Can I take a day off work - or is it too soon?

[erja]

Started 6 weeks ago - 3 days a week.

Have had perfect punctuality up until last week.

Monday - Had an urgent doctors appointment. Rang and told them I'd be an hour late coming in. Tuesday - In on time.
Wednesday - Bus routes were completely stopped near where we live due to ice and I needed to get DS to nursery - don't drive and too far for him to walk. Rang and told them I'd be half an hour late.

I've been so run down the past few days. I've got recurring tonsillitis and it's fairly bad right now. DS isn't sleeping properly so I'm running on low energy too. And to top off the tonsillitis and the lack of sleep, I woke up today with the worst blocked sinuses and sore ears.

I feel like I'm just whining on but I just feel horrific. I'm so panicked that if I still feel the same in the morning and I call in sick, that they could just dismiss me as I'm on probation and 2/3 days last week I was late! I feel like it's just one thing after another at the minute and I can't recharge (the doctors appointment was related to this illness now!).

Shameless bump!

I probably wouldn’t. What are the chances they might send you home sick if you’re that bad?

I'd try and go in. Dose up and just get through it as best you can.

@OhDearHowSadNeverMind I work in my own space so no one would notice, I'd have to go to my manager and express how I was feeling.

I'd go in and see how you get on. My place gets rid of people who are late on probation.

I wouldn't take time away for the third time in 6 weeks because it's going to make you look unreliable

If you work out the eye line of your boss then just try and take it as easy as you can

I'd prob go in and hope to be sent home.

What sort of job is it? Can you hide in a corner with lots of paracetamol, honey and lemon in hot water, nasal spray? Could you take a days leave urgently, or for Wednesday? Could you take a half days leave if you came in for the morning?

@OMGithurts I couldn't - its customer facing, I'm just the only employee on my floor. I get no leave days until my probation is up in March.

I'd go in and if you really can't manage go to your boss.hope you feel better soon.

I can’t answer your question-depends on your employer and how bad you feel. But for sinusitis it’s worth steaming before going to bed (I just put the water in a jug, towel over the head and inhale the steam. I don’t put any menthol in the water). It doesn’t feel like it’s working at the time but it really does help. You should get a better night’s sleep afterwards.

@chocolatebrazilnut thank you

I think you need to try and go in if you want to keep the job. Tonsillitis is rubbish but it doesn’t sound like a life or death situation. Get to bed! You might feel a lot better tomorrow.

I really wouldn’t. I know all of these things have been out of your control but it’s still not going to look good on paper.
I’d dose yourself up and fight through. Tyrozets are good for sore throats btw they numb it x

Another who would say I think you should go in if you possibly can. You have 4 days at home - could you not have caught up on sleep a bit then and built up a bit from your 'feeling run down' ness?

Saying you "had perfect punctuality up until last week" isn't really an achievement, is it ? What you mean is, you've managed to get to time, 3x a week, for 5 weeks. Er, it's what you do when you have a job.
When you took the time off last Monday, did you offer to stay late or work through your lunch or whatever to catch up ? No, you don't have to, but, when you know you are new in the role, and on probation, it never does any harm to be seen to be going the extra mile.

I know it will be very hard but I do think they might dismiss you so if you really need this job go in if you can.

I'd go in. Hopefully you will feel better tomorrow and if you're not at least they will see you are sick. Monday is the worst day to call in sick and they don't know you very well yet.
Get as much as you can organised tonight, take some medication and get a decent nights sleep.

Option 1. Don't go in. They will fire you
Option 2. Go in.

It is frustrating when you feel like you don’t have time to recover, but on the other hand tonsillitis is not impossible to work with (fat from it) so if you like the job, I’d drag yourself in.

Thanks everyone, going in tomorrow. Keeping fingers crossed that DS allows more than 3 hours sleep tonight 😂

DIfflam spray available from a pharmacy over the counter, completely numbs your throat. If I get ill it always goes to my throat and often becomes tonsillitis, I was especially bad as a child. DIfflam is like an epidural for your throat! Gargle salt and warm water/soluble aspirin then half hour or so after DIfflam. It will help as will ibuprofen

Go in and then say you are feeling awful and go home. If they see you are genuinely ill they will be ok. I think going to work I’ll is stupid. You will make yourself worse and risk giving it to your colleagues who won’t thank you for it. Take the day. You still have lots of probation left to prove yourself. Can you swap days at all? Maybe you could offer to go in another day instead.

I second tyrozets (over the counter).

I agree and think you need to go in. If it hadn't have been for last week I'd be saying otherwise.

Are you able to get lots of early nights to try and battle some of the lost sleep? Do you have a partner? You need to try and grab rest where you can. On days off plan lots of rest while your DS does quiet at home activities like playing doctors and nurses - he is the doctor and you are the patient and need looking after. He also runs a coffee shop and needs to bring you "drinks".

If you're anything like me going into work will make you much much worse and you'll end up needing more time off, so you really need to try and minimise what you're doing the rest of the time. I appreciate how hard this is and have been ill myself for 3 weeks because of not getting enough respite.

Long time tonsil/Quincy sufferer here. Fully support tyrozet and difflam suggestions (I use the difflam gargle). Also strefen lozenges - antiseptic and anaesthetic - usually behind counter but not a prescription item.

Good luck op.

This is so hard. In my current job I was off sick literally the first day I was fully employed by them, though I'd been temping for a few months. I felt it was unavoidable but I was so stressed about it. That said, given the situation with the lateness last week, I would try to go in.