Migraines and lost income

[kinetickid]

Somewhat hypothetical...

I suffer from migraines, which means I lose several days of productivity each month. By "lose," I mean I can't think or see and suffer from horrible pain and nausea for days at a time, which means I can't do any work, can't drive, and can hardly function for quite a few days each month.

I take medication, but they aren't 100% successful at getting rid of the migraines.

(I'm trying to get over a migraine at the moment, which is why I'm thinking about this.)

[Deleted]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[Apple]

Oh, I'm so sorry! I suffer from them too and haven't found much that helps, just lots of caffiene with whatever I take. I've also had to use sick days because I can't get out of bed/the dark. I don't have a job where I can go in and make up hours, and used up all my sick leave during my last surgery. Next time one comes on I'll have to take the time off without pay, work through the pain or use up what little vacation I have left.

[lynnerself]

I have had migraines since I was 18, but they are now well controlled with medication.
Are you using one of the "triptans" like Imitrex, Maxalt, etc?
In my opinion they are the only meds that really work.
I use oral Imitrex at the first sign of a headache, Imitrex injections if they get bad or I'm throwing up.
Now I rarely lose time from work or life.

[shanendoah]

First, if you have migraines on a regular enough basis that cause you to lose time from work, talk to your MD and your HR department and get approved for intermittant/ongoing FMLA. That will protect your job.
Second, migraines are caused by multiple issues. In some cases, its a mild form of epilepsy, in others they are symptoms of viral infections. They can be caused by allergies or stress/muscle tension. Still, in others, they are neurologic disorders that appear unrelated to anything else. Because migraines can be caused by so many different factors, medicines that work for one person will have no effect on another.
Maxalt works for my DH, as did Imitrex, but with Imitrex, the side effects were worse than the migraine. However, I know a number of people for whom the triptans work not at all. Some of them are on the daily preventative (that doesn't always prevent a migraine) with strict additional protocols. Others are on one of the various other forms of migraine medications.
If you suffer from migraines on a regular basis and aren't on a daily preventative, talk to your MD. If your situational meds are working only ok (or not at all) talk to your MD and try another kind.
But don't forget to get yourself covered with FMLA.

[thyme4change]

or try another MD.

[Deleted]

Just how common are migraines. In my office of eight I think 4 people suffer from them. I'm kinda suspicous of the claims of one of them but 3 out of 8 is still high.

[alabamagal]

Jan 14, 2011 16:57:49 GMT -5 @justaposter said:

Just how common are migraines. In my office of eight I think 4 people suffer from them. I'm kinda suspicous of the claims of one of them but 3 out of 8 is still high.

I think many more people claim they suffer from them than actually do. If you have ever truly had one you will know the difference.

I had them for about 3-4 years in my early 40s. I had medicine to deal with the pain when I had them, but would typically be unable to function for 1/2 to whole day. medicine helped but did not prevent. After about 3 years of severly painful migraines, I would get the migraine feeling without any pain (I called them painless migraines) then they went away. Not sure what caused them, but I am thankful they are gone. Haven't had one in last 5 years or so.

[thyme4change]

According to this 16% of humans will get at least 1 migraine in their life. 25% of women will get them. So, if you have 8 women, you have upped your odds. But, yes, I get them less than once a year. I've had 2 in the past 5 years (including 2 weeks ago.) Mine are usually the kind where I can lay my head down on the desk for 30 or 40 minutes and then I can try working again. I'm usually "off" the rest of the day - but it isn't like the serious ones, where you really get knocked out for hours.

I have an employee who gets them - but it is often on a Monday or Friday, so I question it. Maybe she has weekend stress, or drinks enough to trigger one. So far, her work is so good I'm not going to get fussy about it.

www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/migraine-statistics.html

[shanendoah]

I don't really know how common migraines are. I get a little suspicious when people are claiming its a migraine and they are still functional. But at the same time, neither I nor my DH have ever had the visual halos and distortions that often come with migraines.
I get headaches all the time, but I rarely get migraines (generally once a year or so, right before I have a shingles outbreak). I usually hide under the covers and try to avoid crying too much because all light and sound hurts.
DH has medication, and as long as he takes it when he first feels the migraine coming on (there's a distinct feeling in his head before the pain really hits), he can take the pill, sleep for a couple hours and be fine.
It used to be that people were prescribed narcotics for migraines. (Which dealt with the pain, not the actual migraine.) In those days, you'd be down for a whole day due to the drugs, and then in a post migraine/narcotic haze the next day. A lot fewer people were diagnosed with migraines.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry for you, They are awful. I used to get them frequently in streaks. Could go for months without one and then have them often for a couple months.
They have lessened with age, but try to be extra aware of might might trigger them. For me a change in sleep patterns might start one and I swear the way the sun light hits in the fall makes them almost seasonal for me.
An FMLA could save your job but you have to find a way to eliminate them to help with the paycheck.

[thyme4change]

I get a little suspicious when people are claiming its a migraine and they are still functional.

I can be pretty functional - but weird. You can't tell from looking at me, but I usually have trouble focusing. Mine are ocular - so pain, but mostly my eyes start doing weird things - white out, hazy, halos. The first couple I got, I was in college, and I got basically no pain, but I couldn't really see. It was like a drug trip, so I got giggly. I think people thought I was drunk - but really I was freaking out.

[shanendoah]

thyme: In my old department, we had a couple people who had ongoing FMLAs in place that often seemed to have problems around the weekends. It go to the point that one of the supervisors referred to their FMLAs as the Friday/Monday Leave Act.
Also, I believe not being able to see qualifies as not really functional.

[thyme4change]

FMLAs as the Friday/Monday Leave Act.

[dianartemis]

kinetickid - it may be time to find a new med. My DOD swears by Cafergot (it's a suppository, and I don't know how to spell it). Usually if I can get a couple of hours of sleep when the warning signs hit, I can circumvent it. Do you also get sinus headaches? They're finding that people who don't treat their sinus headaches can trigger a migraine. If yours are related to hormones (like my DOM), some types of low dose BC can help with that.

Personally my triggers are lack of sleep (less than 4 hr/night for 3 nights), stress, how long I'm on the computer, and sinus headaches. The one thing that works best for me is sleep. If I can get to sleep, my migraine goes away. That little electrical short repairs itself at that time.

[lurkyloo]

Sorry. Mine are relatively mild, and I've learned to recognize the onset symptoms and start popping Excedrin at the first sign, which helps me a lot--haven't had one bad enough to cause vomiting in some time. Ergotamine didn't help me worth a damn (but you could always try the structurally-related LSD, if you like )

What are your triggers? I agree with previous posters; it's probably worth talking with your doctor about different medication if the current one isn't effective enough.

[constanz22]

I have terrible migraines too. They tend to be hormonal, but not always. I actually missed about 2 hours of work this morning because I woke up with an awful headache and I was afraid it was going to turn into a migraine. I wonder if I fall into that category of people with sinus headaches being more prone to migraines. I don't always know it's a migraine. Sometimes it starts out as a regular type headache, but turns into a migraine. I tend to put off taking my Imitrex until I "know" it's a migraine, but, that is often too late. It seems that once it gets past a certain point, even the Imitrex doesn't touch it. I need to be able to lay down in a dark room. Working with one is torture, but, it's also a catch 22, since I live almost 20 miles away, if I end up having one at work, I don't always feel comfortable jumping in the car and driving home either.
My doctor recently suggested I start taking Feverfew supplements (or Butterbur) and said that both have been shown to reduce the number and severity of migraines. It seems to be helping. I haven't been great about remembering to take it every day, but, I think I have had less migraines in the past 3 months since I started taking it.

[TheOtherMe]

Does the FMLA apply to small companies? I've worked in offices with 5 or 6 people and seen people be told to hit the road for too many absences due to migraines.

Back before the FMLA was in place, my secretary had to retire on disability due to her migraines. She had 3-4 per week and the office couldn't function. It was a federal government job, so my boss had her take the disability retirement so we could replace her.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

I've had migraines for the past 3 years. They seem to have a somewhat long onset (Head pain starts in the AM, usually by mid-afternoon I get the vomiting and nausea). This has actually turned out to be good for me, economically, as I would usually tough it out and run right home and climb into bed. They usually end up happening more on Fridays and Saturdays, so that was good also (as good as it can get having a migraine....it means I miss days that I would have been off anyways). They would usually start Friday morning, and I would be popping zolmitriptan with a Coke while climbing into bed by the afternoon. I would usually sleep until sat night or sunday morning. One of the worst things about a migraine for me is the "rebound" effect. When having the migraine, I can't eat because I am nauseous and throw everything up. After not eating for 2 days during the migraine, I am feeling horrible and nauseous from the low blood sugar.

Even though these usually occur on Fridays and Sats, they aren't related to drinking or partying. I usually drink about once a year and have the migraines 1-3 times a month. One of the reasons that I rarely drink is that migraines are so bad on their own, I really don't want to add the hangover symptoms to one.

I highly recommend Zomig (Zolmitriptan). It isn't cheap (Not generic yet) but works fairly well. I usually use it in conjunction with caffeine and sleep. If I am in a spot where I can't go to sleep, I use it with caffeine and sugar (I've had good luck with rice krispy treats ;D ). It usually works pretty good but the sleep is the best.

I hope you feel better, KK. I know migraines are brutal and people often look at you like you are just a whiner when you can't do something because you are having one. I usually have to explain that the pain in itself I could handle but the nausea, sweating, light sensitivity, and throwing up everything you eat really make life difficult...

[dancinmama]

I used to get migraines all the time: severe pain, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, etc. I too used Imitrex and it worked really well IF I took it at the first sign. I had to learn to take it when I got any headache as I could not distinguish a regular headache from a migraine until it was too late.

We relocated over 5 years ago and I haven't had one in the new location. It was very windy where we used to live and there were a lot of barometric changes so I think weather might have been a trigger in addition to maybe some type of pollen that the wind blew around.

There are certain foods that can trigger migraines. I don't remember all of them but I'm sure that you could find them on the internet.

[cronewitch]

I have worked with people with migraines and with people who only claim to have them I know how to tell the difference. People who get them talk to each other like this thread treatments they tried and what worked or not. I really felt bad for one she had her sinises rotorootered and packed, held short term then not working. I thought hers might be stress from the hard job we had and suggested she might do better on another job but she said she could deal with it. The boss there got them too and they discussed all the treatments they had tried.

Now I work with two women who say I have a migraine but it is only when they don't want to work. If anyone disagrees with them they go home with a migraine. They don't do anything to prevent or cure them. They might have a head ache but always call it a migraine.

[kinetickid]

Jan 15, 2011 0:29:01 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

Now I work with two women who say I have a migraine but it is only when they don't want to work. If anyone disagrees with them they go home with a migraine. They don't do anything to prevent or cure them. They might have a head ache but always call it a migraine.

Yeah, every once in a while I'll meet someone who claims to suffer migraines and it's clear they don't. I think many people confuse "bad headache" with a migraine, AND THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!!

A bad headache is not a migraine. And a migraine is much, much more than a headache. My symptoms include fuzzy-headedness, shakiness, nausea, loss of vision in one eye--I'm not kidding about that...migraines render me nearly halfway blind for the 2-3 days I suffer from them!--sensitivities to sound, light, and hot/cold. Oh, and the headache itself whose pain make you beg for death.

I lose the capacity to think. When not going through a migraine, I can do physics and calculus all day long; once I get a migraine, I can hardly handle 2+2, you know? And I certainly can't drive (can't focus and can't see!).

I've had other headaches in my life--sinus headaches while pregnant, and stress headaches throughout my life--but a migraine is very different from those other headaches. Like, they don't even compare.

We migraineurs can always tell another migraineur. There's always an exchange of symptoms, triggers, and treatment. And there's always a discussion of how they impact your life. And there's ALWAYS a "I'm so sorry you have to go through this, too" in there, 'cause we know just how awful they can be.

If your coworkers aren't comparing symptoms, triggers, treatments, then they probably don't have migraines.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

I am sorry you have to go through all that, KK. I have been lucky.. no loss of vision during an episode except what sensitivity to light gets you (How much vision can one have when you are on the ground in a dark closet with a pillow over your head?).

The lack of differentiation between a headache and a migraine always amuses me. When I tell people I get them, they usually don't believe me. Once I mention that they are usually occurring on Saturdays (Therefore no missing work!), they seem to change their tune (Why would I want to fake sick on a day off?).

One thing that I think adds to the lack of differentiation is that doctors don't know what causes migraines and the symptoms vary by person. Additionally, I think some people use it as an excuse to get out of something, much like how food allergies are used when the truth is the person just doesn't like that product. The combination of these things creates an environment where people think you are faking since there is no lab test that can "confirm" that you have migraines, the last person they knew who had migraines had different symptoms, and they know three people who "fake" migraines to get out of work, school, responsibilities, etc. It can create a negative climate for the sufferer.

I would never wish a migraine on anyone. They are such a PITA to live with (I always make sure I have my meds and caffeine available, keep my schedule relatively light-even of recreational activities- to ensure that I get proper sleep and have the opportunity to go right to bed if needed, etc).

I had a n experience with people realizing these are real that was kinda funny. After I started getting the migraines, I moved in with some new roommates. Our fire alarm started going off and couldn't be shut off. I was having a migraine and had crawled into bed. I had been asleep for about 1 hour (w/meds and caffeine). I heard the alarm but I was in a zone where I had the migraine going away and didn't want to spoil it by getting up. The alarm went on for around 20 minutes and I just kept sleeping (My room was nice and dark). My roommates asked me later if I heard the alarm and I mentioned I had. When they asked why I didn't get up, I had to explain to them that it wasn't worth it to me to get up. They mentioned that I could have burned to death and I had to explain that when you have a migraine, you really don't care if you burn to death. They thought I was nuts... ;D

[bimetalaupt]

Jan 15, 2011 2:28:14 GMT -5 @kinetickid said:

Jan 15, 2011 0:29:01 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

Now I work with two women who say I have a migraine but it is only when they don't want to work. If anyone disagrees with them they go home with a migraine. They don't do anything to prevent or cure them. They might have a head ache but always call it a migraine.

Yeah, every once in a while I'll meet someone who claims to suffer migraines and it's clear they don't. I think many people confuse "bad headache" with a migraine, AND THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!!

A bad headache is not a migraine. And a migraine is much, much more than a headache. My symptoms include fuzzy-headedness, shakiness, nausea, loss of vision in one eye--I'm not kidding about that...migraines render me nearly halfway blind for the 2-3 days I suffer from them!--sensitivities to sound, light, and hot/cold. Oh, and the headache itself whose pain make you beg for death.

I lose the capacity to think. When not going through a migraine, I can do physics and calculus all day long; once I get a migraine, I can hardly handle 2+2, you know? And I certainly can't drive (can't focus and can't see!).

I've had other headaches in my life--sinus headaches while pregnant, and stress headaches throughout my life--but a migraine is very different from those other headaches. Like, they don't even compare.

We migraineurs can always tell another migraineur. There's always an exchange of symptoms, triggers, and treatment. And there's always a discussion of how they impact your life. And there's ALWAYS a "I'm so sorry you have to go through this, too" in there, 'cause we know just how awful they can be.

If your coworkers aren't comparing symptoms, triggers, treatments, then they probably don't have migraines.

I thought this may be of interest and help
migraine is a symptom of something that is related to Renoid's disease or St Andrew's Fire.. Convulsion of the blood circulation to the brain. ( I will get e-mails on that as it is too broad of a definition.

One of my Ex-Room mates is now a neuroscientist that works for Texas Headache Institution in SA, TX. They work hard to find the trigger that causes your Migraine. What is clear is the body fights the pain with endorphins and that effect the CTZ that causes nausea. Remember ..Child-Birth does the same thing. There is also a complex loop- back with endorphins and pressure on the nerves. KEEP GOOD RECORDS AS TO WHAT YOU DID AND EAT ETC.. THIS MIGHT HELP..

He told me they have all kinds of great thing to watch when Migraines hit. His advise is to go into a dark room, after you empty your stomach, make it cold and keep it quite.. Try a zero chemical diet and no good smelling stuff on the body. He was on the protocol for Sumatriptan.

Also He had had migraines almost of all his life.. No one thought he was telling the truth because of his age. Point he makes is help is out their at some of the medical schools like in New York at AESM.

JUST WHAT I CAN RECALL FROM TALKING TO DR.

Bi Metal Au Pt

[kinetickid]

Jan 15, 2011 3:57:18 GMT -5 Mardi Gras Audrey said:

They mentioned that I could have burned to death and I had to explain that when you have a migraine, you really don't care if you burn to death. They thought I was nuts... ;D

So true. Death is so much preferable to living with a migraine.

[kinetickid]

Jan 15, 2011 5:10:01 GMT -5 bimetalaupt said:

What is clear is the body fights the pain with endorphins and that effect the CTZ that causes nausea. Remember ..Child-Birth does the same thing.

Yeah, I remember hearing about the nausea/pain connection. I was given some anti-nausea meds--some med prescribed to chemo patients--to help with nausea AND pain.

Also, this is just an aside, but CHILDBIRTH WAS FAR LESS PAINFUL THAN MIGRAINE!!! At least for me, anyway. Perhaps my body had developed a high tolerance to pain, but I was seriously walking around the hospital 7cm dilated going, "Wow. I can't believe people need meds to get through this."

During my last migraine, I took a Vicodin--leftover from my Hubby's surgery last year--and it did absolutely nothing. I was in an excruciating amount of pain; Hubby was out of town and my babysitter wasn't free. I was willing to try anything to feel better, but, alas, nothing works but time.

[The Home 6]

kinetickid~I am so sorry that you are a migraine sufferer! I too suffer from migraines, as well. It is one of the reasons why I am trying to get a job where I can work at home, because I'll get migraines at least 2 times per week.

Just curious, do you ever smell anything funny before you get a migraine? A lot of the time I will smell cinnamon or oranges about an hour before a migraine strikes.

[Elderkind]

I have unfortunately suffered with them most of my life from childhood (in the 70's & 80's) on up. They would hit after lunch and I would end up missing the last half day of school. The teachers thought I was faking but my parents knew better. I would have to lay in a dark room with a fan on me for hours until it would subside. The nausea was terrible and I would literally see stars. I tested negative for a brain tumor and when I was in my 20's, my GP finally figured out that I had a whole milk allergy that brought the migraines on. I had milk pretty often for lunch so it all fell into place. Now, I avoid whole milk as much as possible which helps but sometimes when I eat out or grocery shop, I don't catch it that a dish was made with whole milk or product had it in it until it's too late the headache starts... KineticKid: Make sure this is not a food allergy that is causing this.

[lurkyloo]

I believe migraines have indeed been strongly correlated to problems with blood pressure in the brain/CNS. I've also heard (from a less scientific source) that you don't get migraines during pregnancy; would be interested to hear personal experiences from migraine sufferers who've had kids.

It also seems that for the majority of migraine sufferers, treatment at the onset of symptoms is way more effective--for me personally, Excedrin at the beginning is an excellent preventative but if I wake up with an active migraine, it's iffy. To me that implies a positive feedback loop.

There's actually a worse form of headache--the name slips my mind at the moment, but it affects more men than women, is rarer, and literally has no good treatment options. (quick google) Ah, they're called cluster headaches (nicknamed suicide headaches).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headaches

[Deleted]

Lurkyloo
Mine are the same way. If I get the eye thing(aura) Excedrin really helps. I might still feel it but I am functioning.
If I wake up with one it's much harder to get rid of. Like I slept through that window of opportunity. They really do suck, but it seems I have outgrown the puking parts.