Chronic Illness App

Advoca is a chronic illness app built by doctors. Journal your symptoms, energy, pain and sleep in your own words, record your specialist appointments, and carry a real record between every clinician on your team, so the conversation starts from evidence, not a vague memory.

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Advoca answering a fibromyalgia question about pacing, with alternative self-management strategies

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Written by Dr Shyam Dhokia, MB BChirReviewed by Dr Michael Trueman, MB ChBLast reviewed 8 July 2026

Understanding chronic illness

Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS: long-term, fluctuating, and often invisible

A chronic illness is one that lasts months or years and is managed rather than cured. Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome) sit in this group: long-term, fluctuating conditions defined by symptoms that come and go, and by the absence of a single tests-that-says-yes diagnosis. In everyday terms, they are conditions where pain, exhaustion, unrefreshing sleep and thinking difficulties ("brain fog") rise and fall, and much of that stays invisible to everyone but you.

The two overlap but are distinct. ME/CFS is marked by debilitating fatigue that rest does not fix, post-exertional malaise (a worsening after physical or mental activity), unrefreshing sleep and cognitive difficulties, and it can last for years and sometimes lead to serious disability. Fibromyalgia's hallmark is widespread, long-lasting pain and tenderness, often alongside fatigue, sleep problems and "fibro-fog". Both are more common in women, frequently co-occur with each other and with irritable bowel or mood difficulties, and tend to come on after a viral illness, a stressful event, or slowly and without a clear trigger.

Day-to-day, these conditions are hard to hold onto. Symptoms fluctuate, the only person who sees the full pattern is you, and brain fog makes even the last appointment hard to recall. People commonly see several specialists over years, re-explaining a complex story at each one, and NICE itself notes that people with ME/CFS may have experienced prejudice and disbelief. So a record kept between visits, by the person living it, matters.

More than 9 in 10 people with ME/CFS have not been diagnosed, so most are navigating a fluctuating, invisible illness without it being formally recognised.

Sources: CDC (US), cdc.gov/me-cfs/about; NICE NG206 (UK), nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206

The problem

Chronic illness happens between appointments, and memory isn't enough

Most of your chronic-illness life happens out of a clinician's sight. A flare on Tuesday, the crash after a short walk, the unrefreshing sleep, the bad week you can't explain: by the time you reach a short follow-up, the detail has blurred under brain fog. Triggers go unexamined, side effects go unmentioned, and the appointment moves on before you've remembered what you meant to ask. Then there's the jargon, post-exertional malaise, pacing, hyperalgesia, and the cycle of re-explaining your whole story to each new specialist, often someone who knows less about your condition than you.

WHY TRACKING HELPS

Keeping a record changes the picture.

Keeping a record changes that. International guidance frames the self-management of long-term conditions as led by the person themselves, and a record of your symptoms, energy, sleep and medication use is most useful at the point of consultation, when you bring it to a time-pressed clinician. Advoca was built so that record is easy to keep and genuinely useful in the room: you journal in plain language as it happens, record your appointments so nothing is lost, and walk in with a real summary instead of a vague memory. Nothing here diagnoses fibromyalgia or ME/CFS, or replaces your doctor. It gives you and your clinician something solid to look at together.

HOW ADVOCA HELPS

How Advoca helps with chronic illness

Advoca health journal capturing a fibromyalgia/ME-CFS day in free text — struggling with the heat wave, very tired, being careful with spoons

Journal your day

Track flares, crashes and symptoms in your own words

Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS are defined by their variability: good days and bad, flares and crashes, and what sets them off. The biggest help is a record that captures that reality as it happens, in your own words. With Advoca you don't fill in a rigid form. You write your day: "slept badly, brain fog all morning, crashed after walking the dog, widespread pain all afternoon, 6 out of 10". Over time you can ask what your entries show, like whether there's a pattern to your bad weeks, and get an answer drawn from your own words.

Write it your way. Capture pain, energy, sleep and brain fog as they happen, by typing or chatting. No form to fill in.
Ask your record a question, like "Is there a pattern to my bad weeks this month?", and get an answer from your own entries.

Advoca summary of a recorded rheumatology review of fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, with post-exertional malaise explained and the amitriptyline dose noted

Record your specialist consult

Record the appointment, get a summary you can actually understand

A rheumatology, fatigue-clinic or pain-management appointment covers a lot in fifteen minutes, and brain fog makes recall near impossible. The biggest help is walking out with a record you can reread at your own pace. Record it on your phone and Advoca turns it into a clear summary: the key points, next steps and results, with the full transcript saved alongside. Any medical term, like post-exertional malaise, is explained in plain language, and if a dose or number looks off, it's flagged so you can check.

A clear summary, not a wall of notes. The key points and next steps, with the full transcript always there if you want it.
No more jargon. Terms like post-exertional malaise are explained in plain language, and anything that looks like a wrong dose or number is flagged to check.

Advoca answering a fibromyalgia question, showing cited source cards from patient charities and PubMed research papers

Ask your questions

Ask about your condition, get clear answers

When you're told a term or a treatment option you don't recognise, the open web is a minefield of single-country and miracle-cure answers. The biggest help is a clear answer you can trust. Just ask things like "What is post-exertional malaise?", "Why doesn't rest fix the fatigue in ME/CFS?" or "What's the difference between fibromyalgia and ME/CFS?". Advoca answers from trusted charities, patient-information sites and medical sources, and shows you where each answer came from. Think of it as a starting point for reading and a question for your doctor, not personal advice.

Answers from sources you can trust: charities, patient-information sites and medical bodies, not the open web.
See where it came from. Every answer shows its sources, so you can check for yourself.

Advoca drafting a rheumatology follow-up agenda for ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, including a medication and pacing review

Stop repeating your story

Arrive at every appointment with a record and a plan

Chronic illness means cycling through multiple clinicians, re-explaining a years-long story at every stop, often to someone who knows less about your condition than you do. The biggest help is never starting from scratch again. Before a visit, jot down what you want to cover. Advoca can draft a short list from your recent entries and last appointment, like "fatigue clinic, pacing review, sleep, whether to try a medication like duloxetine". Those notes appear the moment you start recording, and you can share a summary of a past visit with a carer or bring one to your next specialist.

Go in with a plan. Advoca drafts a short list of what to cover, from your recent entries and last visit.
Carry your story with you. Share a summary of a past visit with a carer or bring one to your next specialist, so the conversation starts from a real record.

HOW IT WORKS

From flare to understood in three steps

1Journal the dayWhen a flare or crash hits, just write what happened: the pain, your energy, the sleep, the brain fog, what you think set it off, the medication you took. Type it or say it. There's no form to fill in.
2Record and understand the consultRecord your rheumatology, fatigue-clinic or doctor's appointment on your phone. Advoca turns it into a clear summary you can read at your own pace, with any medical term explained in plain language.
3Arrive prepared next timeBefore the next visit, ask Advoca to draft a short list of what to cover, from your recent entries and last appointment. Share a summary with a carer or your clinician, so the conversation starts from a real record, not a vague memory.

REAL PATIENT STORIES

See how Advoca helps people

Real video stories from people using Advoca to understand their care and feel less alone with their health.

Video story

Milla @millal40

Living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and IBD

“It records your whole conversation and summarises the key points, making it easier to understand.”

Transcript

I think the most frustrating thing about having a chronic illness is having your symptoms flare up or you're developing a new one. So you go to your doctors and then boom, you get overstim ulated, the brain fog kicks in, and then you're stuck trying to understand all this new information that they're firing at you. And quite frankly, you just get confused. And then through all of this, you're not actually sure what the next step is. For example, I literally have a phone call appointment with my IBD nurse and literally forget half of what's been said. And having crippling health anxiety, this makes the problem ten times worse. But, there's a but. I've actually been informed about this app called Advica. Here we are. And wow, it is a game changer. So it essentially records your whole conversation with your doctor or your nurse and summarises all the key points, making it easier for you to understand. And then also what the actual next steps are. And on the topic of next steps, it gives you the resources to learn. Great, right? So like in simple terms, it gives you a link to your problem or like problems that you may be facing. And in turn, how's best to tackle it? Or you may just want a little bit more information regarding your appointment just to put your mind at ease a little bit. So, if you're facing any of the challenges that I've mentioned so far, why not give it a go? It's on Apple, it's on Android. And the best part of it all, it's completely free. None of this, it's free for a month and then you've got to pay $12.99 afterwards. You don't lose anything. If anything, it's going to make your life easier, less stressful and just overall better. In my opinion. I'm going to be trying it out. And if you do, let me know how you find it. I'll catch you later. Bye.

Video story

Coral @cookiemonster3302

Living with Chronic illness and FND

“Record the conversation so you never have to worry about forgetting anything again.”

Transcript

Are you tired of feeling like this after your appointment? Oh my goodness. What did they say? What do I have to do again? What medication am I taking again? What did they say? I want you to call someone with me. Don't worry, girly. I got you. Have you heard of this new app called Advocat? Advocat is basically an app where you can, on your doctor's appointments, record the conversation so you never have to worry about forgetting anything again. Wait, what? That's amazing. So I never have to worry about remembering anything from a doctor's appointment again? And as long as I tell them that I'm recording, it's perfectly fine? Exactly that. It is super simple. Wow. All you do. So you click on your Advocat app and once it opened with Face ID, it will go to your profile. You fill out all of your medical information. After that, you press the record button and it will come up with what you have to do. You want to see what you've recorded. You go into appointments and there's your information. So if you've got a phone call coming through, all you have to do is just press the record button on the normal phone and then it will send it to your notes app and then you just transfer it from your notes app recordings to your Advocat app. And there you go. All of your information is stored in the Advocat app. You can never be gaslit again and you never have to worry about taking anyone again. You're welcome.

Video story

Jade @chronicallyiconicx

Living with Chronic illness

“It has made me feel so much more confident going into appointments.”

Transcript

We all know being chronically ill comes with multiple doctor's appointments, seeing different consultants for different things, and it can be so hard to keep up with all the information that's said. Quite often there are important details we miss, and a normal recording doesn't break down the key points of the conversation. But I recently came across an app called Advocat, and it's completely changed how I manage my appointments. With Advocat, you can record your doctor's appointments, and the app generates a clear summary that focuses on the most important information mentioned. No more replaying long recordings and trying to figure out what actually mattered. It also pinpoints any medication mentioned and gives you information about it, plus shares helpful resources about any conditions discussed. You can set reminders for upcoming appointments so you don 't forget anything, and write down questions you want to ask beforehand, and the app will remind you during your appointments. You can even transfer full-time recordings into the app to keep a full log of all your medical conversations. I am so glad I found this app, and it's made me feel so much more confident going into appointments. And now I've got all the important information I need, and stored easy to come back to. And the best part about it is, it is completely free and always will be. If you struggle keeping track of everything like I do, I honestly couldn't recommend it more. Go and download Advocat and try it for yourself. Take the stress out of managing your appointments.

Video story

Laura @ladylaurauk

Living with Endometriosis and adenomyosis

“It records, transcribes and summarises your appointments, so it's super easy to see what was discussed.”

Transcript

A little tip, did you know you can record your conversations with your GPs and specialists? Well, you can. I used to hide doing it because I didn't know I could. And then when I knew I could, I just said, do you mind me recording these conversations? Because sometimes they're like half an hour, an hour, and you don't always remember everything that was discussed. So I normally write myself a list of things that I want to ask and then record the conversations. So when I was contacted a couple of months ago by a company called Advocor, who created an app, which is similar to what the GPs and specialists are using themselves, which basically records the conversations with you in your appointment and then summar ise that information. And then they normally use that to send you a letter to say, this is what we discussed. It's very similar to that, but in an app form that you can use. So you can say, are we okay to record this conversation? And then you just press record and it records it. And what happens at the end, it provides a transcript. And then it also provides a summary. So you don't have to listen to the whole conversation again. Like I used to have to, to find like little snippets of information, like that you want to remember or tell somebody about that was discussed. So you can also put in your questions and it will remind you of your questions when you're recording. You can also set up the appointment. So say who your doctor is and say when the appointment is and it will send you a reminder, which is really good. And then it will say record on the app, which is advocate or advoca, however you want to say it. But I think it's advocate because it's like an advocate for you. So you can opt in to the research as well. So if companies want to reach out to advoca and say, look, we're doing a study or we're going to be looking at creating a medication for people with endometriosis. Can we use your anonymized, anonymous information to, to, to create those, that research and those case studies. So you can opt out of that if you want to. A little off reader. But yeah, so I found it a really useful app. They are in the early stages created by two doctors and they're looking to develop it a little bit further. So they are thinking about including options to say what medications you're on and then also to say what your symptoms are as well. So basically it'll be…

Video story

Karen @karenls1

Living with Head and neck cancer and chronic pain

“Got to use my Advoca app today.”

Transcript

So today I had an online appointment with a phyrologist to do with the phyrology of pain. It's through a London clinic and yeah it's another step to try and sort out phonic pain issues although not few of them. So it was supposed to be through a video call through their clinic but obviously due to heat wave and she wasn't in her clinic and didn't have access to my notes or to the system so she phoned me up. I took the phone call because I thought she was late for the appointment as I was in the waiting room so I thought okay I'll take the phone call in case it's for her and it was. And she explained the situation and said that she couldn't do the on my meeting I just didn't have access to everything. Could it be done on the phone? I thought first I was like oh I can't do that . And I went to a bit of a room and then I explained that I can't do appointments over a phone like that. I made my personal speech and I knew it was actually quite an involved appointment. I knew there were barriers and I couldn't do that at the moment. I explained everything to her and said it needed to be done as an online meeting for the teams or whatever and I said oh okay. I met surveyed but she was in September and I was like hmmm . So this is how about I did it through zoom. I just need to email. I was like oh I've got that on my speech app. However on my speech app it kept paying too fast. I said is there any way you can slow that down? So I said no but maybe we can work together for this. So behind the days I spoke very slowly and we worked around it anyway. And we did a bit of guesswork. She was very nice and managed to sort it. And we did our appointment through zoom. And I asked her permission to record it using the Avacart app. I explained my reasons behind it. It would help me with remembering everything. It would help explain everything better. And she was absolutely fine. And thanked me for asking her permission before doing it. So that was all good. So I've got to use it for the first time. Because it was not on the normal system we could only do a partial meeting. So I was like to have to have a whole run down of my health history with Project Prime. And my anxiety around that. So it was a whistle top store. A tour even. So I've had to have a whole lot of everything. And loved quite a lot. And about all the barriers I've encountered. When it came to pain. And…

In their words

When the story finally makes sense

It's piecing together my medical journey and explaining it in a way that no other doctor has… helping me to process and understand what had happened.

— Sarah, 44, lives with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia and post-sepsis syndrome

This app is helping me understand my conditions and how to self-advocate… I feel more confident now about attending my appointments.

— Sarah, 44, lives with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia and post-sepsis syndrome

I have chronic pain and am neurodivergent… I struggle to explain what and where I am feeling things, so this is so helpful.

— Lynne, lives with chronic pain and is neurodivergent

Reviewed by doctors

Built by doctors, grounded in evidence

This page was written by Dr Shyam Dhokia (MB BChir, Cambridge) and medically reviewed by Dr Michael Trueman (MB ChB, Birmingham), both former NHS doctors and the co-founders of Advoca. It was last reviewed on 8 July 2026 and is kept current as clinical guidance and app features change.

Sources & further reading

Your data, protected

Your data is encrypted in transit and held on encrypted servers in the UK and EU, served over HTTPS. You don't need to share any identifying details to use Advoca, and appointment recordings stay on your own device — the audio is never uploaded to our servers.

Medical disclaimer

Advoca helps you record, understand and organise your care. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and it does not diagnose conditions or make treatment decisions — always speak to a qualified healthcare professional.

How the AI works

Advoca's assistant transcribes, summarises and explains your health information, grounded in trusted medical sources and overseen by our clinical team. It does not diagnose or replace your doctor — and, like any AI, it can occasionally get things wrong, so we always show you the sources and full transcript behind its answers.

Your questions, answered

What is a chronic illness?

A chronic (long-term) illness is one that develops and continues over months or years and is managed rather than cured. Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, migraine and many others fall in this group. The World Health Organization describes chronic diseases as tending to be of long duration and needing ongoing management. They often fluctuate, and much of their impact is invisible between appointments. Sources: WHO; NHS, UK (fibromyalgia as a long-term condition); CDC, US (ME/CFS as a chronic, long-term condition).

What are fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, and how do they differ?

Fibromyalgia's hallmark is widespread, long-lasting pain and tenderness, often with fatigue, unrefreshing sleep and problems with thinking ("fibro-fog"). ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome) is marked by debilitating fatigue that rest does not fix, post-exertional malaise (a worsening after physical or mental activity), unrefreshing sleep and cognitive difficulties ("brain fog"). The key difference is the symptom that defines each: widespread pain in fibromyalgia, and post-exertional malaise plus fatigue that rest does not fix in ME/CFS. The two often co-occur, and both are managed rather than cured. Sources: NHS, UK (fibromyalgia); CDC, US (ME/CFS); NICE NG206, UK (ME/CFS).

What is post-exertional malaise (PEM)?

Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS: a worsening of symptoms after physical or mental activity that would normally be tolerated. It can be delayed, last for hours or days, and is different from ordinary tiredness. The US CDC defines PEM as symptoms getting worse after any activity, and NICE lists it as a core feature of ME/CFS alongside debilitating fatigue worsened by activity, unrefreshing sleep and cognitive difficulties. PEM is central to why energy management (pacing) matters in ME/CFS, and NICE is clear that this kind of management is led by the person themselves, not prescribed by the app. Sources: CDC, US; NICE NG206, UK.

What's the best app for chronic illness?

The best app depends on what you need it to do. Advoca is built for the whole cycle, not just symptom logging: you journal symptoms, energy, pain and sleep in plain language, record your specialist appointments and get a plain-language summary, ask grounded questions about your condition, and arrive at follow-ups with a drafted agenda. The honest limitation: Advoca does not yet offer the symptom charts and trend graphs that some dedicated trackers have. Those are on the way. Its strength today is understanding what you write in your own words, and joining up your journal, your questions and your appointments in one place. Advoca does not diagnose fibromyalgia or ME/CFS, and it does not replace your doctor.

Is there a cure for fibromyalgia or ME/CFS?

There is currently no cure for either. Both are long-term conditions managed day to day. The NHS describes fibromyalgia as a long-term condition with no cure, managed with symptom-focused treatment and self-management, and NICE frames ME/CFS management as patient-led, including energy management (pacing), rest and activity adjusted to each person's tolerance. Medications and approaches, for example a medication like duloxetine, are recognised options for context only; naming them is not a recommendation. Treatment decisions are always for you and your clinician. Sources: NHS, UK (fibromyalgia); NICE NG206, UK (ME/CFS); MedlinePlus, US (fibromyalgia).

Can an app help with a chronic illness?

An app can help you keep a record of your symptoms, energy, pain, sleep and medication use, and bring that record to your consultations. International guidance frames the self-management of long-term conditions as led by the person themselves. Because these conditions fluctuate and are largely invisible, the only person who sees the full pattern between appointments is you, and a record kept over time helps you and your doctor review treatment and make sense of changes. Advoca goes further than a diary: it lets you journal in plain language, record and summarise your appointments, ask grounded questions, and draft a follow-up agenda. It does not diagnose, give personal treatment advice, or replace your doctor, and no app should be used to replace clinical care. Sources: WHO; NICE NG206, UK; CDC, US.

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