Background: I’m coming up to two years employed with this company, field based position with no time in an office.
Big team meeting Wednesday; alcohol involved. Good laugh, productive.
Worked Thursday; absolutely fine, no illness, no reason to suggest I was unwell.
Started work Friday, absolutely fine, was 35 miles away from home. Full day planned, usual start to the day.
Fourty minutes into my first hour I took a sudden turn for the worst.
Ended up in A&E on a drip for pain relief, and also oral codeine. Discharged after about four hours, with a plan to return to a referral appointment on Monday afternoon.
Spoke to boss multiple times via text (phoned them before seeking medical advice to advise I was unwell)
I’m managing pain with rest and co-codamol. Doctor in A&E never discussed work on Monday.
Everyone around me seems to assume I’m not returning to work until after my appointment.
I work in a fairly physical role, and think that a run of the mill trip acted as the catalyst to the pain/rupture. But that it would have happened anyway.
If I don’t take my painkillers I’m alert. No idea what my pain is like without them, because I’ve been taking them exactly as doctor told me to.
So do I go to work on Monday and just leave early for the appointment? Or do I take Monday as a sick day and aim to return when the doctor gives me a definitive “ok”?
No one is affected by my not going in, I work alone.
I’ve had some sickness days this year, an ear infection that rendered me unable to drive (couldn’t turn my head without going dizzy) and a sickness bug....
I hate taking time off, and feel so guilty about it.
But am also terrified of being in that much pain again, and having to mess the family around again(my mum had to come and get me to take me to hospital, then my husband had to drive from his work, to my mums, to the next city, back home, then back to my mums and back to ours just to get my car back home)
Advice?