FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT (FMLA)..........If you work for an employer with 50 or more people you can qualify for this leave. It does cover migraines. I am in the process of getting mine covered so I can keep my job without being hassled by my supervisors. You have to provide the upfront information only, from there, you should be able to use it when you need it, without reprecussions. E-mail me if you need to know more. I work for the post office and this is a biggee there. Also my husband has been trained in the gov./USPS FMLA classes. This will help protect your job. Yes, this leave can also be with/without pay. Depending on your leave status.
Be pain free......................Lisa
Lisa Sutton <DVR13@AOL.COM>
LUTZ, FL USA - Fri Jun 26 7:54:52 1998
Hello to all my friends out there in the migrain world, I decided since I'm supposed to be on my back and don't have a laptop, I'd write a generic note for all my buddies out there. I was in the E.R. 4 times w/i a week so finally I was admitted. I had new symptoms so this was an atypical migraine. I have a problem w/my left eye(never before) for example. They admitted my Wed. night(the 24) and gave me a spinal tap and a psych consult. Apparently, the neuros think there is something in my head that can be "fixed" with the psych visits.
Anyway, I'm home now and plan to sleep as much as possible as I leave for Fl/disney in less than two weeks. I'm terrified I'll be feeling miserable then.
Talk to you guys soon, Cindy
Cindy Lincoln <clincoln@richmond.infi.net>
Richmond, vVa USA - Fri Jun 26 6:29:54 1998
My wife gets severe migraine every 3rd day. HAs done for last 6 years, been through all the medical treatments with no luck. Currently having accupuncture 2 x weekly with Tilcotel IM as required with Morphine "top ups.
All seems lost with job on the line and absolutely no respite apparent for her having to suffer.
Any assistance to have access to treatment that actually changes something would be an absolute bonus.
No apparent triggers set off the migraine, they just appear, wake up with them in the middle of the night.
Imigram makes the worse and betablockers of very little use. Even tried pure oxygen inhalation!
Please drop me a line, let me stop my wife's continual suffering.
Kind regards.
Brian Ross <kopykatz@xtra.co.nz>
Blenheim, New ZealandUSA - Fri Jun 26 1:33:12 1998
This is the first time I've seen this site. Thought I'd add a few words about myself. I've had migraines since I was about 6 years old. These migraines were without aura and began very suddenly with severe pain behind my right eye, shortly following by vomiting. Had every kind of treatment, cafergot, cafergot with phenobarb, IV gynergan, IV morphine, bellergal, etc. Nothing really helped except a dark room and silence. These headaches continued until my early twenties. For some reason, the frequency then decreased and for many years, the headaches were only 1-2 times a month. Gradually I stopped vomiting with headaches, but still needed darkness and silence to recover. Pressure on my head with a ice pack was also helpful. Then approximately 10 years ago my headaches suddenly increased in frequency and were preceeded by aura, blinking lights in an arc. The aura would be in one eye and the headache would occur over the other eye and visa versa. It was weird. Since this occurred suddenly with three in four days, my MD did a CT scan to rule out a physical cause for the change, but nothing showed. These headaches continued and occurred about 1-2 per month. THEN, one year ago,I had my usual migrain with aura on a Friday. Went to bed with ice. When I awakened on Saturday, I did not have a headache but my speech was slurred, I was extremely irritable, couldn't concentrate, my husband says I wasn't talking coherently. My hands and feet were freezing even though it was summer. My ears were ringing so loud I could hardly hear anything else. This lasted for five days. Of course I saw the doctor who put me on verapamil to prevent recurrence, but also ordered an MRI to rule out stroke. These episodes recurred - without headache- about every week for 3-5 days. This was despite increasing the dose of verapamil and taking imitrex at the beginning of each episode. I also had daily low grade headaches in between episodes. Yes, I forgot to mention that the worst symptom I had was this frequent "electric jolt" near the base of my brain. This occurred when I moved my head or spontaneously. It also occurred in my sleep. It was and is a terrible sensation - like your senses are all stopped for a second or two. I also had great difficulty waking up and staying awake. In fact, I was unable to get out of bed during these episodes. It was like I had taken sedation. I also had very vivid dreams during this time. In I later noticed that I would have very vivid dreams the night before one of these cycles would begin. I finally saw a neurologist who found that my EEG's are abnormal, but not necessarily indicative of a seizure disorder, and flow studies on the arteries in my head were normal. I am now taking depakote with the verapamil. The episodes still occur, but are not as intense and don't last as long. I wasn't able to tolerate an increase in the dose of depakote, so I'm waiting to see if things get better. Fortunately, I had alread planned to stop working this year, so I won't have the concern about missing so many days. Sorry I've go on so long. I am especially interested if anyone has the "electric jolt" sensation. Thanks for listening.
Sandy <jakspot@sprynet.com>
Dayton, OH USA - Fri Jun 26 1:24:36 1998
Please everyone who has had negative sideeffects with Imitrex, give their latest drug, AMERGE a try. It has helped me within hours, with no side effects. Plus, it lasts longer...a good 24 hours or so. Feel free to email me
with any comments or suggestions. Good luck to all.
Julie Burris: JJBurris@mindspring.com
Durham,NC
Julia Burris <JJBurris@Mindspring.com>
Durham, NC USA - Thu Jun 25 22:54:52 1998
Please everyone who has had negative sideeffects with Imitrex, give their latest drug, AMERGE a try. It has helped me within hours, with no side effects. Plus, it lasts longer...a god 24 hours or so. Feel free to email me
with any comments or suggestions. Good luck to all.
Julie Burris: JJBurris@mindspring.com
Durham,NC
Julia Burris <JJBurris@Mindspring.com>
Durham, NC USA - Thu Jun 25 22:53:35 1998
I have had quite a few migranes in my life, but before last night, none had prompted me to get on the internet and find help. It was the strangest feeling...first I started to lose vision in my right eye, then my vision became gold and sparkly in my left eye. I thought I may be suffereing from low blood sugar (I am hypoglycemic) so I downed a glass of orange juice and a bowl of applesauce. By the time I was finished I couldn't see very well out of either eye and my headache was starting. Then I knew it was a migrane. Somehow I still thought I could fend it off with food, so I ate a tuna sandwich. By the end of that it felt like my brain was going to explode. In fact, it felt so specifically located in one tiny section of the left half of my head that i genuinely thought something might have broken. This went on for over six hours, complete with massive vomiting and nausea and all the other "classic" symptoms. Finally, fell asleep in self-defense, but I only slept for a few hours. Then I woke up with the same headache! Does this normal to anyone? Do I need to rush to the doctor? My husband is confused and worried. Help!
Jennifer Cass Barnes <jdbarnes@nwrain.com>
University Place, WA USA - Thu Jun 25 18:00:27 1998
