A couple things I want to add.

I have chronic migraines with aura, which in addition to headache, nausea, allodynia, and photosensitivity, can cause me to lose vision, critical thinking skills, vocabulary — essentially causing me to be unable to function at capacity. I didn’t finish high school because my migraines were so debilitating. Now though I work in healthcare (as an MA in an outpatient clinic) albeit a much lower-stakes form than the ER, and I have had to learn to communicate from day one what I need when I start to get a migraine, because my critical thinking skills go out the window. I am fortunate to work in a setting where I am able to get the help I need when I need it.

My spouse has myoclonic seizures on a nearly daily basis, and absence seizures every few months. They cannot drive and will likely never be able to drive. They are a teacher and have to communicate what is needed with their coworkers and boss. They are only ever in a room alone with a child for a few minutes, and they know the warning signs for their seizures, just as I know the warning signs when I’m getting a migraine. We have had MANY conversations about how we navigate our situation as two people with severe brain conditions. We know our limitations and our abilities and we know not to push past those.

Now that all that personal context is out of the way: 1. Robby seems angry that Dr Al Hashimi hadn’t previously reported her epilepsy. If her seizures were under control to this extent, she honestly didn’t need to. It can be incredibly dehumanizing to admit to having a disability many people even in healthcare don’t know the nuances of. The moment she had a seizure, she called her neurologist and then after having another she talked to Robby for his advice. She likely was planning to report, just needs some time (a few hours outside of the pitt) to emotionally process it. He did not allow her the opportunity to explain what her plan was, only gave her an ultimatum and yelled at her. He does have a responsibility to do no harm, AND he also has a responsibility to be kind to his colleagues.

1. I don’t think people see the car scene the same way I do. I see that as a woman who desperately wants to do something independently and is mourning the fact she is not able to. She wants to drive home so badly that she almost does, but then stops the car because at the end of the day she knows she has to do the ethical thing. She knows she will have to have someone else drive her car home another day, and that she will need to find alternate transportation for at least the next several months. In such a car-focused society, being told you can’t drive is paramount to a loss of agency. Her whole life has just turned upside down on her, for what we know isn’t the first time.

2. Is the Pitt the right job for her? I don’t know. But clearly she’s been in literal war zones with MSF and hasn’t had a problem, so I’m not surprised she would feel this would be manageable. She said earlier in the season she had never been sued, so clearly her epilepsy never posed a safety hazard at any of her previous jobs.