Elevation and Reasonable Accommodation

[leharner]

Hi everyone,
I haven't been on in a while, but I have a couple of questions.

I was diagnosed last Novemeber with a small AN.

I expereinced 2 years of increasingly severe sypmtoms, and doctors thought it was probably Menieres.

My symptoms were severe vertigo, that usually would dial down to a constant state of spinning from right to left, nasuea and vomitting, tinnitus, ear pain and headaches. The symptoms seem to be more severe than the size of the AN would indicate.

The AN is too small to do anything with right now except watch and wait, so I asked for some accommodations at work to help with the symptoms. At first they were willing to help, but I still was dizzy and nauseous.

I lived and worked at a high elevation (7,000 feet). I needed a walking stick to keep me steady.

On vacation at sea level, I began to notice my symptoms were improved. Although I still had occassional bouts of severe dizziness and nausea, most of the time the symptoms were mild.

Upon returning to the high elevation my symptoms again increased dramatically. I asked to telecommute from a lower elevation, which was denied. I appealed and was eventually granted temporary permission to telecommute while I atended vestibular therapy. Vestibular therapy was unable to relieve the dizziness or imrpve balance issues. The doctor recommeneded I live/work at lower elevation due to increased risk of harm to self and others as a result of the symptoms I experience at higher elevations.

Sorry for the long explanation...but here is the crux of my problem... I am a Federal employee, and the office for which I work has denied the request and will not work any further with me to come to an accommodation. I can follow the EEO appeals process, file a grievance through my union or consult an attorney. Or I can go back to work there, and feel sick, vomit 7-10 per week, and risk falling.

I can't see any other options. Does anyone else have similar experiences? Advice to offer?
Laura

[saralynn143]

Can you transfer to another government agency? It's been a long time since I worked for the feds, but that was a possibility at that time.

If not, I would start with an EEO claim and work from there. Once you start talking with folks, they may have some more ideas for you as well.

Best of luck.

Sara

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Laura:

I can't offer any personal experience in this specific situation but I suspect that the EEO appeals process is the next logical step.  I'm not sure if a union grievance will help.  You might want to ask a union representative about that.  Hiring an attorney is always a last resort.  They are expensive and just hiring one puts you in a very blatant adversarial position with your employer.  However, it may come to that.

I hope the work issue can be resolved with a minimum of acrimony - but it could be a struggle.   Unfortunately, you probably don't have much choice, given the circumstances.  That's too bad because telecommuting seems so simple a solution.  Oh, I forgot....we're dealing with the federal bureaucracy.

Jim

[robynabc]

Hi Laura,

First,  let me say, very sorry for your AN.  I live in Colorado and I do not have an AN, my son did.  But I have issues in high altitiude even without an AN.  It does not surprise me at all.  If you can I would try to find a lower altitude if it helps your symptoms.  I have known many people that hate living in Denver because they just could never adjust.  Most do but I have heard that many have a couple weeks of adjusting including nausea and the like.  I personally have real problems with my ears when coming back down out of the mountains.  When I was pregnant my doctor told me not to go too high in the mountains.  There is pressure and less oxygen. 

So,  I wish you the best and wanted you to know that doesn't surprise me at all.

Robyn

[HeadCase2]

Laura,
  I haven't worked for the FED so I can't help you there.
  Watch and Wait is a viable strategy for AN depending on size (is it large enough to deflect brain structures or impinge on cranial nerves) and tolerance of symptoms.  If your symptoms are severe enough that it is affecting your ability to work, you may want to consider having the AN treated.  At the very least, it may be worth a second opinion, and ask if treatment is likely to mitigate the symptoms.  Some AN patients go on a short term steroid therapy to help reduce AN swelling that can help with symptoms.  Steroids are powerful meds with side affects so go over this possibility with your doctor carefully.
  Feeling off balance can be a symptom of AN if the vestibular nerve is being affected.  But over time, the brain is plastic enough to relearn and compensate for the different vestibular input.  Balance issues can happen with AN, but from what I've read Vertigo (the spinning feeling) happens less often. If your vestibular nerve has been affected recently, or if it is being affected intermittently, your brain may not have compensated yet.  Have you been evaluated by a specialist for vestibular function?  They can run various tests that can measure how much vestibular function has been affected on the AN side.  I would suggest having this done to help make sure that your vertigo is from the AN and not from some other problem.
  The fact that going to a lower elevation lessens your symptoms is interesting.  Lower air pressure and more Oxygen, hmmmm.  Since this has been over the last few months, I'm wondering if it would be a permanent affect or not.  One of the damnable things about AN is dealing with some uncertainty.
  Good luck with your AN.  Please let us know how you're doing.
Regards,
  Rob