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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why doctor would be certify someone as unfit for any work with just a sprained ankle?

212 replies

Trevorsarse · 14/08/2021 19:42

Someone my dh works with has been off with a sprained ankle for three weeks. Happened on the last day of his holiday. He has just sent in his fit note (very late) and it says he is not fit for work. He does the same job as my dh, some work on their feet but everyone does plenty of desk work too. So, he could easily just do all the desk bits and other people do all the walking/standing bits. Apparently the boss would be happy to have him do shorter/less hours and take longer breaks too but the guy has said he's not capable as he needs to rest.
It's really effecting their work because there are other people off on holiday on their small team so its putting them under loads of pressure.
I'm just wondering why the doctor signed off as completely unable to work on the grounds of a sprained ankle because surely there is work that he can do? When I sprained mine (and it was bad as I ended up needing an operation on it) I just had 4 days off and then went back to work on my crutches with my colleagues helping me out fetching stuff etc. Never thought to get signed off for over 3 weeks! Am I the mug here?

OP posts:
LobotomisedIceSkatingFan · 14/08/2021 21:11

Food for thought. I've now decided she's a real trooper and the SOE could've done with a few more like her in WW2. Cheers.

cravingmilkshake · 14/08/2021 21:12

Someone at your husbands work??? How is this even relevant to you? Why are you even thinking about this?

RuthW · 14/08/2021 21:12

I had a bad sprain once. A bad sprain is worse than a break. If a doctor thinks it's bad enough for a fitnote, it's bad enough.

DysmalRadius · 14/08/2021 21:12

I recently fractured my wrist and had to keep it elevated for ages in order to reduce the swelling to a level where it didn't feel like my fingers were going to burst.

But because I fell with all my weight on my wrist, my elbow was black and blue and my whole arm hurt, so the only comfortable way to elevate my wrist to above my heart was to lie down. Elevating an ankle to above the heart is going to be even harder, so I imagine he's probably having to spend a lot of time in bed if it's a bad sprain.

But really, honestly, it sounds like your husband is doing his best for his employer and I do admit his loyalty to the company, but if it's got to the point where the two of you are spending your Saturday night speculating about the recovery time of a colleague's sprained ankle and getting annoyed about purely hypothetical lead swinging, then maybe it's time he looked for another job.

YerAWizardHarry · 14/08/2021 21:13

I’m sorry but the nature of the illness is NOTHING to do with your husband regardless of how it affects his work. Would you be judging how severe his illness was if he was diagnosed with cancer? How about if he dropped dead and your husband had to pick up the slack at work? Get a grip honestly!

OverByYer · 14/08/2021 21:13

MYOB

SueSaid · 14/08/2021 21:13

I'm with you op. 3 weeks for a 'sprain' is an utter piss take. Just take some paracetamol and get to work fgs.

DysmalRadius · 14/08/2021 21:14

admire, not admit!

StarDrawers · 14/08/2021 21:14

@LobotomisedIceSkatingFan

Food for thought. I've now decided she's a real trooper and the SOE could've done with a few more like her in WW2. Cheers.
Good.
MikeWozniaksGloriousTache · 14/08/2021 21:15

Just seems like a hell of a lot of time to take off and the longer it goes on the more it affects the other workers. The pandemic has really hit their business and times are still tough. We have been worried that it would fold a few times. They don't really have enough staff but thats because the business can't afford them right now so everyone else there is pulling their weight to help.
Sounds like shitty management to me. Perhaps your husbands colleague is also suffering from stress, depression and anxiety on top of a badly sprained ankle and has asked for the sick note to give him time to recover without being overworked and under appreciated by a poorly managed business?

Allywill · 14/08/2021 21:19

i damaged my shoulder although i definitely could not drive technically could have worked from hone on a laptop albeit slowly however the painkillers i was on meant i was too out of it to do any rational decision making. sometimes it not just the obvious physical limitations.

MolyHolyGuacamole · 14/08/2021 21:21

People get sick and have time off. Employers need to be prepared for that. If they are struggling due to one person being off, something isn't working

Wroxie · 14/08/2021 21:21

I have broken my leg and I have severely sprained my ankle and the second was far worse. I was on two crutches and unable to drive for over two weeks and at the time a taxi would have been £20 each way (this was many years ago when I was on about £14k per year) and a bus would have required a 30 minute walk from my house. So, yes, I got signed off sick- what else could I have done?

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 14/08/2021 21:21

Soft tissue damage can be worse than breaks. He may be on string pain killers. MYOB.

SirGawain · 14/08/2021 21:22

To wonder why doctor would be certify someone as unfit for any work with just a sprained ankle?

Perhaps because the doctor has examined the patient and has more medical knowledge than you, your DH and his manager.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 14/08/2021 21:22

**strong

FrippEnos · 14/08/2021 21:26

A friend of mine was off work for two years (on and off) with a "sprained ankle", there is a back story with it but suffice to say that stepping off a curb and putting her foot wrong ended up with two operations.

Patapouf · 14/08/2021 21:26

YABU

UnsuitableHat · 14/08/2021 21:26

I reckon he’s milking it.

cadburyegg · 14/08/2021 21:29

Do you always take such a vested interest in your dh’s work colleagues? YABU and mind your own.

It's really effecting their work because there are other people off on holiday on their small team so its putting them under loads of pressure
This really isn’t the guy’s problem? This is a management issue. Sounds like they need to employ more people or not let so many people off on holiday at once!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 14/08/2021 21:31

Oh, bully for you going straight back to work. I did that too as I needed to pay the bills. Left me with permanent damage from doing that, but hey, better to help out the team than rest and recover as advised by a doctor?

Antsinmypantsneedtodance · 14/08/2021 21:32

Why do you care and why is it your business?

YABVU.

Blossomtoes · 14/08/2021 21:33

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I had keyhole day surgery and was in significant pain for 4 or 5 weeks. The hospital said l needed 6 weeks off work.

It’s still people rummaging around inside you and it’s still a GAConfused

This. My gallbladder removal was keyhole and it was supposed to be day surgery. It ended up with massive internal bleeding, a blood transfusion and three days in hospital. I was signed off for three weeks and I needed every day of that.
MatildaTheCat · 14/08/2021 21:37

Lots of people here saying the doctor knows best, they’ve examined him. Well the chances are he hasn’t even set eyes on the sprain and has had a phone consult in which the injured colleague has asked for a sickness certificate. The reality is that very few GPS will refuse to certify and if he claimant says it’s a very physical job the Gp isn’t in a position to start questioning whether there are alternative tasks he could be carrying out.

You may well be right, OP but let it go, nothing to be done.

ohidoliketobe · 14/08/2021 21:38

Got to love these posts.
OP: AIBU?
Vast majority of responses: Yes.
OP: I'm not.