How do you tell a new employer that you have chronic migraines
I've been suffering since I was 10. Some years have been better than others. I'm leaving a job after 7 years. I've accrued lots of leaves with this job so it's ok that I take the time off and my supervisor is understanding. How do I break the news to my new employer? What has been your experience
This issue is being discussed more frequently now than ever. I'm glad to hear you had a good relationship at your last job. What has caused you to leave after investing seven years? Far too often, employers are not educated on working with individuals with invisible conditions or are not interested in investing any time to be educated. Do you feel using the same approach with your new employer would be as effective as it was with your previous one? I understand that making the decision to disclose your illness to an employer is a personal one. Is your migraine disease well-documented by your doctor or specialist? Documentation can be a great tool in helping you to be taken seriously, as well as opening the door to programs that can protect your job and illness-related absences, such as FMLA leave if you are in the US. Here is a link to a forum thread that covers this topic.
https://migraine.com/forums/do-you-work-with-migraines-share-your-experience-here
I hope this helps you. Please let me know how things are going moving forward. Never forget you are stronger than you know and deserve to be seen, heard, respected, and loved! Warmly, Cheryl migraine.com teamHi, i'm a retired nurse on disability mainly b/c of chronic migraines. I used 2 work in a large multi practice Dr's office. 1 day @ work, my left eye started having a small psychedelic spinning lights. The physician I worked 4 told me "you're getting a migraine, go c *Linda (Neurologist nurse) NOW!!! My head wasn't hurting, but I went 2 her & told her what was going on. Whatever she was doing, she dropped it, like a hot potato!!! She took me by the arm & put me in an exam room, gave me drugs 4 said migraine (head still not hurting), turned off the lights told me 2 lay down. She called our supervisor, told her what was going on that I wouldn't be returning 2 work. Linda got 1 of the Neurologist 2 exam me & said yes u r having a migraine. MY HEAD STILL NOT HURTING! The spinning lights were large & I couldn't c out of my eye. Linda arranged an appt w/an Opthalmologist in an hr (rt. next door). As soon as the spinning lights stopped, man, oh man did my head hurt @ the base of my skull. I told this story 2 say that my employer supported me. I guess it depends on where u work. 
Oh wow, that's a wild story! How lucky that you were surrounded by healthcare providers who understood what was going on and could help you before you even recognized you needed help. I think it really depends on how much knowledge your employer has ... too many people believe the stigma that it's "just a headache." But those who have migraine or know about it are more empathetic. That's why we work so hard to promote education here! Thanks so much for sharing and for your nursing career. -Melissa, team member
This is a great question,
. I remember doing this with my employer years ago before migraine sidelined me from my career. After talking with my doctor about how difficult it was getting to make it through a day at work consistently without vomiting, he encouraged me to pursue disability. I made an appointment with my supervisor and was as honest as I could be. She of course was aware that I had been missing work and had even seen me having to leave the office to be taken to the ER. It was no shock to her that I was telling her this had become an issue that I couldn't surmount. I think I had told her much earlier and within a month of my starting that job that I had chronic migraine when I was needing to leave early - that part came up naturally. Telling her I needed to start the process of FMLA was more formal and I couldn't help but get emotional it was such a hard time and so much was at stake - I was heartbroken to be considering leaving. I think when you approach your supervisor as a human and be as honest as possible, it can help. To let them know you've been trying to manage this condition quietly and on your own but things are escalating to a point that you need to bring it up. If you are starting a new job, I'm sure some people would encourage you to wait and approach it until it actually is an issue and you are needing to leave early or it is impacting your position. Others might say it's best to be upfront from the start and let them know that you are living with this condition and working with a doctor to do your best to manage it but you wanted to be as responsible and forthright as possible to let them know at the outset. You might want to get a sense of the environment of a new workplace before deciding how to broach this as every workplace and supervisor are different. Hope this is somewhat helpful in giving you some ideas. Please let us know if you have further questions or need for support. We are here for you. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team. Yes, they brushed me off. They seem to think I'm faking it.
you're definitely not alone! Unfortunately I think many people in the community here have had similar experiences. (You might appreciate this forum where someone shared about being accused of faking it, https://migraine.com/forums/accused-of-faking-it) -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
I disclosed to my employer and she said they would work with me. Whenever I called in sick, I had to talk to the infection control manager and she didn’t want to acknowledge my migraine. To her, being sick hinged on having a fever. I didn’t qualify.
, that is so frustrating! As if the only way or reason to be sick is with a fever. Ugh! I'm so sorry you didn't have a better experience, especially when your employer initially said they'd work with you. Sending you gentle hugs! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
