Weird NHS ME clinic referral form

Fantastic. Saves you the energy of having to run, screaming for the door.

Or as the late Spike Milligan put it.... "and with heads held high and feet higher they were thrown out."

 

When I attended a CFS clinic for diagnosis (2014) and then a 12 month “course of treatment” I had to fill in a big questionnaire and attend a group session (of around 15 people) before I got the 121 sessions with the OH therapist.

I don’t recall ever being asked whether I thought my illness was psychological or not. My recall is not great but I think it would have stuck in my mind since at the time I believed I was suffering from a temporary physical ailment that exercise therapy would treat.

looking back there was obviously some screening questions 121 and a few comments dropped in conversation about other “difficult patients”. My OH actually said that “I was a great patient since I wanted to get better” and that “I didn’t really need CBT because my attitude was so positive” and “I find that the more difficult patients tend to want to call CFS ‘ME’”

so I guess the training is there and it is to identify how hard they go in with the CBT?

The OT was lovely to talk to and was really helpful with my employer, stating the symptoms as real (e.g. thermoregulation, concentration etc etc), I did come eventually to a question GET when it went from improved gentle walking (took 5 months to get to 20 min) to jogging for 2 min (just made me crash), but by that time I was not seeing the OH regularly and was on my phased return to work. I carried on trying to fit in a walk in for around 3 months but when I went to work full time had to drop it (obviously). I never saw the OHT after that and was discharged a couple of months later without ever jogging anywhere. So her GET treatment was really teaching me pacing with walking.

I guess my record still shows me as a great patient?

 

I have definitely found questions or discussion around what you call or want to call the illness to be assessing how resistant you might be to certain treatment paths.

 

Exactly!!

 

Wow that would be expensive !

 

I didn't figure it out at all - took you at your word, ruled out a typo when it was repeated a few times, until @Trish 'translated' and posted.

 

I’m not normally prone to texting style shorthand (too old and numb fingers not conducive)...perhaps I’ve picked it up from work?...it’s in my diary as 121 meetings with my line manager etc so I’ve probably picked it up from there I’ll try and revert back to my normal direct approach