Migraines Must Be Imaginary

I suffer from migraines. And not just little headaches people call migraines, but full-body pain, severe nausea and want-to-shot-your-head-just-to-make-it-stop head pain. When I interviewed to work here, I warned Michael and Jan that I have migraines and I might have to miss work and require certain special conditions at times to deal with them. They said no problem.

Skip ahead to our moving into a new office, where they put me behind a table (not a desk), where a giant fluorescent light shoots straight into my eyes all day, letting me know that, apparently, fluorescent lights help trigger more migraines. I ask if I can just turn off the two lights directly over my head, Michael says “no, then someone will trip and fall and sue me.” (Despite the massive amount of light from the windows and other lights).

I tell Michael that research has confirmed fluorescent lights make migraines worse because they have constant flickering action, which other lights don’t have, and, which is highly irritating to the heightened nervous system of a migraine sufferer. He says, “how weird, that’s interesting.”

Jan (who in this case is his inferior, but still my superior) tries to talk reason in him and asks if I can be moved to another desk (yes, an actual desk this time) that has abundant natural light and at least a little less fluorescent lighting. Michael says, “no, I’m trying to get everyone out of that area.”

A month passes and suddenly everyone decides to move and Michael allows it. I mention how much I’ve been vying to move into said desk because it won’t irritate my migraines as much. Michael says, “why didn’t you ask to move there before.” I pull my hair our and point out that Jan asked, “well you should have asked me yourself,” says Michael. I let it go.

The one fluorescent light at my new desk still irritates me, but Michael’s rule for our moving desks was we can never change anything or complain about our desks ever again (no, I’m not exaggerating).  To deal with the new light, I put up a bright pink parasol, which Michael talks crap about as though I just want to adorn my cubicle with umbrellas for no reason.

After all this, someone forgot one of the light banks yesterday. It affected the light right over my desk and one light behind the girl next to me. That’s it. Because we’re next to the window, no one even noticed the light was off. Today, it’s back on. I mention this to Michael, ask to have it off again, and he explains that someone will trip and fall and sue him.

I start wondering how bad my migraines have to be before I can sue for disability discrimination.

Thank you drobertsc for the image.