Dealing with migraines at work
in Health ·
I wasn't entirely sure if this belonged here or in the career section, but I figured I'd start here...
Here’s the deal: I’ve dealt with migraines for as long as I can remember. They usually hit once a month—sometimes they're manageable, other times they're absolutely brutal, and more often than not, I end up in the ER. Over the last two years, they haven't happened quite as often, maybe every second or third month, but when they do strike, they linger. We're talking anywhere from two to five days of pure misery. I’ve tried every treatment and medication under the sun, and nothing seems to touch them. If I can even make it to the hospital—which is a struggle because I’m basically incapacitated for the first 48 hours and have to rely on an ambulance—they just hook me up to an IV and pump me full of painkillers until it finally breaks. The real issue is that I start a new job at a government agency in three days. I’ve mostly worked for private companies in the past, where I could always find a way to make up for the time I missed, but this is a whole different ballgame. I’m worried about how my absences will be perceived; I know nobody is going to be thrilled about me calling out, but then again, when I'm not mid-migraine, I function perfectly fine.
Does anyone else deal with this? How does it work in a professional setting like this? Please, let me know what your experiences have been...
Here’s the deal: I’ve dealt with migraines for as long as I can remember. They usually hit once a month—sometimes they're manageable, other times they're absolutely brutal, and more often than not, I end up in the ER. Over the last two years, they haven't happened quite as often, maybe every second or third month, but when they do strike, they linger. We're talking anywhere from two to five days of pure misery. I’ve tried every treatment and medication under the sun, and nothing seems to touch them. If I can even make it to the hospital—which is a struggle because I’m basically incapacitated for the first 48 hours and have to rely on an ambulance—they just hook me up to an IV and pump me full of painkillers until it finally breaks. The real issue is that I start a new job at a government agency in three days. I’ve mostly worked for private companies in the past, where I could always find a way to make up for the time I missed, but this is a whole different ballgame. I’m worried about how my absences will be perceived; I know nobody is going to be thrilled about me calling out, but then again, when I'm not mid-migraine, I function perfectly fine.
Does anyone else deal with this? How does it work in a professional setting like this? Please, let me know what your experiences have been...