Sick, unwell.....how do you react?

[stonesfan]

Are you one of those who calls into work sick with nothing but a minor blocked up nose?

Or are you one of those who forces themselves in regardless?

Have been off since last Wednesday diagosed with Influenza. Most people throw the 'flu' diagnosis around too easily, and I can tell you, its not pleasant when you do get it! Temp, vomiting, aching muscles, swollen glands, totally blocked up, swollen sinuses. A trip to the bathroom becomes a major expedition. Still feeling the after effects, was signed off work for over a week and probably likely to return next Monday.

I'm usually 'halfway house' when it comes to calling in. I've dragged myself in a few times and usually regretted it. Plus, you arent going to be popular amongst your work mates if you trying to be macho results in them catching it!

[ArabJazzie]

Have suffered some back problems the last few years and pushed my absences to the point of meetings with managers and letters from Doctors! Trouble was i was trying to work through it which was detrimental to my recovery. Still got problems but its more good days than bad now thankfully with no days off because of the back, although there should have been last week!

As for the common Manflu, depends on how it affects you against what job you do! Have seen people come into work full of the cold which gets past onto everyone then more people end up off work! For me, 2 days in bed at the start with Lemsip usually sorts me out but then its a few years since ive been off with the effects of the cold.

Had Influenza a good while back so know what you are going through!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[stonesfan]

Oddly enough, the common cold can incapacitate someone for up to a week! A bad cold is similar to influenza minus the vomiting.

Luckily, I work at a school, and whilst it means you tend to go sick more than most, they are very understanding and rarely question any prolonged periods.

[RRconway]

Have suffered some back problems the last few years and pushed my absences to the point of meetings with managers and letters from Doctors! Trouble was i was trying to work through it which was detrimental to my recovery. Still got problems but its more good days than bad now thankfully with no days off because of the back, although there should have been last week.

Arabest,
Geoff.

Been there and got the t-shirt!!!!

I know your pain, and have also been through several rounds of our Sickness Management system, right up to the front door and back again!!!!

I've had two lots of 6 months off or there abouts, but no-one really understands because you look ok with no bits missing

Still touch wood I have been ok for several years now with only the constant ache to cope with, far better than the collapsing for no good reason stage, but it does make airshows and any long day out hard work

Hope you keep it at bay,

Cheers,
Jeff.

P.S As for flu etc, im a total bloke about it, moaning groaning and generally feeling sorry for myself ....my poor wife

[boff180]

Sick days are a sore point in my office.

If the women get a tiny sniffel they have the week off work claiming "I'm ill and don't want to infect you all"

Whenever a guy in the office has a cold, they stay work at their desk working, the women then take the piss saying we are suffering with Manflu and should be braver.

The response now is to say that we have GirlFlu as that's why we aren't off skiving work, unlike them.

I'm fast gathering the opinion of the piss taking by women over manflu and our reactions is really a cover story to hide their own wimpy reactions to getting a cold lol

Andy

[Dragon Rapide]

"Manflu" was coined a few years ago but has no medical veracity. Men have fly and women have flu and individuals deal with it differently.

From the detailed medical study at Cambridge University:

Conclusion
As with all modelling studies, the results depend on the underlying assumptions, and in this case on the way that the researchers have made mathematical links between recovery rates, death rates and the ability to reproduce, in the theoretical population.
There are other theories that the male immune system may be influenced by testosterone, which the researchers did not consider. They also did not measure immunity in men or women. In addition, the researchers do not suggest in their research paper that their model has any implications for human health.
One of the six models begins with the assumption that men have a higher susceptibility to infection. The results of this model have been reported as supporting the case for man flu. However, the finding is purely hypothetical at this stage and results from demonstrating that, under certain assumptions, these men will lose more of their ability to fight off infection.
The assumption that immunity is inherited in a ‘Mendelian’ way or by a single gene, is just that, an assumption. Much more research would be needed to test if this is actually the case.
The fact that sexual selection (how the choice of a partner may influence the inheritance and prevalence of certain traits) was not included in this model is a limitation to the study. The researchers acknowledge this and hope to include this in future models.
Overall, this modelling study suggests several possible patterns for how immunity might be inherited differently among the sexes - however, these are only theories. Headlines that ‘man flu’ is real and not a myth are unjustified. Any plausible theory of an immune difference between the sexes would need testing in real-life studies, ones that also include assessment of the difference within each sex grouping, too.

[Cimmerian]

As a rule I go in to work no matter how I'm feeling. I used to stay home if I was feeling rough but after I had my heart attack I changed. It was only because my boss didn't like the way I was and took me to hospital that helped me survive the heart attack. If I'd stayed at home that day I would be history. I didn't know what was wrong so I would not have called for help, thanks to my boss I was at the hospital when my heart stopped working and they were able to bring me back.

Ever since then I go to work.

[psquiddy]

Self employment will sort you out : no work = no pay, therefore no sickness.

[Dragon Rapide]

Sure does - that's me - for most of my life. How right you are!

[Wes_Howes]

As a general rule, I'll go in with a cold, headache, even a broken wrist However, I do suffer from migraines from time to time and I don't mean just bad headaches, I suffer loss of vision in my right eye and severe vomiting, thankfully I've self diagnosed the cause of most of my migraines as dehydration so as long as I keep myself wet, I'm normally fine. If I do sense a migraine coming on, vision starts getting blurry in my right eye, then it's an immediate trip home, darkend room and plenty of water and the following 24 hours are spent in bed, I am completely useless at this point and just want to rip my eye out it hurts that much.

[stratocaster]

I take the odd cold maybe twice a year,but not been off with one,not had anything nasty since a severe migraine attack last year,don't want a repeat of that thanyou very much!

[DanO1978]

Self employement will sort you out : no work = no pay, therefore no sickness.

Indeed. Though I do certainly ham up the man flu symptoms at home to get a bit of sympathy there!

[Cimmerian]

Indeed. Though I do certainly ham up the man flu symptoms at home to get a bit of sympathy there!

Does that actually work for you? I just get ignored at home.

[ArabJazzie]

"Manflu" was coined a few years ago but has no medical veracity. Men have fly and women have flu and individuals deal with it differently.

From the detailed medical study at Cambridge University:

Well the joke seems to have FLU right over your head then!!!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[stonesfan]

Not sure if anyone remembers that contagious 'vomiting bug' of about 4 years ago. Well a member of our team came in, white as a sheet and with a bin bag. One of those who simply refuses to stay at home when they are ill. As a result, the remaining 3 of us IT support chappies left the room and refused to go back in until he was ordered off the premises by the onsite nurse and HR manager!

Personally, it does nothing to impress me, and in most cases the management when people do this.

[Wes_Howes]

Noro Virus, yep had that. It comes on really quickly too, I was setting up my camera to film a match and I suddenly felt nauceous. I finished setting up the kit and had to go sit in the offices near the toilet. Thankfully someone else was able to film for me but I had to do the post match interview and burn off the DVDs.

[Cimmerian]

I had that one, didn't dare leave the house. Going downstairs was risky because it was a long way from the toilet.

[Dragon Rapide]

"Manflu" was coined a few years ago but has no medical veracity. Men have fly and women have flu and individuals deal with it differently.

From the detailed medical study at Cambridge University:

Well the joke seems to have FLU right over your head then!!!
Arabest,
Geoff.

- very good - I shan't bother to edit it!!

[RoverDriver]

m

[DerekF]

I think it depends on the job. In my last job, flying with a cold could prove very costly so we were generally told to stay at home. There were of course those who thought themselves indispensable and came in regardless, infecting every one else.

[Abingdonman]

When I was employed at the local Royal Mail sorting office,one particular year the week before christmas,a fella came in absolutely smothered in a cold,he insisted he was going to stay at work ("never had any time off work with a cold" )since I was to be with him,I went straight home and phoned in sick myself!
everyone guessed what I had done,but for me the bloke with the cold should have been ordered home
Having a bad cold could be dodgy too....I know from experience!
I was employed at the local bus garage end of 80s,while lifting up the back cover of a double decker to check the oil,the fella 'pulling up' the buses for me,who had a lousy cold,in a busy period 'forgets' he has to stop,I had an inkling he was a tad too late on braking,and jumped out the way....and he whacked into the back of where I would have been....thats an 8 ton coach hitting a stationary double decker at around 20 mph!.....the fella was sent home there and then and suspended from driving the vehicles...
shook me up a bit,but hey....after that I did all the double deckers only when the pulled up vehicles had actually stopped!

[RoverDriver]

m

[Abingdonman]

My last employment was pretty good on the sick leave side....at the time of my retiring March 2009,we were allowed 17 days or 5 seperate lots of time off,per rolling year,whichever was the sooner,before you got disciplined (and you still had another 2 warnings before you could be sacked!)...of course the system was abused by many,but most kept some time hand just in case of genuine future sickness!
the sytem was good for genuine illness AND good for the skivers!.....thats the facts I'm afraid

[vandal]

In some jobs, possible disciplinary action is awaiting if you hit or exceed the "trigger" number of days allowed. In the Civil Service, this limit is 8 days in a rolling year.

The consequence is that some people who really should not be at work due to illness do arrive and risk infecting others, who may subsequently have to take time off themselves. No allowance is made for those who might consider taking time off to save others from infection, so there is no incentive to do so. This isn't a whine on behalf of the Civil Service.

That is a sore point with me.

When working for the railway industry, I too caught the sickness and vomiting bug and missed around 2 days. Shortly after, myself and family were all injured, all except our daughter when our car was hit by another car driving at speed on the wrong side of the road, and due to this I missed one week of work. When I returned, I could not believe it when I was given a warning for being absent.

[Dragon Rapide]

Both of those are perfect examples of the inability of public employers to adapt to circumstances. It was the same at the Post Office, as it then was, when I worked in POHQ decades ago.