"Fatigue Management Group"

I was referred to the fatigue management group via my rheumatology consultant and my occupational therapist. The group was run by Fiona and Lorraine from the occupational therapy department at Wishaw General Hospital although our sessions were held in Wishaw Health Centre. The room we had there was functional for this type of group. The group size was ideal as everyone got a chance to talk when they wanted to and that would not have been possible with a larger group. Fiona and Lorraine were excellent at explaining things and also at listening and helping find solutions. The content of the sessions was also good with a lot of helpful tips and tools to use to help manage fatigue and to make you aware of things you might be doing without realising that they are contributing to the feeling of fatigue. It was really good meeting other people who were feeling the same as you and knowing that you were not the only one. 6 weeks was a good length of time for the group to run and most people there said they would have been happy to attend for longer than that. I thought this group was really helpful and I think it is something that should be more widespread for other departments and GPs to be able to refer patients to as I'm sure there would be other conditions (not just from rheumatology) that would benefit from this. A huge thank you to Fiona and Lorraine for all of their help.