My Migraine @ Work

June 14, 2008 7:57 AM

How do you deal with getting Migraines at work?

I just started a new job and was unlucky enough to get a migraine while at work. Fortunately it was during a conference call I was sitting in on, so it wasn't incumbent on me being 100% attentive for the whole thing, and it wasn't too bad, so after the call it passed and I was able to continue my work. However, I know there will be times in the future where a migraine will more directly affect my work and that I'm going to have to make my boss and coworkers understand that I need an hour or two (or more) to get back to a state where I can be productive again. For those who have had to go through this experience, how do you handle educating people who may not know just how debilitating a migraine can be, and how do you tell them when you need some time to rest?

posted by northernsoul to health & fitness (11 comments total)

Well, if it only lasts for a couple of hours, people that get migraines that last the typical 4 to 72 hours (like me) are going to have trouble believing that you actually have one.

If you've been diagnosed by your GP, could you get a letter from them stating that?
posted by Liosliath at 8:12 AM on June 14, 2008

Lucky you get short migraines. I've been knocked out for a day or more with them.

Typically, I get the aura stuff before the nausea & actual headache. I drink Coke to help with that, at this point, I think it may be psychosomatic, but it seems to work better than Pepsi. If I start getting better within the hour, I stay. If not, I go home. Once home, I cocoon somewhere dark & quiet.
posted by kellyblah at 8:20 AM on June 14, 2008

Just for the record, I should have stated that the length of my migraines varies. They are usually about that long, but it's not abnormal for them to last a whole day.
posted by northernsoul at 8:30 AM on June 14, 2008

Have you tried the triptan drugs like Zomig?
posted by caddis at 8:38 AM on June 14, 2008

Do you have migraine-abort meds like Amerge or Maxalt? If not get to an MD and try them --they often work to stop a migraine in its tracks. If they don't kick in, you should have some "rescue" pain killers on hand, also prescribed. Migraine management has improved so much in the past few years, you might be pleasantly surprised if you seek medical help.
posted by mmf at 9:24 AM on June 14, 2008

Imitrex comes in a single use nasal spray, so it is convenient to keep in your desk or purse. Works great for my family members who get migraines. By prescription only.
posted by Daddy-O at 9:28 AM on June 14, 2008

Take a look at the program in this book: Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain. It's proven to work (just take a look at some of the numerous 5-star reviews), but it involves eradicating pretty much everything delicious from your diet for several months (avocados! chocolate! onions! citrus!). Eventually, you can gradually let items back in, but this way you can isolate your triggers. Other steps involve quitting over-the-counter meds like Excedrin, and Never Drinking Caffeine In Any Form Again.

I tried, and I've had some success. I thinking quitting coffee (now that withdrawal was a monster migraine), and attempting to reduce potential trigger foods helped, though Dr. Buchholz stands firm that all foods must be eradicated -- you can't pick and choose. In the end, the book gave me a far greater understanding of my headaches, so I recommend it for that, even if your will power is weak (like mine).
posted by changeling at 9:40 AM on June 14, 2008

Virtually no one yet has answered the question. It's not "what treatments should I try if I want to stop getting migraines?" It's "I get migraines. How do I tell my boss and coworkers that I may need time off at work to deal with them?" I'm going to assume that the asker is receiving medical treatment from a doctor who is infinitely more qualified to tell her/him how to prevent and treat migraines than we are.

In answer to the actual question, I would go to your boss now and tell her/him that you suffer from migraine headaches and that you'd like to plan ahead for how you will deal with them when they come up. Offer to provide a doctor's note explaining your needs if your boss wants one. Tell her/him that while you can't predict when they will happen, you are often able to return to work after an hour or two if you can . Then ask for what you need. If necessary, work with your boss to make sure that your job functions will be covered if you need to leave work suddenly for a few hours or for the rest of the day in an emergency. If you think it's likely that you'll need more sick time than other employees get due to your condition, offer to work extra hours at other times or cover other employees' work to make up for the work you'll miss.

If you are proactive about this and clear about what you need, your boss (assuming s/he is a regular, nice person) will understand that you're dealing with a medical condition. Planning ahead is much better than disappearing randomly in the middle of the day. Make sure that anyone whose help you will need knows about it, and offer to help them out when they need help in return. You'll engender good feelings all around, and hopefully, this won't be a big deal in your work life at all.
posted by decathecting at 9:59 AM on June 14, 2008 [5 favorites]

Would also ask the boss about a quiet, dark space that you can use if you need to rest.
posted by zippy at 12:33 PM on June 14, 2008

My employer has been okay with flexible working hours or working at home when it's necessary. Obviously this isn't feasible for all types of work, but sometimes I'll leave early when I get a migraine and make up the work on other days, or take work home with me that I can do after I wake up from a nap (usually I can sleep off my migraines).
posted by happyturtle at 11:28 AM on June 15, 2008

I usually vomit uncontrollably until I get sent home or to the ER. Of course, not everyone vomits when they have migraines.

None of my employers have made it a big deal because I have done what decathecting said... let them know ahead of time. If you have insurance, you can check into injectable or inhalable Imitrex, which will tend to work faster than an oral pill.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:42 PM on June 15, 2008