To be off work sick with a cold for a week?

[doi24]

I feel like I'm being dramatic but I still don't feel well and I'm meant to be due back at work. I've still got the cold, just obviously not as bad as it's been a few days, but I feel absolutely knackered and wiped out from it. The thought of doing a full days work right now just makes me feel worse. My head feels fuzzy and I feel exhausted.

I'm convinced it's possibly been covid I've had, as I've never been this ill from a cold before. Was actually debating whether or not to go to the doctors but obvs don't want to waste their time if it's just a cold.

AIBU? I feel like I just need to suck it up and get on with it.

@puppygalore I think that's if it's pregnancy related the reason that you're absent

Yanbu, you're not well enough to work so don't work.

Call it a flu-type virus rather than cold, that sounds trivial.

I'm not one for being a wet blanket about sickness but on the other hand, your health is paramount. Plus it's often better to have, say, three days off than struggle through nine days at half competence.

If you wear yourself out and somehow get long term sickness or disability, your work would simply replace you. Ruining your health for the sake of loyalty to an employer is an insane thing to do. I'm sure they care about you but there is a limit to what you owe them!

Also - pregnancy related illness doesn't count towards sickness leave tally. Worth bearing that in mind.

You've got a nasty respiratory virus. A cold is just a word for one of the many hideous viruses we don't have a name for. If you're too ill to work for a week or two and you're pregnant,so it's not like you can medicate yourself up to the hilt and soldier on.
Take the time you need

Test for Covid and let your midwife know.

I assume even if it’s not Covid your midwife will offer you the advice to rest.

I am in the same boat, one sickness day off triggering my Bradford Factor and I tested positive for Covid yesterday. I will just have to explain that my midwife has advised rest and I have been catching every cold going as my immune system is not what it normally is due to being pregnant.

It sucks but ultimately you and your baby’s health is the most important thing here.

My son just tested positive. Looks like a normal cold

It's going round at the mo.

I hate this martyr attitude. It looks bad on the rest of us when these people rock up to work clearly very unwell as well as passing on their germs.
Stay home . Get better . Your employers won’t think any differently of you if you go in. They won’t care but try telling that to the martyrs.

Btw, have you done a test for covid? I know lots aren’t but if I was pregnant and feeling as rough as you do, I’d be doing one.

Hope you feel better ❤️‍🩹

Not sure if I've left it too late now to get a covid test as it's been a few days

The health of you and your baby is paramount. Do a covid test, but even if it isn't covid, speak to your midwife for advice (they will tell you to rest) and then you can legitimately tell your employer you've been advised to rest. Put it all in writing. They are very unlikely to discipline a pregnant woman, even for non-pregnancy related absences. When you go on maternity leave it's likely you'll reset the clock on sickness absence (I assume it's calculated on a rolling 12 month basis) but if your DC will be going to a childcare setting, you're likely to have more than 2 incidents of sickness anyway, my 17mo gives me everything she catches at nursery!

If you're ill you're ill. Forget the sickness monitoring issues and let your body recover. Your immune system will be worse due to pregnancy and this is not the time to be pushing your body to its limits

I thought sick leave absence triggers/protocols were different when pregnant?

Any illness is worse in pregnancy, your system is under extra strain. I had swine flu when 2 months pregnant and was the sickest I've ever been. Take the time off and look after yourself. Surely any disciplinary action/warning would be sex discrimination in this instance?

In hindsight my symptoms started 4 days before I did a test. I had Covid last year and that felt like the worst sickness I have ever had, this time it feels like a normal cold. I only tested as I am pregnant and the midwife advised me.

if you can get hold of a test I think it would be a good idea to do one. If you’re positive the midwife will go through a load of questions with you and possibly get you in for tests.

I tested +ve fr covid for a full 2 weeks.

When I was pregnant with DD, covid was something midwives worried about. The government saying get on with covid doesn't make it any less dangerous to pregnant women I'm assuming. So I'd test and check with your midwife.

If you've been off for 4 days then it's simple. You self certify for another day.

But if you're likely to need another day (and assuming that it will have been a calendar week that you'll have been off) then you'll need a note from the doctor. I imagine the first thing they'll ask is whether you've tested for covid, given your symptoms, so I'd do that today.

Completely this. Also something may not be specifically pregnancy related but I imagine that because you're pregnant you may well be feeling more wiped out than you otherwise would and also there'll be medications that would otherwise help you soldier on that you can't currently take.

Your work should not threaten you with disciplinary action when you are pregnant. Even if the illness is not directly pregnancy-related, it is reasonable that you should need to prioritise your health during pregnancy - so tbh they could be on dodgy ground if they tried to discipline you over this.

I think I'm just going to take another day of sick and try to get a covid test and speak to my midwife today for some advice. Because it has been almost a week now, I still have symptoms and I feel like shit. I really don't think it is just a cold

The one time (that I know of) that I had Covid I was on holiday at the time so didn't have any tests with me - started feeling dreadful at the very start of the holiday so didn't test until I was home about 10 days later (and still feeling dreadful) - the positive test line was still very dark at that point so I wouldn't think it's too late to test (bearing in mind they're not always accurate and do give false negatives I think).

People I know who've had covid recently have only tested positive a few days in, after an initial negative, so it's probably better to test now.

If you're too unwell to work then stay off and rest. You're not being dramatic.

A few weeks ago, my son had a raging fever and developed a cough, which I then caught (husband has missed it).

I’m convinced we had covid, but we didn’t think to test as we were dealing with trying to manage my son’s fever whilst working etc.

I took one day off work, but 3 weeks later, I’m still poorly and have a terrible, flemy cough. I felt like I can’t take more time off work as I’ve just returned after maternity leave, but I should have as I wouldn’t still be poorly 3 weeks later.

So, if you can take time off work to fully recover, do so as you are just prolonging feeling better.

If you were self employed, you'd not be asking this question.

Honestly, if its the same sort of cold I've had it's been horrendous - I would normally power on but the tiredness is unbearable, literally fall asleep standing up tired, never been this way with a cold. I done a covid test but negative . I'm immune suppressed so used to feeling tired / awful colds- this is another level.

Hope you are better soon.

Don't return to work until you're fully well. A fuzzy head = mistakes. Ask your GP for a sick note.

I had a cold for more than a week last winter - it wasn't covid - I think our immune systems are just restarting due to lock downs etc.

Strangely enough, I just caught flu recently and it lasted nearly 2 weeks. OK so my immune system is compromised due to an underlying health condition, but still, I've had flu before and it lasted just days and colds lasted just days.... Take pre and probiotics, often extended illness is soved through improving gut health.

GWS.

OP this is the same boat I'm in pretty much. I'm pregnant and for a week had the worst "cold" except I never been this ill with a cold. I my know my dept. have had Covid (positive tests). I also know a lot of our students are off with it atm so I am inclined to believe it is that. I went in as my mat leave was imminent, but 100% feel worse for it and regret it.

If you are ill rest. Your body needs it.

My midwife on a side note just advised rest and paracetamol so there's that as well.