Doctor and work problems

Hi all,

I have just stumbled across this forum and am looking for some advice! I have suffered from migraines for 12 years since i was 7 years old, although i have had a couple of years where they have not been as severe as others. The last 2 years however have been horrendous, i have just qualified as a secondary school teacher and the amount of time i am having to take off work because of them is too much! I am also finding that people at work don't seem to understand the severity of the migraines and i often get comments such as "can you not come in this afternoon to teach" etc. My doctor is also extremely unhelpful and i often leave the surgery in tears as according to them i have tried all possible treatments available so they kind of almost give up (or so it seems). He also makes me feel rather stupid by saying "there is no magic cure, i can't cure your migraines", which just makes me feel even more helpless. I have never been referred to a migraine specialist this is all through my regular GP.

Has anyone else had similar experiences either at work or from their doctors? Just looking for re-assurance that i am not alone, and somewhere to vent!!

Thanks,

Kelly

Kelly

sorry you are having to go through this too. This sounds horribly familiar. Your doctor really should have referred you to a neurologist by now. I don't know if you are in England like me but over here I would request to see another doctor and insist that I saw a neurologist. If I didn't get this I would be asking to speak to the practise manager to find out why I couldn't do this. You deserve the help and support from them, not to be made to feel silly.

Secondly. based on my experience as a teacher struggling with the migraine symptoms, I would suggest that yo look at the UK migraine trust website. There is a section on advocasy and if you look around there somewhere there is a downloadable leaflet that gives you support and lists the kind of things yo can ask for reasonably from your employer. If I had found this when I was teaching I would probably have not lost my job. Taking in a description of what the symptoms are from a website like this (there are plenty of leaflets for employers and work colleagues that explain for them what we are going through) may be of use. In this country I understand that we qualify as dissabled if the symptoms are severe enough and can have support in having adjustments made at work.

I have recently thought long and hard about what I should have asked for. I hope this list helps.

In most schools in this country it would be reasonable to ask to work mostly in one room where adjustments like alternatives to standard strip lighting can be made. I notice that some places have started to use lED strip lights instead that provide just as much light as the old sort.

Deadlines for paperwork should take account of the need to rest at times when you would otherwise be working on things in the evening, so an awareness that springing things on you is not reasonable should be written in.

Slight alterations to IT equipment can make a huge difference, especially using wifi tools to get us away from the dreaded glare of the screen.

It is suggested that it is reasonable to ask for somewhere quiet to rest in break periods. It might be that other staff members would appreciate this too.

One thing that I wish I had considered was to not bother getting to school under my own steam. I should have considered making a contract with a local taxi firm to take the stress out of getting there. It would have made a huge difference. Yes it would be expensive but not as costly as having to downsize my home and losing my job that eventually happened.

I think that as long as you have the teaching position, arguing your corner and seeking advice from migraine related bodies that have work advocates is the way to go. If you do end up involving a union representative, please remember that they are not necesarily experts on migraine and if like myself you find that you have only found them to help, you end up with a boss and an advocate that wants to help you but they don't actually know how.

Good luck. I hope I havn't offended you by stating things that seem obvious, but if we hope to get any understanding from colleagues that is sometimes what we have to do. I sometimes think back to how my comments to them would make me seem to them, and perhaps I should have stated the obvious, then perhaps they would have understood.

best wishes.

Di

Hi Kelly, sorry your going thru this, it has happened to me, I changed PCP's. I'm not sure where u live, but u can always A) ask for a second opinion, B) request to see a neurologist, or C) change general practitioners. I work in the medical field and our patients have those options and rights. Usually a primary care physician (PCP) can't, shouldn't and doesn't want to treat a "chronic" problem and they are quick to refer you out to a specialist.

As far as your job do you have a union or have you looked into family medical leave act, again I'm not sure where you live, I live in California and I have both so my job is protected and as long as I have FMLA for migraines and signed by my physician my employer can't do what they are doing to you!

No matter where u live your Doctor should refer you to a specialist or u should request to see one or change doctors!

Good luck
Angela