Who Would Hire Me

By lailing

1 min read

My son has been diagnosed with daily chronic headaches for the last 13yrs and he's 22yrs old now. He found some relief with CBD and when his headaches are really bad THC products. We're happy that he's stopped taking those powerful meds that have long term side affects and didn't really help. He's in college but taking on-line classes now and is frustrated with not knowing what kind of career he can pursue. He is down with these headaches at least 3-4 days weekly.

His concern is what kind of working career he will have , let alone who would hire him when knowing he has this condition which will affect his attendance. His other concern is many employers will do drug testing which affects his hiring ability.

Any suggestions on job career?

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Joanna Bodner Community Admin
Hi there <inline-mention user-id="3711439" username="lailing"/> , Who absolutely wonderful of you to reach out in support of your son. I am so sorry that he is being forced to manage this horrible disease. Has he been able to work with a board-certified headache & migraine specialist by chance? Let me share this <a href="https://migraine.com/blog/why-we-ask-about-your-doctor/">resource with you here</a>. Additionally, while hopefully others from the community may be along to share their feedback on navigating work & migraine, I wanted to pass along a nice article that one of our contributor's just recently shared on this topic. Hopefully <a href="https://migraine.com/living-migraine/professional-patient-considerations-career-paths/">this article here</a> & the comments at the conclusion will provide you with some helpful information. I truly hope your son finds the path in life that he greatly deserves & needs in order to navigate his life as best as he can with migraine. Know we are always here for support.
1. lailing Member
 Thanks Joanna, yes he has been seen by many medical specialist to make sure no other medical condition is triggering his headaches. He's been under the care of a pediatric neurologist when he was younger and now seeing a regular neurologist specializing in headaches in Seattle where he is attending college. He wants to find a part time job while attending college but doesnt feel confident he can stay committed in his attendance. He's 22yrs and has never worked. It's been tough...
Tom Picerno Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention user-id="3711439" username="lailing"/> I understand your son's frustration. The job market is tough enough if you are at your best , but that doesn't mean you can't compete for a good career based job. I've had a long term career in retail management and have been open with my employer about my condition. I also utilize intermittent FMLA leave to protect my absences at work. Make sure you get with a headache specialist or neurologist that can get the FMLA paper work filled out with your son.
1. lailing Member
 Thanks Tom, I will share your post with my son.
annequin-harkin Member
I understand how he feels. It's tough to have any kind of job and migraine. I wonder if he is seeing a therapist? I'm actually in Grad School in Psychology and I want to help counsel people with chronic illness when I graduate. BTW - I also have migraines (I'm down to two to three a week with Aimovig) and am working. Part of the way migraine has affected me is my thinking patterns. I can only do so much about the migraines themselves, but I can evaluate choices based my circumstances. Migraines also occur with depression quite frequently. It can be helpful to formulate an action plan and acquire coping skills from someone who specializes in helping people with chronic illness. He's very lucky to have supportive parents.
1. lailing Member
 Thanks for your support Ann. Will you be counseling in Seattle? He has gone seen psychologist specializing in pain and unfortunately has found no success. He would prefer staying away from those harsh western pain killers as it really affected his stomach. Luckily, he has found some relief using CPD products and has even minimized to almost none at all with having auras. His past aura was like a feeling of someone hitting his head with a bat. His auras would trigger an instant headache.