Migraine

A HarrisInteractive poll conducted for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in 2002 showed that 15 million men and women in the United States have either gone to work with a Migraine or gotten a Migraine at work. Two-thirds of those Migraineurs "struggled through" to stay at work. Dr. Jan Lewis Brandes, a headache and Migraine specialist at Vanderbilt University, says, “Many people struggle through the debilitating pain of migraine to get the job done and because they do not want to let down their co-workers.”

Although more people in the U.S. suffer from Migraine than from asthma and diabetes combined, Migraine remains one of the most underdiagnosed, misunderstood, and undertreated of diseases.

Even Migraineurs don't understand the disease and realize how much help is available. The Harris poll also indicated that 61% of the respondents took over-the-counter medications or nothing at all for Migraines. Dr. Brandes emphasizes, “Migraine is a real disease, just like diabetes or high blood pressure. It is possible to keep migraine under control, and the best way to do that is to see a doctor and get effective treatment.

Doctor Brandes shared some tips she offers her patients for handling Migraine in the workplace:...

Continue reading Tips for Handling Migraines At Work.

Very good tips! Thanks Teri. If we took on educating ourselves, our bosses and co-workers, we could make the whole world more Migraine-friendly!

- Megs

Megs,

Thanks, and you're welcome!

quote:

Originally posted by nutmegan:
Very good tips! Thanks Teri. If we took on educating ourselves, our bosses and co-workers, we could make the whole world more Migraine-friendly!

- Megs

quote:

Originally posted by Teri Robert:... Dr. Brandes emphasizes,...It is possible to keep migraine under control, and the best way to do that is to see a doctor and get effective treatment....

To take the other side...as I am wont...

That's the kind of statement my agency would take and say, "See! We knew it all along! Suzie was just faking the severity of her Migraine! She's not really disabled! This doctor knows the truth! It IS possible to to keep migraine under control!"

Just my take on that kind of blanket statement by someone who is probably otherwise trying to do good.

I've always said that the majority of people who call in sick with a Migraine don't have a Migraine at all. And they should be ashamed.

I believe no one should be allowed to call in sick with a Migraine attack without a Migraine diagnosis letter on file and should be required to take intermittent FMLA days when they do (those who qualify for FMLA). That would stop the fakers. And it would encourage the undiagnosed and undertreated to get help, don't you think?

My two most sore Migraine points: undertreated pain and workers who call in sick with Migraine who don't have Migraine.

Bye for now. Going to take more Valium.

I still have not found a way to help my colleagues understand they need to be more considerate about perfumes. I have (more than) several folks in my department who are MEGA offenders. They are smokers, so they think if they put on half a bottle of perfume after doing the deed, no one will notice. And there's a faculty member that is single handedly destroying the ozone layer with how much Aquanet she uses. My office is 5 down from hers, but on days when she's in, I have to keep my door tightly closed or I get sick. My department chair is also aware that her handcream is a problem, yet she continuously invades my personal office space while wearing it.

Everyone is aware of this as my fellow students have watched me struggle through my studies like this and my faculty ready my Fellowship application detailing the disabling impact of migraines on my life. I've requested students not wear perfumes and handlotions to class because it prevents me from participating. I've requested to be moved away from all of the other students to my own office because I was being made SO sick by the perfumes, handlotions, hairsprays, candles, and incenses.

Everyone is aware, I feel like I've done what I can, yet everyone is ignoring me anyway. What do I do? They are literally making me sick every day. I feel like the only way I can get through to them is if I take some kind of official action through the university or a lwayer. Is that what things really have to come down to for migraineurs or people with asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivities?

Very frustrated...