Work

When you suffer from chronic migraines it is hard to keep a full time job. Most times you have to get an FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) form, and hope the staff in human resources do not try to find other ways to fire you. If by some miracle you are able to hold down a full time job and deal with your chronic migraines at the same time, I applaud you!

I was doing my best until my migraines increased to the point I became chronic. I have been fighting migraines on and off almost my entire life, since I was about 13. That is 22 years, for some people that is a lifetime. I did not realize until I was in my early 20's what was wrong with me, and by that time I was in the military (think stress, lights, and exercise). When I got pregnant, I only had one bad migraine the entire 9 months. Afterwards, they returned with a vengeance (post-partum depression, stress, worry).

After having my child, my work record is spotty at best. There was a time I painted a room in my house, and found out that my allergy to latex extends to latex house paint in the form of a major migraine attack (that was the quickest trigger I have ever identified).  I had to call off work from my serving job, and was told it was my responsibility to cover my shift, if I couldn't then my job was forfeit. So I lost that one, it only lasted a month.

I worked as a manager at a fast food restaurant for four months. The only thing that kept me there so long, was my consumption of energy drinks, daily, before going into work. That trick only worked for so long before it was useless.

The job I was at the longest, was my last job. I was there for almost three years (three months short). Now, I'm not blaming all my job losses on my migraines, but they did make it difficult for me to keep some jobs, and almost impossible to keep others.

Since my most recent job loss, and the chronic migraine cycle I find myself in, I have applied for social security disability, I applied the day after I lost my job. I have been unemployed for two years and eight months, and I am still waiting for a trial date.

Social security seems to believe that chronic migraines aren't disabilities; they are wrong. I know this, as many of you do, because I spent the whole day yesterday, in bed, waiting for the pills to work (they did not) and drop the pain to a manageable level. I was finally able to get out of bed at six pm. I'm sorry, but days like that tend to show me that I am an unproductive person, and I wouldn't even hire me.

For the time being I consider my job to be getting these migraines under control. I have had a constant migraine, muted for some days but still present, for more than two years and nine months.

If you are a lucky migraineur, who does have a full time job, and still deals with chronic migraines, please let me know what you do in the comments. I think it would be interesting to see the diversity of jobs that migraineurs can have. Hopefully you will give someone else an idea, and help them discover a livable working environment.

"Yes I do have a job. My job is to take care of myself and try to get healthy. My job is to make sure that I get enough rest, to make sure I take my medicine, and to make sure I get to my doctors appointments. Sometimes I can't even handle that. But let's be honest here, this is none of your concern..." - Incurable pain quotes, image quotes