They noticed at work... any other stories?

[AndrewIrish]

Oh well,

My JME has been problematic lately on the new job, as I've documented here in a couple other threads...

In any case, My 'myoclonic jerks' have become stronger and more full-body in the last year and now that I work at a cubicle, at a desk all day, when I 'jerk', my arms smash into the table and it creates a disturbance... today I had a particularly strong jerk and my manager was standing next to me. She was instantly horrified and starting asking me if I was alright(while I was on the phone with a debtor)... and I had to wave her off. Behind me, my whole team was staring at me as if I'd grown a second head, asking me if I was okay, if I needed help....

I had to explain I have epilepsy and that the payment tickets I fill out, which have a lot of blank spaces I have to fill, my need to quickly fill those out and switching between screens causes my jerks to worsen but that it's okay...

It seemed to placate them, but my manager, who is well-meaning, who only wanted to help me, kept coming back to my desk everytime she heard me 'jerk'(now that she's looking for it, I guess...) and asking me, while standing a few feet away from me almost as if I was a bomb about to explode, 'Did you have another 'episode'?' I appreciate the sentiment but it feels... weird to me...

 

[Nakamova]

I think her reaction is normal -- it may take her a little while to get up to speed on what your seizure disorder entails. You might want to print out some information for her (and for your co-workers) to help the office adjust and to give them a sense of when/if to get worried.

 

[Soniag]

a girl i work with saw me having a complex partial seizure and immediately took me to our staff room to sit down and have a drink. now she and many other staff members are always asking if i am ok and keep an eye out in case anything else happens

 

[Bernard]

... It seemed to placate them, but my manager, who is well-meaning, who only wanted to help me, kept coming back to my desk everytime she heard me 'jerk'(now that she's looking for it, I guess...)

...

I appreciate the sentiment but it feels... weird to me...

Most likely feels weirder to your manager and co-workers who don't understand the issue like you do. Education is the answer IMO.

 

[AndrewIrish]

Well, I went in today and jerked a few times but no one said anything, so I suppose I'm good... I'd feel kind of strange passing out fliers of information on a rare affliction I have when others probably have as serious if not more disabling problems of there own... I guess if anyone presses the issue further and asks, I'd get 'em some information... but I think I'm at a, 'we're all good' juncture.

 

[petero]

...It seemed to placate them, but my manager, who is well-meaning, who only wanted to help me, kept coming back to my desk everytime she heard me 'jerk'(now that she's looking for it, I guess...) and asking me, while standing a few feet away from me almost as if I was a bomb about to explode, 'Did you have another 'episode'?' I appreciate the sentiment but it feels... weird to me...

she didn't "quotation mark" around her head using her fingers did she?

gotta love the people who don't understand epilepsy