I am bored at work and ill so forgive me.

Sunday, felt fine, normal, no issues at all. Perfectly good day.

Sunday before bed at 11pm, perfectly fine feeling, went to bed, woke up at 3am and my neck hurt under the jaw, above the adams apple. But didn't think anything of it, got some water and went back to bed.

Woke up Monday 8am, felt like crud, still had pain, but now my right ear also hurts when I swallow.

Went back to bed at 9am and slept until my wife woke me at 10pm for work.

I haven't eaten anything as I have no appetite.

I have been sitting here for 6 hours now, feeling the changes in my body as I apparently become more ill.

Little by little aches and pains have come, stuffy head, sore neck, possibly a mild fever but I can't check at the moment.

It amazes me sometimes how fast an illness can come on, feeling fine at 11pm Sunday, to feeling sick and sore 4 hours later, to 24 hours later downright sick.


I don't normally run to the doctor first sign of being sick, but this illness feels a lot like an infection I had in 2012 started and waiting to see a doctor was a grave mistake, so I think after work, I'll stop by the walk in and just see what the doctor says.

After work?

Is this that North America pressure to work while sick or not get paid?

Don't wait.

Ah...just noticed your hours working.

Yeah get checked, then if it does get worse the doctor will have some warning. Those symptoms are similar to the tick fever I get when I've had a lot of tick bites (caught about 8 hitchhikers yesterday after a few hours at the lake but none embedded). If you've had this infection before and it isn't just a touch of flu you have the advantage of experience.

After work, clinic doesn't open until 8am, I am off at 7am.

There is just nobody who can cover my shift and I just started, only 2 people who are trained to do the audit, we run on a skeleton staff, nobody can get sick or there is nobody else to work your shift...

I could do without the pay, but I'd get flack for missing the shift.

Its the down side to working for a small company. My wife's employer is the same, they however flat out tell people at the interview, nobody misses work for being sick, we all work sick, so we expect you to as well.


It would indeed be nice if business didn't run on skeleton staff as we all know people do become ill.

I'll see how I feel for Tuesday night. I only work 3 days a week, so Tuesday is my Friday.

Which means they accept that their employees actually become sick through that policy.

I read something recently about lost productivity through people having to work rather than absent themselves.

That picture sums it up quite nice.

Some employers just don't care, employees are just an expense and rather have people come in sick vs hiring additional staff so there is coverage.

So, if you were in an accident, rushed off to hospital and kept in, you would crawl out of bed and go to work rather than missing a shift and upsetting your employer.
Get real man. If you feel as bad as you describe you need to seek medical help ASAP.

That is a different scenario.

When your disposable to an employer, and need the income, calling in sick isn't as simple as it might be for some. If I lost this job, could take 6+ months to find another in this town.

I'll see what the doctor say's when I see him or her before I decide if I am calling in sick for tonight.

Tell your employer you have Ebola and ask if you should go in.

Which doctor?

No, probably a GP.

Doctor Who?

I am sure there is a joke in there somewhere...



I have no idea what doctor, whoever happens to be there at 8:30 when they open.....


If I want to see my doctor, I have to wait until July as he is on an extended vacation.

Sounds like an ear infection to me.

What did the doc say?

Hope you feel better soon.

Hope you managed to get in to see the doctor, and it is not serious.


we also used to go into work with colds and coughs, although we were not under pressure form the employer to do so. It was more a matter of having to get a sick note from a doctor if you were off more than 3 days. But then a staff member was found to be HIV+

Then we all realised that one person going in with even a minor cold put him at very great risk. So we stayed home ...... and realised that we got better faster when we did that!

We did get 1 day a month sick leave and could bank it, so it was not the same kind of pressure that Jsmth and others are under.