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Welcome to the Migraines & School Forum

I am almost 23 years old, and dropped out of high school due to migraines and the school complaining that I missed so many days. I need to get my GED but what do I do when I do not feel well enough to go to school to get my GED? I am only allowed to miss 5 days the whole year. I tried explaining to someone there about me getting chronic migraines and they didnt care. What can I do?

Michelle,

That may not be as big a problem as you think. Let me explain…

First, it might be helpful for others to know that children that miss an excessive number of school days due to illness can receive schooling at home. This admittedly does take a bit of effort, but there is no reason for a child not to be able to finish high school and graduate.

That is no longer an issue for you because you are too old for every state that I am aware of anyway. If you were within the age limit, most states have an online program for homebound students to complete to prepare for the GED exam.

My suggestion for you is to look for an online program that you can complete when you are able. There are many within a very wide price range. There may be one free of charge for your state. There is also the option of checking with the local community college to see if they offer a GED program that might work for you. One other option is to find a homeschool curriculum and use it. The best way to find one of those is to locate your local homeschooling group and talk to them. Not only will they be full of information that may be helpful, but they may be able to locate a used curriculum for you to borrow or use. Sometimes public libraries carry curriculum, can order it for you to borrow and use, or even sponsor GED classes.

Don’t be afraid to ask people for help. If you know a local teacher, they may be an additional source od useful information for your particular area. It may take a bit of digging, but there are programs and people willing to help you out there. The trick is locating them. Persistence will serve you well.

Hello. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to handle having a migraine while in school if no medications work and you want to stay there. I’m stubborn with them and battle my way through the high school day with them, and any ways that you can think of to make it a bit easier would be most helpful

Hi HEATHERSCOTT,

I’m sorry you have not had andy medications that work. I’m kind of at that point right now too. Fortunately I’m out of school but when I was in college I went through a period where I missed a lot of school due to migraines. After missing a couple of weeks I signed up with the Student with Disabilities Resource Center. I’m sure every school has one.
The center was really helpful as far as being a resource for me to communicate with my professors. I could sign up for classes early, miss a few more than the allotted classes per semester, and schedule exams if needed. (most schools interrupt sleep schedules by having a 3 am registration period and everyone knows irregular sleep doesn’t help with migraines)

Anyway, talk to your doctor about writing a letter so you can share it with your school’s center and hopefully you can feel a little less stressed about missing classes. Happy and healthy thoughts to you!