Work and Illness; what is reasonable, please?

[HotSauceCommittee]

I contracted an ear infection from swimming in the sea while on annual leave, don’t know why, blue flag beaches, but crowded with people....
It has been horrific. I had taken so much ibuprofen along with paracetamol that my stomache ached. 2 or 3 days in, while still on holiday, I tried over the counter antibiotic drops. They didn’t work.
I arrived back the Saturday before last and was given oral antibiotics. They helped with the pain, somehow, but 24 hours after finishing the course (yesterday) I was back at the out of hours service where I was given different antibiotics. I felt I couldn’t wait because I am drowsy, disoriented, quite deaf and just feel crap. I’ve already had four days off sick off the back of my holiday and am due back in work for six days, which I am quite looking forward to.
Trouble is, my job relies on me being able to hear well enough in order to interview people as evidence which could end up in court and it requires a certain amount of mental acuity which I feel I am lacking right now.
So I do I just up and tell them I below par, but happy to get on with whatever they choose to give me? Would you be happy to see me at work again if you were my boss? Or round you rather I got a doctor’s note saying I am not fit for work?
I’d quite like to try going in but I’m not feeling up to my usual levels of performance and am a bit more sensitive should they get a bit a bit harrumphy with me.

Get a doctors note saying you are sick and what with. If you don't have other tasks you can do at work that don't require you to hear properly then you need to stay at home and rest.

I'm an ear infection sufferer and I offer to start!

Do you have a good relationship with your line manager? If so I would call and explain your worries and see what they advise. If it's only in one ear, you could position yourself to hear interviewees (and maybe record the conversation with their permission?)

I had a day off for one of mine. I felt pathetic, but it caused a headache so bad that all I could do was lie down in a dark room.

Thanks both. I think I might turn up and give them the information and see what they say. I just don’t want to piss them off.
My line manager is nice, but very “by the book”.

I work for a hard pressed public sector service.
Most of my work can be done off the phone.

Go into work (assuming you're not infectious, at death's door etc). If you're only 50% effective your manager can work with that. But staying off means you're 0% effective and she can't do anything with that.

At my work, after you come back from sick leave you need a 'back to work' interview with your line manager, which is pretty much to discuss things like this. Does your work have anything similar? If you can get yourself to work safely I would say it's always better to turn up if you might be well enough to work. You can always go home again if you are not.

Yes we do have this procedure, CoralFish. Good point.
I’m going in. I want to feel normal again, the work I do is juicy stuff much of the time and I’m a real nosy bugger so it might perk me up.

I think you should take the time off and get properly better. IME there's no benefit to anyone of being in but being under par. People will say just come in and do what you can but once you're they're they'll expect everything they usually get from you.