are you sick enough?

[NEDESAPIO]

I hate it when people do that!  Can't they just say "I'm sorry you're not feeling well, there's definitely something going around." and be done with it? 

Why do they feel the need to make it ALL ABOUT THEM?!

Ditto.  It drives me crazy when someone gives me the condescending smile and says, "If I can do it, then you can do it."  Excuse me?  Are we the same person?  Do you know my background, skill sets, and temperment?  Do you know of any mental illness or chronic health problems that make my doing something more difficult?  Huh?  HUH??  All right, then.


This reminds me of when it was snowing hard last winter and I called in to work concerned about getting there safely in such weather; I wanted to know if they were canceling or not.  My employer's attitude was something like, "Well, if I drove safely in snow, you can too."

 

[merkay]

As a boss, I always stress out a bit when someone calls in sick, because I have to scramble to make sure their shifts are covered, but I really don't want them to be here when they aren't feeling well.  I'd rather have just one employee out sick, than all of my employees out sick. 

Unfortunately, I don't always have the luxury of calling in sick. In fact, I'm sick right now and have been for the past few days.  I took half a day off yesterday, but I'm here today.  The reason: If I don't come in, the library can't open.  I would much rather be at home in bed, but I don't have a choice.   I'm sure I won't be feeling better tomorrow, but I have a class that I must attend and can't reschedule, so I'll be there for that, too.  I'm really not impressed by people who can take a day off when they are sick and choose not to. 

[shadowfox79]

It drives me crazy when someone gives me the condescending smile and says, "If I can do it, then you can do it."  Excuse me?  Are we the same person?  Do you know my background, skill sets, and temperment?  Do you know of any mental illness or chronic health problems that make my doing something more difficult?  Huh?  HUH??  All right, then.

I had a friend in high school who was like that. It was well known that when she was ill she would drag herself in anyway and go around spreading her germs.

I will never forget the time I got taken out of an exam with crippling period pains and she gave me a mouthful of scorn for it. "PERIOD pains?! You left an exam for PERIOD pains?!" You know the tone of voice: "I wouldn't leave an exam unless something was hanging off, you waster."

However, she learned a thing or two when she slipped on the icy pavement and cracked her head on a railing. She was told to spend two days in bed with her concussion. Refusing to miss two days, she hauled herself in anyway, and by ten o'clock was so dizzy and nauseous she had to go home. In this way, she managed to miss an entire week.

[LadyJaneinMD]

I once had a car accident on my way to work.  My car was towed away, and I asked the police to bring me to work instead of taking me home.  Well, I'd had that job for 4 months and I was worried.  Not to mention, I wasn't hurt (or so I thought).   Yeah. I got into work, and my co-workers promptly took me back home.  At least I made the effort, right?

[MommaBear]

I've known lots of people like this.  Certain people who I know, do it to prove superiority, such as "I'm sicker than you, but I can still come to work."  Drives me crazy.

Whenever I am called onto the red carpet by my boss, I get that line about other co-workers. These are co-workers who NEVER call in sick (but are dying and will refuse to go to the dr, yet complain all the darn time), but are willing to infect others. I call in when I don't want to infect others. I'm like, I'm sorry, but I actually care about getting better and not complaining about it!

-Mary (who currently has a sinus cold... but can manage to crawl in to work... )

[beakiebean]

Gargh! I hate the superior sickies. DH brought home bronchitis from work because one of his coworkers decided to soldier through it. He was off work for a week and then DD caught it and we ended up going to the ER because she was having trouble breathing. I'll bet his coworker isn't going to cover the $150 co-pay for the ER or make up the commission DH missed out on by being gone a week (which is about 1/3 of his take home pay.)

Becca

[audhs]

However, she learned a thing or two when she slipped on the icy pavement and cracked her head on a railing. She was told to spend two days in bed with her concussion. Refusing to miss two days, she hauled herself in anyway, and by ten o'clock was so dizzy and nauseous she had to go home. In this way, she managed to miss an entire week.

ahh high school.    I went home sick one afternoon in hs and my father didn't believe I was actually sick (I never skipped class so he had no reason to believe me) so I went in the next day.   I was in my food prep class standing in the kitchen when I started to feel dizzy. I guess I must have looked like I was going to faint because my teacher grabbed my arm dragged me to a chair and put my head between my knees.   The school then called my father to come pick me up.   I went to the doctor and ended up home for a week with pnmonia, boy did he feel bad.

[Adah]

Presenteeism is a growing problem in America. There's a story on CNNMoney today that says "presenteeism, or going to work when sick, is a persistent problem at more than half of U.S. workplaces and costs U.S. business a whopping $180 billion a year, research shows." According to the story, 56 percent of HR managers see it as a problem. So for those of you who are kind enough to stay home and not infect the rest of your company, thank you.

[goblue2539]

  I'm really not impressed by people who can take a day off when they are sick and choose not to. 

This is what really bugs me too.  I don't get sick days.  It's either take my vacation time or not get paid.  BUT, if I'm contagious in any way, shape, or form, I'll stay my little butt at home.  My one day of pay is not worth what it would take for me to cover everyone else if I get them sick too. 

[kherbert05]

However, she learned a thing or two when she slipped on the icy pavement and cracked her head on a railing. She was told to spend two days in bed with her concussion. Refusing to miss two days, she hauled herself in anyway, and by ten o'clock was so dizzy and nauseous she had to go home. In this way, she managed to miss an entire week.

ahh high school.    I went home sick one afternoon in hs and my father didn't believe I was actually sick (I never skipped class so he had no reason to believe me) so I went in the next day.   I was in my food prep class standing in the kitchen when I started to feel dizzy. I guess I must have looked like I was going to faint because my teacher grabbed my arm dragged me to a chair and put my head between my knees.   The school then called my father to come pick me up.   I went to the doctor and ended up home for a week with pnmonia, boy did he feel bad.

My parents did something similar. Though in their defense they were falling down sick themselves. We had a nasty flu bug - which always scared Mom because her Dad died of the "Russian Flu"*. I had been fever free for 36 hours, so to school I went. Sis tried to tell them something was wrong, because I wouldn't read. I went to the nurse early in the day and she said, hey your recovering just rest a bit and go back to class. I went in at lunch and took my medication - and was feeling better. I went to Orchestra and woke up in the Nurses office. The medication was causing my blood pressure to take a nosedive. The kids said it was like I melted out of my chair. The girl on on side caught my head so it didn't hit the ground and the girl on the other side rescued my violin.

Even then it was a few years later before I found out that everyone didn't see "gray TV static" everytime they stood up.

*A Soviet ship did not notify customs they had an illness on board. Pop was a customs inspector - but had a compromised immune system because he lost his arm in WWII. He caught the flu and died Christmas time 1969.

[Sirius]

When I was taking a medical terminology class, the person behind me told me about a co-worker of hers who called in sick and said she had amenorrhea.  This means she doesn't have a period.  I could never do that; not only do I not call in unless I'm really sick, but during that period of time I worked for people who knew what that meant and would have told me to get my amenorrheic self in to work.

[Suze]

When I was taking a medical terminology class, the person behind me told me about a co-worker of hers who called in sick and said she had amenorrhea.  This means she doesn't have a period.  I could never do that; not only do I not call in unless I'm really sick, but during that period of time I worked for people who knew what that meant and would have told me to get my amenorrheic self in to work.

Oh that one is just too rich. 

On a side note -- we had a girl call in one day that she couldn't get into work because she was snowed in.......Sounds pretty good.......right?  She lived ACROSS THE STEET from the plant. We all went over at lunch and made sure her door was piled full of snow,(wouldn't want her to LIE now --- would we? <grin>)

[Pixie]

I've always been disgustingly healthy but was very embarrassed the day I got my first migraine.  I was at work, and had a tiny headache between my eyes, I thought nothing of it and kept working.   A while later I started seeing double, and then I was on the floor.   My boss drove me home and also called my brother to get my car from the parking lot.    My question now is.... why didn't I go to the doctor?   It never even occurred to me.

Then there was the day when I worked in the ER.  I had gotten shampoo in my eye while I was getting ready for work.  I thought nothing of it, and went to work.   One of the nurses kept insisting I looked awful and needed to go home.   I still had no idea why.   Then some of the other nurses commented that I looked awful.    Then Dr. "O" pulled me over and made me look in the mirror, my right eye was bright red.    Dr. Olson wrote me a Prescription and sent me home.    Honestly, it looked bad, but it was nothing.  I felt just fine, and the next morning all was back to normal.   Dr. O told me that all I needed was to rest the eye.   I never did have that prescription filled.   

But trust me, if I truly am sick, I do not leave my bed.