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Since we can ask you anything: If you're comfortable with sharing, what about your disability makes it difficult to do a tech job?

by daenz 4y ago

jnovek 4y ago
Sure. In 2017 I started getting head-splitting migraines. From 2017 to 2019 they rapidly progressed from episodic to chronic. In 2019 I could no longer hold a job longer than a few weeks because my work was being interrupted too much. It was a sad year: I started the year in a VPE position but couldn’t hold a junior SE job by the end. I am now in one of the phases of migraine (prodrome, headache, postdrome) virtually all of the time. My treatment plan is optimized at this point, there is no non-experimental intervention that is likely to improve the situation. Extensive medical testing has provided no clue as to underlying physical phenomenon triggering these migraines. As far as physical medicine can tell, I’ve reached the “wait and hope” stage. I am holding out hope in one area: I am in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (and the reason for that is something I will not share because it is deeply personal). Research is showing increasingly that emotional trauma can have some strange physical side-effects and I’m really hoping that processing trauma will eventually reduce my migraine frequency and intensity.
- daenz 4y ago
  Thanks for sharing and sorry to hear about that. I can relate a little to the migraines. I had some blinding migraines come on quickly a few years ago, but then leave just as quickly. The pain was so intense I could barely think straight during those periods. Thankfully they disappeared. Similarly, I had some head x-rays that yielded nothing out of the ordinary. You've said you want to work so I hope you can at some point. I feel fairly confident that if you made an "Ask HN" post about your situation, someone could help you out with a very accommodating gig. Good luck
  - jnovek 4y ago
    Honestly, part of it is that it’s not even fair for me to present myself as “able to work” right now. I’ve tested my ability to work four times since 2019 and three of the four have ended up being a burden on the employer (the third was a wash; it didn’t work out but I decided to write off the invoice). I’ve been on the other side of the table and I can’t do that in good conscience. My thesis is that I should focus solely on feeling better until I can start doing some sort of sustained work; from there I can work my way up until I am able to do rewarding things with my skillset again. The problem is that (coming back around to the article) our benefits programs have a welfare trap. These systems should be designed to help people who can reach some level of rehabilitation get there and protect the people who can’t.

Since we can ask you anything: If you're comfortable with sharing, what about your disability makes it difficult to do a tech job?

by daenz 4y ago

Since we can ask you anything: If you're comfortable with sharing, what about your disability makes it difficult to do a tech job?

jnovek 4y ago

Sure. In 2017 I started getting head-splitting migraines. From 2017 to 2019 they rapidly progressed from episodic to chronic. In 2019 I could no longer hold a job longer than a few weeks because my work was being interrupted too much. It was a sad year: I started the year in a VPE position but couldn’t hold a junior SE job by the end. I am now in one of the phases of migraine (prodrome, headache, postdrome) virtually all of the time. My treatment plan is optimized at this point, there is no non-experimental intervention that is likely to improve the situation. Extensive medical testing has provided no clue as to underlying physical phenomenon triggering these migraines. As far as physical medicine can tell, I’ve reached the “wait and hope” stage. I am holding out hope in one area: I am in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (and the reason for that is something I will not share because it is deeply personal). Research is showing increasingly that emotional trauma can have some strange physical side-effects and I’m really hoping that processing trauma will eventually reduce my migraine frequency and intensity.

daenz 4y ago
Thanks for sharing and sorry to hear about that. I can relate a little to the migraines. I had some blinding migraines come on quickly a few years ago, but then leave just as quickly. The pain was so intense I could barely think straight during those periods. Thankfully they disappeared. Similarly, I had some head x-rays that yielded nothing out of the ordinary. You've said you want to work so I hope you can at some point. I feel fairly confident that if you made an "Ask HN" post about your situation, someone could help you out with a very accommodating gig. Good luck
- jnovek 4y ago
  Honestly, part of it is that it’s not even fair for me to present myself as “able to work” right now. I’ve tested my ability to work four times since 2019 and three of the four have ended up being a burden on the employer (the third was a wash; it didn’t work out but I decided to write off the invoice). I’ve been on the other side of the table and I can’t do that in good conscience. My thesis is that I should focus solely on feeling better until I can start doing some sort of sustained work; from there I can work my way up until I am able to do rewarding things with my skillset again. The problem is that (coming back around to the article) our benefits programs have a welfare trap. These systems should be designed to help people who can reach some level of rehabilitation get there and protect the people who can’t.