Sophie’s story told from a clinical perspective

Background

Sophie experienced an infection which was likely to be Covid-­19 in March 2020. Following this, she was sleeping significantly more and experienced more infections, but generally she describes coping well with her day­-to-­day activities. In October 2021 she had a flu-­like illness with a severe cough. Following this, she experienced a progressive increase in symptoms, feeling more fatigued and having difficulty staying awake whilst working. She stopped work in March 2022.

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Symptoms included fatigue, breathlessness, cough, brain fog and severe sleep disturbance.

Additionally, she has a diagnosis of ADHD, which further impacts symptoms of fatigue and how she manages them. 

Programme included:

Developing skills in fatigue management, including establishing a routine and pacing of activities, whilst considering the impact of ADHD on how she manages.

Building a programme of physical activity and exercise.

Developing strategies for managing sleep, including having an increasingly consistent routine.

Reflecting on and responding to setbacks.

Building cognitive capacity.

Preparing for RTW including writing a RTW plan

Supporting the early stages of the return to work.

Outcomes:

At the end of the programme, Sophie was working 30 hours a week and had a plan for how to further increase her hours.

During the programme, she experienced additional challenges in the management of her ADHD symptoms as there is a national shortage in her usual medication. She developed additional strategies and a plan for accessing further support.

She maintained the key elements of her routine to support her wellbeing alongside returning to work.

Her manager and employer were very supportive through this process, following the guidance outlined in her RTW plan. She reflected that this helped her significantly, by reducing any anxiety she felt about returning to work.

Emily [Tims] took the time to understand me, how my ADHD tied into my long Covid and more broadly how I approach things in my day to day life. She actually made me feel like she was working with me as an individual and not just applying a pre-made solution to me. I'm very grateful for this.

I am able to walk 30 minutes without stopping to regain breath. Previously I couldn't walk more than a few minutes without having to stop and regain breath. It is much less common for me to have to sleep for in excess of 15 hours at a time now. I have been able to create some habits and stick to them.

I wouldn't change anything about the appointments, and I would work with Emily again without hesitation. The appointment reminders were very helpful. The reports were produced in an extremely timely manner and the kindness and respectful way I was dealt with throughout the sessions with Emily was honestly very touching.