Headaches and how much to tell school.

[BillyTFish]

I started a new job after the October half term but I've been a teacher for many years. In late November I started to get blinding headaches, I do get migraines occasionally but prescription medication gets rid of them and I never have to take time off.

In early December the GP diagnosed sinusitis and prescribed antibiotics with aspirin.
The headaches cleared up but the aspirin gave me gastritis.

I still have the gastritis, the headaches started up again about a week after the antibiotics stopped. I've still got gastritis, controlled by medication and I've nearly finished a second round of antibiotics but with little or no effect this time. I've been prescribed codeine when the pain is so bad I can't sleep or see very well.

I have an emergency appointment with the neurology department of my local main hospital in 4 weeks time, it's outside of working hours. If I'd taken the first appointment in school time I could have been seen sooner.

I'm in moderate pain most of the time, sometimes it's severe. I don't think it's stress related as I wasn't stressed over the Christmas break but the headaches were still as bad as ever.

How much if anything should I tell school? In truth, I just want to be at home in bed but that doesn't seem to make any long term difference to the headaches, I like the job and want to stay there and I'd like to avoid taking time off. As I'm still in a probation period I will probably lose my job if I take too much time out.

Are you sure, given it started just after you did, that is isn't related to an occupational issue at work?

For years I had sinusitis until an issue with ventilation was sorted in my office. Strip lighting can also cause issues.

By coincidence I thought about the lights yesterday. I do have strip lighting in my classroom and I'm definitely sensitive to light but the headaches were just as bad at home over Christmas and we don't have any strip lights at home.

Ah, OK. Worth thinking about though!

I used to get bad headaches. They were from clenching my teeth through stress. The dentist fitted me a mouth guard to wear at night. Is it worth checking out this possibility?

Op I'm in the exact same position I could have written your post. How are you? My headaches are excruciating at times. I'm going to a pain management consultant.

I've only just seen your post.

Ultimately events forced my hand.
My GP insisted that she sign me off for a week and I should rest up. In the meantime, she prescribed me Zolmitriptan and said I should take aspirin for the pain.

Eventually this did work but it meant that I had to take a week off I didn't want to and tell school. They were very good about it.

When I posted here about the headaches I think that I was quite literally not seeing things clearly and sometimes you just have to give in when you're feeling rough. I think that I was putting pressure on myself to be in work which was making things worse for me.

If you're still suffering then I'm afraid I'd say go to your GP and be honest with them.

I should have said I hope you feel better soon