AIBU for thinking this is not an excuse for calling in sick?

[BlueCat2010]

In an office job, small company, with a relaxed environment - the excuse given was heavy period. Bearing in mind this is the busiest time of year for us would I be unreasonable in thinking this is a bullshit excuse?

I have fairly heavy periods but deal with them by visiting the loo frequently, so can't see how this can be used as an excuse for not turning up to work.

I genuinely want to know what the mumsnet jury think please

Mrs is right.

Be uber sympathetic and helpful and if she turns you down and says it isnt that bad then you have an admission right there!

My first thought was a MC, and probably wants to keep it quiet.

I have suffered on and off for years, it was really bad in my teens, my mother used to keep me off school (and she is not a one to condone skiving i can tell you), it got a bit better in my 20s and then got worse in my 30s. DH has had to pick me up off the floor to put me into bed on many occasions, i used to literally go grey/white. It has only improved since i had DS (and i didnt go into full blown labour i had a CS)

I would give the benefit of the doubt, she may well be swinging the lead but YWBVU to call her on it on the off chance she is telling the truth.

x posts with mrsbonkers i like her idea

As a teenger I had such bad period pain it used to a make me faint and vomit. I had to have days off school and work most months unless it fell on a weekend. My GP told me having children would help.... Great for a14 year old to hear!!!
The pill was the only thing that helped.
When 20 years later I was in first stage labour I actually found it quite easy as it exactly replicated my teenage period pain which I had developed strategies to deal with including breathing and visualisation!
No in my 40s GP was proved right and the pain is much less but now the heaviness is unbelievable...
So it quite clearly could be v genuine!

Ok, uber sympathetic it is then - the joy being I can talk about pretty much anything without embarrassment and she's a squirmer...

I never said it wasn't possible to have horrendous periods btw, I was more bothered that this person hadn't seemed to suffer before and all of a sudden she's having to call in sick with it. For those that genuinely do suffer I have respect for the trauma they go through every month

I spent years thinking I had the worlds lowest pain threshold because of my struggles with period pain. I realised however when I got to 9 and a halfs cms dialated in labour on only two paracetamol that my periods were just unbearably painful.

Now, after more than 20 years of vomiting with pain (something I never actually did in labour) things are finally improving as I am being treated for suspected endometriosis. Not everyones periods are the same.

Op my DP was debilitated by incredibly heavy periods for several months before she had surgery for fibroids. It was unbelievable, she literally could not leave the house some days. I was astonished to discover that this is actually quite common.

I don't go through it every month. It'll be a random thing - every eighteen months or go. Normally just after I've gained a few pounds. She may be the same.

Well, it depends on the person and how able they are to talk about these things but I would think it must be pretty grim for her to ring in and say that's what it is. I may be a wuss but would find it very embarrassing to have to tell my manager about this and would soldier on if at all possible to avoid having to. So it might be something that has been going on for some time but she's just never rung in with it before. Could her absence record be bad because she's been using other excuses to cover for this?

I once had to tell my male supervisor that I needed to go home because I was in agony with period pains (could hardly stand) and he was really kind and sympathetic but it was still mortifying for me. I was in my early twenties, pre-children and had suffered with bad pains throughout my teens but I finally went to my GP that same month as I didn't want to go through that again! I was prescribed the pill which helped.

I would talk to her and encourage her to see her GP if it's an ongoing problem.

Yes but Aniseeda, if it isnt genuine then she isnt going to be embarrassed is she?

In fact she is probably banking on the OP being too embarrassed to bring it up!

That's interesting chocolate, thanks - she's gained a little weight recently so plausible then

If she has gained enough weight for you to notice it are you sure it's not a a miscarriage then? :(

i have only ever had 1 period where i couldn't move.

I'd be wondering if her absences are down to this, and she's reached breaking point and finally given you the real reason.

Hmm... just how are you going to ask the question tactfully OP? It's clear from a lot of the posts that (a) sometimes periods can be a living hell and (b) it is possible to have sometimes normal, sometimes awful periods. I know sometimes mine are definitely more painful than others, about two or three shitty ones a year. OTH she sounds like she's got 'form' for sickies. Don't envy you!

No chocolate, we were chatting about weight gain over christmas due to overeating. As I said before I would be really shocked if she was pregnant.

Thanks mc happy, again useful to know it can be a one off

I think my starting point will be looking at the pattern of her absence, and take it from there, probably followed by a long chat

If its generally mondays or fridays and not roughly every 4 weeks then you have your answer!

Funny you should say that bogey...

endometriosis?

I wish I wasnt so cynical!

Right, that's me to bed. Thanks for your input everyone, much appreciated.

YABU

I used to have terrible periods, twice hospitalised (both after being sent home from work, once admitted overnight) as I vomited continuously for 12 hours straight whilst screaming in pain. They thought I could have ruptured my bowel/ectopic pregnancy/burst an ovary, but it was just my period.