As the title says. For me it’s always the same: at first, my boss is understanding, but when I miss work because of a migraine for the 15th time, that compassion kind of dulls away… At some point, they start complaining that I am unreliable and they always seem to be waiting for when I get better, as if there is a cure for this chronic condition.
I always feel like somehow it is my fault for being sick and I feel like I let my team down even though I know it’s the last thing I want.
How do you guys cope with it? What do you tell your boss? How do coworkers view you? Any tips and tricks are always welcome!
If it’s really debilitating then I take a sick day. This is done through an app so I don’t need to justify it. The only time I tell my boss is if it hits in the middle of the day and I need to stop working, which usually doesn’t happen as I can usually tell when I wake up whether it’s that bad or not.
I’m fortunate enough to work from home so it’s nice that I can do whatever I need to get me through the day, like if I get nauseous I can puke freely and carry on without worrying about anyone hearing or walking through the office looking like garbage.
Mine are not that frequent though, at worst it’s like once a month. I have a friend who has it really bad, she’s been off work for ages because anything can set it off but she has no idea what, or how to get relief.
That’s really fortunate! I’m so sorry for your friend, that sucks. I’m right in between; my migraines come often (about twice a week for a few weeks and then sometimes a few weeks with no migraines at all) and the pattern is kind of unpredictable. I do not work from home so if I am sick they have to know. Sometimes it feels like they don’t really believe me or like they think I am overplaying it which I am not. But then sometimes when I haven’t had a migraine for a few weeks Im like… “I’m cured! They’re gone! I made this all up!” And then one day I get smacked with a migraine again…
Have you been to see a specialist about it? My friend did, and made some changes to her lifestyle which helped a bit but they’re not gone, just better managed.
Yes, I am being treated by a neurologist. I have tried a lot of meds and sadly none really seemed to help long term.
I’m sorry to hear that. The changes my friend made are not med related, more on the side of diet and exercise, limiting stress responses, that sort of thing. Like I said, they’re not gone so I’m not saying it’s a cure, just that my friend feels she has a better handle on it.