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Throwing a sickie

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Ganesh

06:59 / 27.04.06

Another day, another sickie. This is the first I've thrown in my new job and, interestingly, I found I had a much higher threshold for doing it - not just because we're short-resourced and it dumps on my colleagues, but because our patients come from pretty far afield and I hate the idea of someone travelling for miles to be told the doctor's off sick.

I've been feeling crap for the past couple of days and, in previous positions, might've taken yesterday off. Night of coughing my innards up (to the extent that Xoc had to relocate to the spare room to get any sleep) and struggling to breathe.

Naturally, I didn't pass that degree of anecdotal detail to the admin woman to whom I spoke half an hour or so ago. I did say I hoped I'd be back tomorrow (when I have a much fuller clinic that'd be a nightmare to cancel at short notice) and actually meant it.

So... any fellow invalids around? Jim?

Jub

07:33 / 27.04.06

Nope. Am at work. Get well soon Ganesh!

Isadore

07:54 / 27.04.06

I got jury duty rescheduled once by passing out in the courthouse elevator -- a fun story to tell now, but not so fun to live through.

Right now I am coughing and burping up some sort of air pollution (gas fumes?) I was exposed to earlier today. My lungs do not approve of bad air, and tend to repel it by any and all possible means. Not actually sick, just uncomfortable.

Sax

08:17 / 27.04.06

I've got throat glands the size of whale gonads but I'm soldiering on.

Ganesh

08:27 / 27.04.06

That's very selfish of you, Sax. You risk infecting your workforce with Cetacean 'Flu.

Mourne Kransky

08:45 / 27.04.06

I know whatcha mean, Sax. Not only do I have to listen to him whine but I've had no sleep for him coughing all bloody night. I am worn out with nursing duties and being understanding and supportive.

And yet, here I am at work, single-handedly holding the mental health services of Sarf London together while Patricia Hewitt hides under here desk and weeps.

The worse thing is we haven't done the civil partnership thing yet, so if he dies of this Dead Swan Fever, I might be destitute. Bugger. Will him to live, boys and girls. Like Tinkerbell at the panto!

Loomis

08:49 / 27.04.06

The trick to enjoying sick days is to have a job where you aren’t irreplaceable. I could take a month off sick and still catch up with my work in a day so I don’t feel guilty. If I’m sick, I stay home. But I don’t overdo it as I don’t want people to think I’m skiving, but then I can’t really say to my boss, “You won’t miss me – I don’t actually have any work to do anyway.” Which she should already know as she used to do my job, but still.

I don’t take many sickies but sometimes there are things you need to do and don’t want to waste a day of holidays to do, like being home for a delivery or watching the first day of the Ashes on tv. I did once take a sickie to get tattooed, as it’s sometimes hard to make appointments for weekends.

And with regard to texting vs calling, I just email. It’s a pretty relaxed office here. I hate the phone and would run my entire life by email if I could.

Mysterious Transfer Student

13:53 / 27.04.06

Grump. I'm at home on a lieu day, perfectly healthy, and my hard-working girlfriend has just called me to say she's coming home because of a broken molar. She's in as much pain as you can imagine, so I'm calling dentists (she's unregistered at the mo') to get her an appointment. So far, no dice.

Axolotl

14:43 / 27.04.06

I'm off work today having taken the day as holiday to enable me to go south of the border to visit the parental home.
Somewhere along the line I lost the ability to take sick-days: I think my inner presbyterian passed down from my scottish ancestors has kicked in and now thinks it sinful to lie around in bed, even if you are ill. I can only just convince myself not to go in when I am properly dying and pulling a sickie is out of the question - even if I did it, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself due to the guilt. It sucks, as pulling a sickie is one of life's little pleasures.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

15:17 / 27.04.06

I often feel guilty taking sick days when I am ill. I do, from time to time, take a 'mental health day' and feel fine about it. Go figure.

Happy Dave Has Left

20:42 / 27.04.06

Work's signing me off to get the tonsils lopped out after three bouts of tonsilitis in as many months. Apparently the pain is pretty severe for adults, but I'm quite looking forward to a) lots of sleep b) lots of reading c) not being at work for a bit d)not feeling crap all the time due to the pus-infected balls at the back of my throat. Sweet! When I kept coming down with tonsilitis I was working from home, pretty ineffectually, cos I felt guilty about not going in to work. Just made myself worse. Stupid, but that attitude is kinda hard to shake in my job. Hopefully I'll be less worn down in the future, and when I get sick, I'll actually chill out and, y'know, get well.

Anyone know what the best food is for surviving the first couple of days when I won't be able to swallow effectively?

Mourne Kransky

07:30 / 28.04.06

I seem to remember my sisters were promised lots of ice cream and jelly in the recovery phase. I was jealous and volunteered to have my healthy tonsils removed too but no joy.

ONLY NICE THINGS

08:11 / 28.04.06

d)not feeling crap all the time due to the pus-infected balls at the back of my throat.

We clearly have very different values.

I've topped off a week of crushing sleep deprivation with a bit of a heavy session last night, meaning that I really want to take a sick day, and if I had at any point over the course of the week I would probably have accomplished more. Honesty is never the best policy. You should be able to call in tired, or bored, or really in need of finishing Half-Life 2 again.

Sax

08:14 / 28.04.06

Whatever happened to "duvet days"?

Mistoffelees

10:05 / 28.04.06

Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton,
Chilling in our beds for a week.
The boss called and said, "Say what you doing in bed?"
I said, "We're only trying to get us some "duvet days".

Spaniel

11:27 / 28.04.06

Dave, when my brother had his tonsils lopped (as a child) he was given ice cream and jelly and all the good stuff, but also rough and rugged toast. Apparently it's used to pick off the scabs, or something. Sounds dodgey to me, but what do I know?

Happy Dave Has Left

11:59 / 28.04.06

Been reading this Ask MeFi thread about recovering from adult tonsilectomy. This looks like a whoooooole lotta pain.

Toast - Methinks not.

Sean the frumious Bandersnatch

22:08 / 07.05.06

Am I the only person who saw this thread and thought it was about throwing sickles? Becasue I have to say, that sounded much more interesting.

Shrug

22:22 / 07.05.06

Nope, Bandersnatch check the misreadings thread.

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