Migraine

DBF sent me this story, and I had to share it with you guys.

A Swedish kindergarten has instituted a dress code banning stripes and dots because those patterns trigger migraines in a member of their staff. News brief is HERE.

That's cool!

I still keep trying to push for a no perfume policy in my office. Not that all perfume bothers me, but some, and of course it's the ones that do that people tend to bathe in.

Oh and for Jamie - yesterday - they had some sort of a lunch thing here, and all I could smell was ONIONS! Now normally this is not a trigger for me, eaten or smelled. But they were so strong that I had to leave the area. I started to feel the beast brewing and I ran away form the onions! LOL

Thats neat MJ!

I totally can understand that, especially the polka-dots. those bother me sometimes. My hubby has this bright neon orange, yellow and reflective tape jacket that he wears for work. He cant wear it around me or even leave it hanging on his coat hook! If i am migraining, it makes it SO much worse.

Eileen.. OHOHOH ya the parfume! that one is awful! My sons homeschool connection school has a sign up in the bathrooms saying nothing can be sprayed or used in there, and its a rule of the school. Not only the parfume, but the hairsprays etc as well!

quote:

Originally posted by EileenHOST:
That's cool!

Oh and for Jamie - yesterday - they had some sort of a lunch thing here, and all I could smell was ONIONS! Now normally this is not a trigger for me, eaten or smelled. But they were so strong that I had to leave the area. I started to feel the beast brewing and I ran away form the onions! LOL

Step away from the onions and no one will get hurt. (LOL) Thanks for the laugh, girl! Why do people think that one onion= good, 70 onions=better?
I guess if I could solve that, I'd be a happy migraineur.

That's pretty awesome. I might move to Sweden but I think it would be even colder there... I'm usually not cool with dress codes but that's a nice thing to do.

They just passed a law here that says you can't smoke within 25 feet of a public building (luckily I work in one). Which is fantastic for me cause that means in the summer I can eat my lunches outside on the picnic tables and not be surounded by smoke. If I even walk by someone smoking, the smell will give me a killer migraine in 5 minutes.

I also got my work people to let me have a cube tent. We have super high ceilings here and the lights hang at the very top (fun for maintanance I'm sure). Anyway, where I sit the light manages to reflect off my glasses/monitor and drive me totally crazy all day.
They can't turn them off, cause there would be no light for the whole division. So I put a white sheet over part of my three walled cube so it's like I have a tent.
My last job wouldn't have even concidered the idea.

I was able to have them turn off 1/2 the lights in my cubbie. It has helped so much. Of course I have to explain at least once a day why I have not called to have the light fixed. But, I would rather do that then suffer.

I think this is fantastic news!! Maybe there is hope for us in the states?

quote:

Originally posted by MaxJerz:
DBF sent me this story, and I had to share it with you guys.

A Swedish kindergarten has instituted a dress code banning stripes and dots because those patterns trigger migraines in a member of their staff. News brief is HERE.

Eileen-I wish we could have a no perfume policy everywhere; at least for the over-doers who think they have to bathe in it for it to smell. Don't they know less is more? I can't tell you how many times I have to switch seats at the movies, a restaurant or put my sleeve over my nose and look like a goober!

MJ,

That is great!!! And it make so much sense. There is a child at Zach's school who is allowed to wear hats and special sun-glasses because of the flourescent lights. (I say get rid of the flourescent, but that another topic LOL). Thanks for sharing

Dar

Wow! Banning stripes and polka dots is pretty extreme, really, but I'm glad in her case that they're looking out for her personal well-being and were willing to do something about it.

Though it's not posted, we banned spraying substances in our halls at school. Too many kids thought it was cool to spray their lockers with colognes, Axe, or what have you. Once in a great while we get a kid that's not aware of it, but it's pretty easily corrected, and since it's not rampant, it doesn't trigger so much.

I'm all for limits on perfumes and air fresheners in public spaces, especially workplaces, not just for us migraineurs, but for those with asthma, allergies, and other breathing problems, along with others experiencing sensitivities. A little consideration goes a long, long way.

I was so encouraged to see that people do get the accommodations they need. I had such a bad experience with my request for accommodations that a story like this helps rebuild my hope that the process works for some people sometimes.

Maybe I'm just being touchy, but does anyone else feel at all like these articles are almost poking fun at the teacher and the school for this arrangement?

And what kind of jerks are the complaining parents that the ability of them and their children to flaunt their fashion sense is more important than a valued teacher's health? Isn't that just typical of the misunderstanding surrouding migraines?

There are still way too many people that simply do not understand the seriousness of migraines. The complaining parents probably don't realize that the teacher has a serious neurological condition that could incapacitate her if their children wore the wrong thing. They are thinking the teacher will just have to take a couple of aspirin or ibuprofen pills, and what is the big deal?

that's pretty awesome! i also wish the migraineurs who need it could get the perfumes/colognes banned from work! seems like an even more prevalent problem.

thanks for pointing out this article.

emily