So I’ve been on full disability and now partial disability since April 1 due to daily chronic migraine and MAV. I have gradually increased my hours since then and am now working about 32 hours a week. I still get daily symptoms, albeit they arent as bad as they were. I also dont get severe head pain, the pain is more or less in my neck and shoulders. I do though get other neurological symptoms ie. numbness, ear ringing, tingling, dizziness, anxiety, and just feeling plain out of it. I also get the scotoma aura which is scary but usually just minor symptoms follow. Some days are worse than others but I’m plugging through. My employer has been questioning me as to when I’ll be back full-time. I don’t see my neurologist again until November 28 but I see my regular GP on Monday who usually helps me set my work schedule.
I am not sure if I should go full time now or not. If my problem is hormonal like the neuro said, I could be living like this for a long time and face it, may be just my life now. How many of you work full time and struggle with this? Any advice? Should I cut back my hours awhile longer or go to full time? :?
Hi, I have been dealing with this for a good 8 months now. Never had a concrete diagnosis, but I never had the option to not go to work, with new job and new career. I couldn’t risk losing everything when jobs ate scarce. So while I would have loved to stay home on my couch everyday, I’m almost glad that it was not a option. I think forcing myself to work through it in the end will be what brings through. Because if this never goes away and I feel like this forever I still have bills to pay and a life to live so one way or another living through it was something I was gonna have up do at so
At some point. And I do live my job. So I know everyone is different and what works for someone may not work for someone else. Just my thoughts, if you can do it, great, even if you feel crappy it may be worth it?!
Good luck!
Hi…I am also glad it was financially necessary for me to return to work. I was out on disability for about 10 weeks…kept putting off going back. But finally (and this was after reading posts on this board from those who returned to work which gave me the push to do it) I went back. I have good days and bad days. But it is better I believe for me anyway to be working because sometimes I get so busy I even (for a short time) forget about this sucky disease. I don’t want this to get the better of me…I want to beat it!! But right now as I am typing I feel so awful, headache, lightheadness, dizzy and groggy, that I just want to lie down and forget about everything. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and hang in there! Take care,
Are you using FMLA (Family/Medical Leave Act)? If yes, you are currently taking job-protected time off. If you go off FMLA, your job is no longer quite as safe. Do you feel your position is fairly secure? Is your employer asking about when you’ll come back to full time because you’re so valuable that they want you there 5 days a week, or - I hate to suggest this - because then you’d be easier to let go?
I just wonder if you’ve thought about why they’re asking when you’ll be back. If you’re confident it’s because you’re a valued employee, then you just need to think about the medical questions. But I wanted to bring up FMLA in case it was pertinent.
I hope they want to know when you’ll be back there more because they really want you there!!
Take care, and I hope improvement keeps happening for you.
So I’ve been on full disability and now partial disability since April 1 due to daily chronic migraine and MAV. I have gradually increased my hours since then and am now working about 32 hours a week. I still get daily symptoms, albeit they arent as bad as they were. I also dont get severe head pain, the pain is more or less in my neck and shoulders. I do though get other neurological symptoms ie. numbness, ear ringing, tingling, dizziness, anxiety, and just feeling plain out of it. I also get the scotoma aura which is scary but usually just minor symptoms follow. Some days are worse than others but I’m plugging through. My employer has been questioning me as to when I’ll be back full-time. I don’t see my neurologist again until November 28 but I see my regular GP on Monday who usually helps me set my work schedule.
I am not sure if I should go full time now or not. If my problem is hormonal like the neuro said, I could be living like this for a long time and face it, may be just my life now. How many of you work full time and struggle with this? Any advice? Should I cut back my hours awhile longer or go to full time? :?
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Tamsha, thank you for making me realise that i’m not the only one suffering like this! Your symptoms are so similar to mine! I am a sub-postmistress in a one counter office. I have 2 part time staff that do a few hours a week each for me but other than that I work the office most of the time. I have had to take the last 2 weeks off, having daily chronic migraine, room spinning, anxiety and generally feel awful! My doc has just put me on betahistine to try and help with dizziness, so we will see if it does. Have got to back to work on Friday, so fingers crossed! If worse comes to worse I will just have to lock the door and go and lie down upstairs!
Keep smiling!
So I’ve been on full disability and now partial disability since April 1 due to daily chronic migraine and MAV. I have gradually increased my hours since then and am now working about 32 hours a week. I still get daily symptoms, albeit they arent as bad as they were. I also dont get severe head pain, the pain is more or less in my neck and shoulders. I do though get other neurological symptoms ie. numbness, ear ringing, tingling, dizziness, anxiety, and just feeling plain out of it. I also get the scotoma aura which is scary but usually just minor symptoms follow. Some days are worse than others but I’m plugging through. My employer has been questioning me as to when I’ll be back full-time. I don’t see my neurologist again until November 28 but I see my regular GP on Monday who usually helps me set my work schedule.
I am not sure if I should go full time now or not. If my problem is hormonal like the neuro said, I could be living like this for a long time and face it, may be just my life now. How many of you work full time and struggle with this? Any advice? Should I cut back my hours awhile longer or go to full time? :?
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Forgot to say, 32 hours is almost full time anyway, if you can manage on that I would carry on. Surely, your employer would rather have you back on 32 hours than risk you being off again if you push yourself too far?
No, I’m in Canada. I’ve had a lot of problems with my employer since I went on disability in March. When I was cleared to come back to work on partial disability, my manager stuck me in a junior position at another of our office buildings, WAY below par what I normally do. The temp that was doing my job is STILL doing my job. He said he was doing the best thing for me - putting me somewhere less stressful. I dont believe thats the entire reason but I won’t get into them here (too long to explain - lol). I’ve been at this company for 10 years and never have had anything negative said to me about my work. I always considered myself a very valuable employee although it wouldnt surprise me if they found a reason to let me go when I return full-time. They’ve done it before to others. But at some point I have to return and see what happens.
The days I do push myself to go to work I do feel better being productive rather than laying around home on the sofa watch TV - I get more depressed. I guess my biggest worry is coming back too soon and having a relapse. I don’t know if I could mentally take what I went through before. It was horrible.
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Forgot to say, 32 hours is almost full time anyway, if you can manage on that I would carry on. Surely, your employer would rather have you back on 32 hours than risk you being off again if you push yourself too far?
Yes, it is and this week I am actually doing 4 full time days and one day at 5.5 hours mid week (to give my head a bit of a rest with a shorter day). I think that is what they are questioning. If I’m doing 37.5 hours now, why not push it to 40, go off disability and get back to full-time? I’m just worried about a relapse.