (accessed 2 October 2026, in German)
- Fisher RS et al.: Operational classification of seizure types by the International League Against Epilepsy. Epilepsia 2017;58:522-530
More on Epilepsy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a seizure calendar and what goes into it?+
A seizure calendar is a record of your seizures with date and time of day. Clinic templates usually ask for the type of seizure. The Essen template also has columns for triggers, medication intake and side effects. Ask your neurologist's office which details they want.
Where can I find a seizure calendar to print?+
The German Epilepsy Association (Deutsche Epilepsievereinigung) publishes a small-format calendar that covers twelve months. The neurology departments in Goettingen and Essen and the epilepsy centre in Rotenburg offer PDF templates. All of them are in German. Ask your neurologist's office whether they prefer a particular form.
Is there a difference between a seizure calendar, a seizure log and a seizure diary?+
In daily use, usually not. The Goettingen neurology department calls its file a seizure diary (Anfallstagebuch), while the sheet itself says seizure calendar (Anfallskalender). Both mean a record of your seizures. In Sam the area is called the seizure diary, and the seizures also appear in a month calendar.
Does Sam record seizures automatically?+
No. A seizure is in the diary only if you enter it. The program shows a permanent note: a quiet diary never means a seizure-free day.
Can I print a blank template from Sam?+
No. Sam exports the neurologist report as a PDF with your entries, not a blank template. You can get a printable template from the epilepsy association or from clinics. You can pass the report on through the share menu.
Which Apple Health values does Sam add to a seizure?+
If you enter a seizure on the same day, Sam adds up to three values: the most recently recorded sleep, HRV and resting heart rate. If Apple Health has no value, the field stays empty. Seizures you enter later get no values. The numbers appear without interpretation.
What is in the neurologist report from Sam?+
You choose where the report starts: 1, 3, 6 or 12 months before the current month, or the whole record. Among other things, the report shows seizures by type, how many of them were at night (onset between 9 pm and 6 am) and the doses taken as scheduled. It belongs to the Epilepsy program.