Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike H
Hi-
I am a second grade teacher. I was diagnosed with TN about a year ago. Needles to say it's been an awful year at work. This week some fellow teachers went into the principal's office and told him that they were concerned because I have been acting weird. The principal called me in to discuss. I told him about TN but I just know that he thinks I'm either deranged or lying. He actually said something to me like ..."Mike, ya know were all like a giant link chain, and any one who is a week link can damage the whole chain." Could you imagine him saying that to someone with a broken neck ? I think maybe the worst thing about TN is the invisibility of it.
After the meeting with him I was pretty upset. As I was driving away, I couldn't really focus. That's when the white pick up truck t-boned me at 40 miles per hour. It took out the back of my car completely. If it had been one second earlier I probably wouldn't have walked away from the accident. After the car stopped spinning around and I had realized what happened, the very first thing I said was..."I'm done."
I filled for a three month leave from work. I run out of sick days in December and I don't know how I will support my family. The irony of all this is that after the accident which was about two weeks ago, I've been very lite on pain. I am very, very grateful for that.
Thanks.
Mike
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Hello Mike. I know exactly how you feel. I was diagnosed with TN in July 2010. I managed to work until Jan 2011. Wow what a struggle that was! I had been with the same employer for 14 years. My problem was that 99% of the doctors that I saw had no idea how severe the pain is with TN. I actually saw some ER doctors that had no idea what TN was. Most doctors think that you can work while having TN. I tried to get on my disability insurance through my employer but the only way they would approve that is if I went to see "their doctor" to get assessed. Guess what? He had no idea what Tn was and I was denied. I finally resigned due to "medical reasons". I ended up having MVD surgery in June 2011 and my TN is gone. Basically having TN changed my whole life. I have started working again in a different career and am making a lot less money. With you being a teacher, I would say do what it takes to get well and then try to find another teaching job. I know it will be rough but you never know, you might like your new job better than the old one. I do....