Do you take time off for "just a cold".

[ImFree2doasiwant]

Sore scratchy swollen throat, pressure in my nose, sore eyes, cough, sneezing, streaming nose. Been awake over an hour. DC1 also has it and feeling very sorry for himself, started school last week and is just so tired. Dc2 has been coughing in the night.

We could all do with a day or 2 off but its "just a cold". I can WFH but pretty sure work won't be happy (recently upped our days back in the office)

If it was just me I'd just 'soldier on'. But poor dc1 is suffering. It seems all his class are too.

[ImFree2doasiwant]

Negative tests, thankfully!!

[ImFree2doasiwant]

I think the problem us, the kids should have been off school but weren't. Dc1 is feeling a lot better for having had a day off. I still feel dreadful. I did think yesterday, it would be easier (for me!) to send them to school and go into work, even feeling as I do.

Test results not back yet.

[feesh]

I have the same horrible cold and I’m 3,500 miles away from the U.K. - it’s amazing how quickly these things circulate! I’ve not been this ill for ages, it’s horrible.

[lljkk]

If most kids can go to class with it & engage in learning then it's not what I think of as 'bad cold'.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

It’d depend on the cold. I very rarely have one that actually makes me feel seriously rough, but with that sort of cold IMO it’s unfair to go and pass it on. I know not everybody can take time off, though.

I did have one of those really bad ones recently - did a COVID test (negative). How dh escaped catching it I really don’t know.

[InnPain]

It’s not just a cold if it’s stopping you doing daily tasks, so yeah I’d not hesitate to take time off. You need to recover and that won’t happen if you’re running yourself into the ground.

[10ColaBottles]

All colds are not equal!!!

You can have sore throat, sneezes, runny nose and continue

Or the way OP describes it. I've had this recently (whilst in annual leave though unfortunately) I couldn't keep my eyes open for the symptoms.

No one would have wanted me near them in the office had I have been going !

It WASNT covid!!

[thecatsthecats]

Umm, not exactly, but I should have on a couple of occasions. I lived literally a 200 yard walk from work, so dragged myself over and stayed there snivelling.

On other occasions I wfh when I lost my voice, as I found it very isolating being unable to speak but was OK to carry on.

I hope to god wfh with a cold is normalised.

(and to anyone who says the flu is worse etc - fuck you and the horse you rode in on - they can affect people differently!)

[ImFree2doasiwant]

Thanks all. I'm more than happy to wfh (and have made that decision, we are all at home, just back from covid tests). It's work being difficult about it. Despite having worked from home fir 7 months solid last year.

It seems most of dc1 class at school have a "bad cold". I went in yesterday with watery eyes and sniffles. Definitely progressed from that.

I think work think I'm overreacting with getting tested, no one else at work has had as many tests as we have, but sure its best to rule it out.

I agree also that its antisocial. Yesterday was a few nose blows. Today I'm full on sneezing sniffing and making noises I don't want to in public.

[ablutiions]

@ImFree2doasiwant I hate to throw this on but saw the venerable Dr John talking recently saying that sneezing has been noted as a bee regular symptom on the Delta variant.

Of course other normal colds are doing the rounds but a covid test is a good precaution.

Get well soon

[Notdoingthis]

I go in. Dh would stay home. Depends on your job and your ability to get on with it I guess.

[Katela18]

It makes me sad that people (by people I do mean me, too!) feel guilty for taking time off work to look after our health!

You need to let your body recover, take the time off :)

[TheTurn0fTheScrew]

I had to go in with a cold the other week (PCR negative). Unfortunate but unavoidable as there was no-one to cover. I think the increased awareness of masks (wore one all day), ventilation, hand hygiene and distance helps, as I didn't pass it on to the two colleagues I share an office with.

I went in as I was snotty with watering eyes, but otherwise felt absolutely fine. If I had been feeling unwell, rather than just snotty, I would have no qualms about staying off.

[colouringindoors]

Nasty one going round. My son has it as does a colleague. No point going into work and school spreading it further. Take a day or two to rest and flush it out 💐

[Iliketeaagain]

My DD has "just a cold" and she just had a positive pcr test yesterday. Picked up on LFT, which I did to reassure myself she could go to school . Thank good ness I did, confirmed by positive pcr test.

Hardly any coughing, no temp, just lots of snottiness, but otherwise feeling fine and like a typical cold kids get at the start of term.

[dreamingbohemian]

@Waxonwaxoff0 I know, my DH is one of those low paid workers... that's why I said if everyone 'who can' stays home, I know a lot of people can't. But a lot of people could and still drag themselves into the office because 'it's just a cold', then they get everyone else sick (including people who really can't stay home).

We used to live in Germany, they have a very generous sick leave policy and you are expected to stay home as soon as you have a sniffle. People actually get upset with you if you come into work ill! I wish every country would do this. We all got sick so much less when we lived there.

[PutYourBackIntoit]

I'm in same boat today. Really needed to work today, back to back decision making meetings and as a contractor I only get paid for the days I work.
But I just can't, I'm bed bound, nose is a waterfall. My eyes are so sore, head ache & face ache.
My dd had it earlier this week, tested negative with pcr.
Take the day off and rest x

[ADreadedSunnyDay]

We have been more unwell with 'just a cold' (yes PCR tested to rule out Covid) than all the families we know who currently have Covid.

[lljkk]

If we've learned one thing from the pandemic, surely it's to try and keep viruses to ourselves

Except for the immunity debt thing.
Frequent exposure to prompt the immune system to keep protecting us, might be the best community protection strategy against too much severe disease from respiratory viruses.

Best way forward is not a simple decision. We live in an ecosystem with all these microbes.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

@dreamingbohemian

I really hope that post covid it will be more acceptable to stay home with colds, if everyone does this (who can) then fewer people will get sick in the first place.

Our school have said stay home with a cold if there's coughing or sneezing, of course they are still sending round threatening emails about attendance which is not helpful

Low paid workers often can't afford to, we need better sick pay.

[noblegreenk]

If it's a really bad cold, which it sounds like it is, then take some time off. I do soldier on for general colds, but if it's a real stinker I take time to recuperate.

[Trinacham]

As others have said hopefully you're getting a PCR? I thought I just had a cold as I had sneezing, runny nose etc. Then a colleague tested positive who I'd been around. I then tested and found I was positive for Covid too.

[mdh2020]

I would hate it if you came into the office and sat near with me with a bad cold. If I give my husband a cold he will develop bronchitis and probably pneumonia as well. I am also a carer for my elderly mother. It’s unsociable to go to work if you could be spreading germs.

[Coronado2]

I know a few people who have had the worst colds they've ever had recently, tested negative but been so ill they've been in bed most of the time.

I rarely take days off sick, but when I do, it tends to be for colds. I cannot work through them. When I've got a bad cold I really struggle to work through it. The lack of sleep and the blocked nose mean I just can't focus.

[dreamingbohemian]

I really hope that post covid it will be more acceptable to stay home with colds, if everyone does this (who can) then fewer people will get sick in the first place.

Our school have said stay home with a cold if there's coughing or sneezing, of course they are still sending round threatening emails about attendance which is not helpful