Fatigue Assessment.
The diagnosis of CFS/ME requires the exclusion of a wide variety of other medical conditions. At the Fatigue Clinic, you will have a complete medical assessment by a consultant physician that will include an assessment of the evolution of your fatigue, a past medical and family history, social and occupational factors, and a medication history. A thorough examination will be carried out to assess your cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, musculoskeletal and neurological status. A panel of blood investigations will be carried out if you have not already had them, in keeping with guidance from NICE. These will help to exclude other causes of fatigue such as anaemia, infection, kidney or liver failure, an under-active thyroid, diabetes, or coeliac disease. In most cases, this assessment will be all that is required to come to a definitive diagnosis. In a minority of cases, further investigations (for example, CT or MRI scans) may be required exclude other disorders.
Following this assessment, you will be offered an explanation of your fatigue, and sensible advice on how to deal with it. Options for any further treatment required will be discussed, without any obligation for you to proceed.
Fatigue Assessment and Treatment Package.
In this package, you will receive the comprehensive medical assessment outlined under the heading “Fatigue Assessment”. You will then be offered up to 15 sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) including graded exercise therapy (GET), in keeping with the recommendations of NICE. Our therapists are highly experienced in treating patients suffering from CFS/ME, and there is roughly a 70% chance of significant improvement in fatigue.
Fatigue Diagnostic and Mental Health Service Package.
In a minority of cases, there will be significant psychiatric or complex psychological factors involved in the development of CFS/ME. For example, fatigue symptoms can arise from devastating events such as bereavement, severe anxiety or depressive states, or as part of post-traumatic stress disorder. In these cases, as well as being offered a comprehensive medical assessment and CBT / GET, you will be offered an assessment by a psychiatrist highly experienced in dealing with these problems in the context of CFS/ME.