I haven't mentioned this yet on the forums, but I had to resign from my sysadmin job of 4.5 years on May 30th of this year due to a medical condition that essentially appeared out of nowhere. I'm only 34 and relatively healthy up to this point, but one evening in May I was sitting on the couch watching TV with my gf and all of a sudden I got vertigo and blacked out for a few seconds without warning. Ever since that night, I have had severe dizziness and headaches on a daily basis. It's bad enough to where I don't feel safe operating a motor vehicle (I haven't driven in 4 months), and the lightheaded feeling gives me bad malaise. Some days I feel so bad I cannot even stand long enough to take a shower. I spend a lot of time laying on the couch because of this.
I took two weeks of unpaid leave off from work, but I wasn't getting any better and because the company staffs less than 50 employees, they were not obligated under FMLA to permit me to take an extended medical leave of absence. It was basically show up to work on Monday morning or tender my resignation, which I did.
I am still eligible for unemployment because I resigned due to a medical condition, but I cannot begin drawing benefits until I am able to start actively looking for work. Which I cannot at this time.
As far as my condition, I was referred by my family doctor to a neurologist. They performed a CAT scan which was clear, and an MRI which found a cyst on my brain. The neurologist isn't convinced that the cyst is related to my symptoms.
I am leaving tomorrow for Cleveland, OH. I am being referred to two specialists there, so hopefully I will be able to get a proper diagnosis and finally find out what's wrong with me. I've never experienced anything debilitating like this before.
On a positive note, being unemployed at home every day allowed me to complete my WGU degree a few months early, and also to work on certs. I'm getting into the new MCSE stuff now, which I'm excited about.
Having something like this happen has really made me appreciate being healthy. On extremely rare days, the headaches and dizziness aren't too bad and I feel like a million bucks and I'm literally whistling around the house.
On the other hand though, I'm a little pissed and bitter that here I am finally with my BS degree and all of these higher-end certs, and I can't even work now. Because of some strange illness that no doctor up to this point can even diagnose. My neurologist has no sense of urgency when it comes to my condition, and told me that I'm the first patient he's ever had that couldn't work because of headaches and dizziness. Which made me feel kind of like a pussy. But the fact is, I'm in bad shape, I'm not gonna lie. The first month I was afraid I was going to die soon.
My gf works full time, but other than that I've been depending on my savings account. Thank God I was smart enough to save up these past 4 years. We have a 17 month old daughter. Because of our income issue, we were eligible for CHIP insurance for my daughter through the state. Again, thank God. I'm on COBRA insurance so I'm still covered for the next 3 years if necessary. Without that I'd be completely and utterly screwed.
Anyways, have any of you guys gone through any unexpected medical hardships that prevented you from working, and how did you cope and get through it?
