Do you work with migraines? Share your experience here!

Hello! I am a 45 year old female that has suffered migraines my whole life. I remember being a child, crumpled on the floor, in so much pain, and I didn't know what it was. Decades later, I still find myself crumpled on the floor, way more informed, but unable to stop that freight train. I've worked since I was 10 years old. Full-time since I was 18. I've been a mom, also, since the age of 18. I have three children now and am a single mom. A lot of responsibility. Not a lot of time for migraines. This week alone I've had two migraines. I've ran across people that are very understanding, and I've worked with people that roll their eyes because they've never even had a headaches. I envy them. I want that!!! Mostly because on the days that I do not have a migraine, I have a headache. I've been to many dr.'s, neurologists, chiropractors, and even acupuncturists over the years and have tried a myriad of medications and naturals remedies including supplements and even essential oils...but alas I suffer. So, I have accepted my fate I suppose. I have been on the receiving end of write ups, faced near being fired, been laughed at, dragged into the managers offices, talked to, threatened, and faced so much ridicule by people that do not know what it is to have a migraine. Once, I even had a co-worker, a "friend", yell at me saying "go home and get a "migraine", no one wants you here, just go and get "another migraine"". She repeated this, loudly, embarrassing me, in front of my co-workers. A few weeks later she ended up in the ER with her very first migraine of her life (in her 50's) and came to me apologizing over and over. Wanting my forgiveness. Saying she couldn't believe I live like that. Wondering how I go on day in and day out. I did not forgive her. How could I? I have a medical condition but because I don't bleed or I am not cut or because it does not show in some gruesome way, people cannot understand it. So, I suffer alone and I think that is the 3rd hardest part of migraines. The 1st is the migraine, the 2nd hardest part is to keep going............................

Hi Cody! I'm 47 and am new to the migraine scene. They're not exactly migraines per se. I have chronic cluster headaches with overlay migraines now and again. Before about 3 years ago I never had a headache a day in my life. So like most people that don't understand, I didn't get it. They started creeping up on me about the same time I started noticing some change of life symptoms. Well I've had the same job for 12 years and you would think it would be easy to talk to them about this kind of stuff. I mean I know everyone. My office is right across the hall from HR. Turns out you don't know what kind of company you're working for until you start talking to them about medical issues.
I'm not asking for anything large or anything that would be unreasonable or even cost anything. Just please let me keep those bright florescent lights off in my office. They are one of my main triggers for the headaches and migraines. This company has been putting me through the ringer for the last year over these stupid lights. I'm now heading down the medical accomodation paperwork (which I just filled out and turned in), FMLA, EEOC, and legal representation road.
We'll see how all this turns out. Definitely a lot of misunderstanding and just plain brush offs on migraines in the workplace!

TheraSpecs? I'll have to look those up. Thank you so much, everyone, for the support! This is the first positive I've received in years. I really appreciate the suggestions and we'll wishes. Hoping everyone had a headache free day!

I'm on disability, my last job was as an alarm specialist for a security comp. It would be excruciating to hear the alarms in the background. At that time, my then neurologist was using different meds to see what would work. I kept my supervisors up to date on my status. One night, my took my rescue med and fell asleep talking with a client who recorded my snores, end of job🌹