To others, a migraine is often viewed as just a headache. Even the most caring of friends and families sometimes just don’t understand it. Those who do understand, watch helplessly as their loved ones suffer tremendous pain. Historically, patients with the most terrible migraines experience a downward spiral in terms of income and contributions to society at large. One of the more recent studies on the impact of migraine showed the U.S. unemployment rate of migraine patients to be 10% – 20%, which is far higher than the general population.
Tips for Handling Migraines at Work
Many employers are quite willing to make accommodations for people with migraines in the workplace. Different lighting, glare screens for computers, flex-time scheduling and other factors can make it possible for some to work around their migraine attacks and continue working. However, partly because migraines are so misunderstood, some employers are not willing to make those accommodations. There are some things that people can do to better handle migraines at work:
• Be prepared. Always have medications with you. Find out in advance if there is someplace at work where you can rest quietly if a migraine strikes at work.
• Scope out your work environment for possible environmental triggers.
• Talk to your supervisor before a migraine strikes you at work. You may find it helpful to have your doctor give you a letter to take to work explaining that migraine is a neurological disorder.
• Don’t be embarrassed or try to hide your migraines. The more others know about your migraines, the more understanding they will be.
Applying for Disability Benefits
Unfortunately, for some people with migraines, no matter how good their treatment regimen is, their migraines will cause varying levels of disability, perhaps severe enough to compromise their ability to earn a living. Assessing the level migraine’s impact on one’s life is quite helpful to doctors in evaluating treatment plans. If your level of disability is to the point of applying for disability benefits there is much you will need to know and do. Your physician should be able to point you in the right direction. His or her records and input will be vital to your application for benefits.
Tags: hormone change, Menopause. women and migraines, migraine attack, migraine headache, migraine trigger, Migraines, Weather
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