Migraine and Work
This is not my whole migraine story, as I thought I was responding to how migraine affected my retirement. I was, in effect, forced to retire, because of the migraines. I am a Registered Nurse. I was often unable to go into work, due to migraines, or, once I was there, I was unable to finish my shift because of it. I ran out of sick time, & even though there is a protection in our contract called FMLA, in which you couldn’t be penalized for being sick if you have doctors documentation verification to prove it. Unfortunately, in order for that to work, you had to work 1200 hours. The year before, I’d barely made it. The year I retired, I knew I was not going to meet that minimum requirement, & disciplinary action would begin, ultimately culminating in my being fired. After 40 years of being in the nursing profession, with NO incidents of wrongdoing, I was NOT going to let that happen. Fortunately, my parents taught me to save, & I had done exactly that. I also applied for disability, & due to all the meticulous documentation through my physician's office, for many years, I got that with no difficulty. I hadn’t counted on leaving the profession as early as I did, but it became a necessity. I consider myself blessed that, throughout everything, I NEVER made a mistake, & no patient ever suffered even though I was struggling myself.
Community Poll
Do you feel comfortable advocating for yourself to your healthcare provider?
Join the conversation