An Inverness teacher who has been seriously unwell for months has spoken out after it emerged a new regional support service for people with chronic fatigue syndrome has been delayed indefinitely.
Karen Richardson has had repeated NHS appointments, hospital visits and tests, but no clear diagnosis pathway or treatment plan, or any referrals to specialist support.
Karen Richardson.
“When people think of fatigue, they often underestimate the severity of these illnesses,” said the 41-year-old, who has had to stop working and reduce her activities with her seven-year-old son.
“This is not simply feeling tired.
“There are days when everyday activities can leave me struggling to stand, walk or speak properly afterwards. A routine doctor’s appointment that might take 15 minutes can leave me bed-bound for the rest of the day.”
Several months ago NHS Highland indicated it would be launching a new virtual support service for people with chronic fatigue syndrome in spring – but it is yet to happen.
“I have tried to get help from the NHS on so many occasions over the past 18 months, but I have no treatment plan in place, no specialist support and no services to access,” Karen said.
“My health problems really began in December 2024, when I started developing anaphylactic reactions. I still have them now and experience swollen lips, tongue, a very bad stomach, hives and feeling faint, but without any distinct cause. Despite this, I was doing the school run, working four days a week, going to the gym and doing everyday normal activities.
“On Saturday, August 16, 2025, I was putting my son to bed when I suddenly had that ‘being hit by a truck’ feeling. After trying to get through the in-service day on August 18, I had to admit defeat and go home. That was the start of a period of illness I have still not recovered from.
“Before this, I was a very active person who loved being on the go. I had climbed three Munros in a day and regularly did body pump classes, so I was physically strong. Now, at times, I cannot walk from the waiting room to the doctor’s room without having to sit down and rest. I can get extreme muscle weakness in my arms and thighs, and the pain can wake me through the night. My creatine kinase – an enzyme linked to muscle energy – tested very low.
“Luckily my son’s school is at the end of my street and, if I cannot take him, I have neighbours who do. I also have family nearby who often collect him after school when I cannot. If I manage the school run, it is often the only activity I can do that day.
“Around three months into this illness, and still struggling to stand, I noticed from a heartrate checker on my phone that my heartrate was reaching 137 beats per minute (bpm) on standing, which I later checked with a blood pressure monitor. I later realised that emptying the dishwasher could make it rise to 160bpm, and at one stage it was 140bpm even while I was asleep. A normal heart rate increase on standing is around 10 to 20 and mine was 60.
“My symptoms have changed as the months have gone on and they do fluctuate. More recently, I have had severe muscle spasms in my arms. Despite numerous blood tests, I have no answers, no support and without any clear route forward.”
Karen Richardson and her husband Iain.
Karen has seen multiple GPs and visited Raigmore Hospital in search of answers.
“My cousin had a similar long-term illness after a virus in 1999 and, as she was only a young teenager, my auntie – who was a nurse – spent a lot of time and money to find a doctor who would help her,” she recalled. “Eventually she found one in North Berwick who himself had experienced chronic fatigue after a virus.
“He prescribed Nimodipine (a drug that helps blood vessels in the brain to open up). This allowed her to become better and she has never relapsed, travelling and living an active, busy life. Thirty years later, I have been looking for my own breakthrough that will allow me to return to normal life.
“That is why the announcement of a chronic fatigue service mattered so much to me. For a brief moment, I thought there might finally be a team able to look at my case properly and provide some kind of plan.
“Finding out that the service was not available was incredibly disappointing. The issue is that there seems to be no clear pathway for patients like me and from speaking to others, there are many with similar life-shattering symptoms who are left in limbo with no steps forward to recovery.
“I don’t blame individual healthcare professionals. The doctors I have seen have been working within the system available to them. My concern is that there appears to be a gap in that system, leaving patients with complex post-viral illnesses without a clear route to specialist care.
“General practice can carry out routine blood tests, for example to check iron levels, however this is really lacking for the impact illness has on myself and others like me; when I was pregnant I was severely anaemic but I never missed one day of work because of it.
“Currently, if I do a short drive even, I am bed bound 12-48 hours later.
“There is a growing body of evidence that long-term fatigue can be caused by endothelium [blood vessel] damage, micro clots in the blood and a lack of blood flow to the brain. Indeed, these have been mentioned in an earlier presentation by NHS Highland, however no investigation or treatment of these is available to patients.
“These conditions affect far more than the individual patient; behind every person who is unable to work or care for their family properly, there is a much wider impact.
“I am desperate to get back to my role as an ASN (additional support needs) teacher, because it is a privilege to teach my wonderful students. I was supporting young people across the Highlands, including Alness, Invergordon and Inverness.
“I would also love to be able to make memories outside the house with my young son again. He is just turning eight so is the perfect age for adventures. Before becoming ill, we were always out and about; we loved exploring Rosemarkie or paddleboarding around Loch Insh. Now, a good day means I can sit in the garden or play Uno. At times, even these are not possible due to my debilitating symptoms.
“I still struggle to come to terms with it all. Before this illness, I was active, independent and always on the go.
“I never imagined there would come a time when I would not have enough energy to take a shower, put out washing or make a meal. Some days, I only have the energy to brush my teeth.
“The hardest part is that people hear the word ‘fatigue’ and think it means being tired. What I experience is much more disabling than that. A relatively small activity, such as attending a doctor’s appointment, can leave me struggling to stand, walk or even hold a conversation afterwards. On some days, my muscles feel so weak that getting around the house becomes difficult.”
As well as the physical impact, there is also an emotional impact.
“I miss being a teacher,” Karen said. “It was a huge part of my identity and I was lucky to have a job I genuinely enjoyed and I am desperate to be well enough to return.
“I also miss being able to be the mum I want to be. There is a constant sense of grief for the life I had before this illness, and the life I have now. My son has been fantastic and if I could take one silver lining, it is how I’ve seen his independence grow, however I know how quickly children grow up and I feel like I’m losing out on his childhood.
“NHS Highland need to be transparent about when patients can realistically expect access to the services that have been promised. Patients like me need a clear pathway, tailored specialist support and hope for the future.”
The health board has no timeline for when the new support service will be available.
A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: “There are some recruitment challenges which have slowed the initiation of the service however support for people with these conditions has always been available through general practice. This can include medications which can be prescribed, appropriate tests and investigations, referral to specialists or relevant therapies such as physiotherapy, or psychology which can all provide part of the overall treatment and support for people’s specific symptoms. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
“NHS Highland supports the national guidance in Scotland which is available to all of its clinicians.”
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