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Welcome to the Migraines and work Forum

I really don’t know how these two can go together. Every job I’ve had was fast paced and required me to be on my feet for long hours. Loud area, bright lights, you have to be upbeat. So when I migraine hit and I couldn’t stand on my own, my face went limp, I mumbled everything I said and so on, it really didn’t go over well. God forbid a sudden loud noise happened or I moved around too much or too fast or just got overworked physically or mentally, of course I would get a migraine. How am I supposed to have a normal life and a normal job if I can’t even handle a working environment. My migraines always seem to ruin every job I have. Bosses don’t take migraines seriously. They are ignorant of how bad migraines can be. “Sorry, I can’t come into work. I have a migraine.” “So what? Take some Advil and get in here.” “Not that simple Ms. Boss Lady, I can’t walk due to weakness that my migraine is causing.” I was lucky if I could even call somebody. Either no one could understand me cause I could only mumble or I didn’t have the energy to pick up a phone, wasn’t even strong enough to hold a phone by myself.

Migraines and work. Don’t mix for me.

Cynthia, I’m so sorry you’re having such a tough time mixing Migraines and work. I know I did too. I found I had to change jobs to be able to function normally again. It was a very sad time for me because I loved my job, but I loved the job I ended up doing afterward too. I have since had to move on even from that job, but once again, was able to find a job that suited me even better. Diana Lee, another patient advocate here might be able to give you more information on the legalities of functioning within your job. I’ll email her and see if she’d like to jump into this conversation if you’d like

I don’t understand how migraines and work can co-exist either. Unfortunately, when I have a migraine, I can’t eat, speak, or even get out of bed for anything more than to run to the bathroom to vomit every 30-45 minutes for atleast 48 hours, sometimes longer. Aside from the throbbing pain in my head, I also suffer from, nausea, vomiting, tingling in the my lips and fingers, blurred vision, and complete body weakness. It drives me totally insane when I hear people who have a regular headache claim to have a migraine and go through their day as they normally would. Just last week, I suffered from a migraine that I woke with on sunday morning. Monday morning I was still in bed and vomiting with the throbbing headache and was not able to go to work. Finally late monday night, the vomiting stopped and I started feeling a little better. Tuesday I struggled to pull myself together and off to work only to leave half way through the day. Of course no one wants to believe that I do actually suffer from true migraines, they say migraines don’t last that long, are you sure you don’t have the flu, or they say I get migraines all the time too, but never missed a day because they couldn’t stop vomiting or couldn’t open their eyes. It infuriates me to no end. they ask if i have seen a doctor. I felt like saying no, I self diagnosed a regular headache as a migraine. Of course I have seen a doctor and several specialists, they are real migraines that I have been receiving treatment for for several years. The more I hear people who have never experienced a true migraine say their typical every day headache is a migraine and hear the doubt in their voice when I explain why I couldn’t come to work with the migraine, the more my blood boils. Has anyone else expereinced the same?

This mixture is stressing me out.. which in turn makes my migraines worse. I am either worried about getting a migraine before I go to work or while I am at work. Trying to be here and work a 40+ hr job, be a mother and wife and having 3-5 migraines a week is enough to push anyone over the edge. My Dr tells me that I can go on intermitten FMLA so I submit my paperwork to his office. My HR department here at work just got them back. He excused 2 days of absences from the first of March and says I shouldnt have to miss any more work or need anymore treatments in the next year. So now my job is on the line and I have to fight with him to hopefully get them filled out correctly! If I had my choice I would give up my career and go home and rest, take care of myself and get healthy. I am stuck in a bad cycle and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon! I wish anyone who has to work and suffer with migraines at the same time all the luck in the world and prayers!

Staci

Oh and I forgot to mention.. I truely enjoy advising my boss that I have a migraine and need to leave work and his response is always “another one”?? Last time I checked migraines werent limited and if they are I sure should be at the end of my alloted amount!

SDavis, you absolutely did the right thing by establishing your right to FMLA leave. You might be interested in this article to make sure your rights are being respected with respect to your FMLA leave: http://migraine.com/blog/migraine-law/the-family-medical-leave-act-migraine-patients/

Diana

I have given my dr FMLA paperwork for the second time and I am praying the second time is a charm. I have an upcoming appointment at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville where I will be gone for at least 3 days. I advised my boss of the this time and he said I am not allowed to be gone at that time due to him being on vacation..

Needless to say this really bothers me in regards to the stability of my job but I have got to go and get some help. I am suffering daily from migraines and can’t keep on like this. I will go to the scheduled appointment with Mayo regardless of my FMLA or my bosses permission. Mayo is currently scheduling something in July but happen to have a cancellation for April 28th. This isn’t the type of situation where you just say, sorry that time doesn’t work for me. Sometimes you have to think about yourself and your health. No one else is feeling this pain but me and I know I can’t handle much more!

Staci

I have a question about social security disability. Has anyone been approved the first time they applied? I applied back in January and just got a letter from SSDI to create a password. I did so and it took me to my benefits and it shows that I am to get monthly direct deposits. I never expected to get approved as I have heard that it takes so long to be approved and they did it in 5 months.

The thing is I just had to go back to work on Monday or I would have been terminated. Now I don’t know what to do. Can you work and collect SSDI or do I need to call them and tell them that I was forced to go back to work. I can’t live on what they are going to give me so it’s not like I can quit my job. Does anyone know what I need to do?

ladycricket, I wish I had an answer for you. I hope Diana will get a chance to chime back in – she’s great with these kinds of issues! I have heard of a few that have gotten disability the first round, but unfortunately not many. When I I had to quit my job I wanted to apply for SSDI, but when I saw what I was going to have to do, I was simply too sick to do anything about it. I wish I knew then what I know now.

2 1/2 years ago, I had several small strokes followed by one major stroke. The diagnosis was, finally, the strokes were caused by my migraines. I worked in a casino, on the main floor with all of the flashing lights, smoke and noise 40 hours/week. 3 months of FMLA for the stroke and I went back to work because I’m a single mom and had to support my 4 kids at home. I was put on Topomax for prevention and Imitrex. The longer I was back at work, the worse my migraines got, the more scared I got, the higher dose the Topomax. I’m up to 200/day. After 5 years of employment, my migraines and I couldn’t take the environment anymore, and I’d missed enough work days that I was terminated in June. I tried repeatedly for intermittant FMLA, my primary care dr didn’t think I needed it. Now, they don’t want to pay me unemployment because I was a “absentee problem”. I got my medical records…nothing that says the environment was a health issue for me, so I can’t use that to fight for my unemployment. I’ve been relying on help from family to pay bills, food stamps, traded my van for a smaller car to save on gas costs when I can afford to drive anywhere. I don’t know what else to do to fight unemployment and let them know that this was a real issue! I’m almost out of my medications (which are several after the stroke)and stress is not my friend. If anyone has suggestions, I’m more than happy to hear them!

Melisa, I think your best bet at this point is to get a doctor on board who is willing to write a letter detailing the ways in which the environment you worked in caused your need to be away from work. Perhaps that could be your primary care physician, but since that doctor sounds somewhat uncooperative, I’d recommend seeking out a new opinion, preferably from a migraine specialist.

As far as moving forward, if your migraine disease leaves you unable to work you should consider filing for disability benefits. You can read more about that at these Migraine.com blog posts I’ve written:

http://migraine.com/blog/social-security-disability-insurance-benefits-the-basics/

http://migraine.com/blog/living-with-migraine/common-myths-about-applying-for-social-security-disability-benefits/

http://migraine.com/blog/10-things-you-should-know-about-chronic-migraines-and-applying-for-social-security-disability/

I hope this helps. Sending you healing wishes and much luck. – Diana

Diana~
Thank you for your suggestions. I do have a neurologist that I have a call into and am awaiting an answer from. I’m hoping for that soon!
I am able to work, and am itching to get back to doing something more productive and earning a paycheck. But the fast paced, noisy, casino world won’t be it. I have several applications and resumes out there, and in this economy (still) it’s a hurry up and wait game.
Best wishes for a great day~Melisa

I am having a really tough time at work right now. I have been experiencing migraines for the last 8 years, but these last 6 months have been the worst by far. I have missed sometimes 3-4 days per month and in many cases they are all in a row during the same week. I have a lady at work who is bullying me SO badly about them. I even went so far as to forward a few articles from here to my boss about migraines asking if she would be willing to read them to perhaps give her some perspective of what it’s like for those of us with this disease. She said she would read them, but either she lied or it just didn’t sink in because last week I called in on Thursday with a migraine (actually I texted because any slight sound made me want to puke) and she came back with “Well, can you come in anyways? Someone else called in sick too”. Um hello? No I can’t come in I have a MIGRAINE! Then when I called in the next day to say I still was not in any shape to come in she said “Ok well I REALLY need you to be ok for tomorrow so rest up and get better so you can come in ok?” Right. Because I have any kind of control over the situation right? I just hate that people don’t get it. They think it’s a joke or that we are making it out to be more than it really is. As much as I’d hate to wish this pain on anyone I almost wish they could, just once, experience my worst migraine. Maybe then they would get it. Probably not though, too consumed by their ignorance and apathy.

Oh also I should add that I went in on Saturday even though I still wasn’t well enough. I had vertigo and nausea so bad. I lost my balance while at work, fell, ripped my favourite pants and cut my leg. It wasn’t a life threatening gash but that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have been there and they don’t care.