AIBU to take a sick day when I work from home?

[Livpool]

I work from home full time and usually work through any illnesses. I have severe/brittle asthma and had an asthma attack last night - attended an and e at tea time and home in time for bed with steroids. Had a nebuliser twice while there.

I haven’t slept at all - been coughing and wheezing all night and I feel exhausted (anyone with asthma will understand that you can feel bone tired as you aren’t getting enough oxygen).

Would I be unreasonable to take today off? I wouldn’t usually second guess myself but a friend text me and I replied saying I won’t be online today, and why. Had a rant back about lazy people who wfh (she doesn’t). AIBU?

Your 'friend' is really nasty and is ableist. Get well soon x

I don’t think you’ll find many people telling you to work today.

You need to rest.

Brittle asthma is brutal. Rest up OP.

Your friend is a twat FYI. Calling you sickly and lazy … is she really a friend?

I’d be moving that friend to arms distance. Next time she wanted to do something I’d say surprised you think I’d be up for it, as someone who wfh, I’m too lazy sorry.

If you are too unwell to work effectively then you need to be off sick, wfh or not.

I think there can sometimes be a bit of a grey area. For example I'm hybrid and I've wfh with a streaming cold or upset stomach before, provided my brain was working ok. Though I wouldn't have wanted to go into the office and spread my germs around or risk being away from a toilet during the commute.

But if you feel too ill to function properly while wfh you shouldn't push it, you'll make yourself worse and you won't work effectively either. Asthma is dangerous and you should be getting some proper rest.

I think it’s a clear consensus that your “friend” is a waste of the little oxygen you have right now.

Keep her at arms length and when your better friend friends who deserve you and remember you deserve better.

Oh, I know that exhaustion after a major asthma attack.

If you worked in an office, would you go into work today? I wouldn't.

Friend has definitely started to annoy me the last couple of years. We met in uni (now 45) and I said to DH last year that if we met now we wouldn’t be friends.

The ‘sickly’ comments annoy me - especially as whenever we speak she has a cold! I wouldn’t dream of saying anything negative about that. She definitely resents that I wfh - it has been mentioned a few times.

Take your sick day and dump your "friend".

It’s brutal isn’t it? It is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it. I said to DH last night that I felt genuinely exhausted.

She sounds toxic, I think you need to ditch that “friend”.

It’s not your fault she doesn’t wfh. She could move to a field that readily allows it and wfh if she really wanted to surely? Wfh jobs do exist they’re just hard to get and some jobs literally can’t be wfh. NOT your fault!

Bloody green eyed monster me thinks!

I wfh full time - due to disability. Would she be jealous of that? I’d swap my spinal injury and associated pain plus other health issues for being healthy + in the office work tbf!

It's hard to describe the sheer physical effort required to stay alive when having a bad asthma attack.

You need to rest! And a long-term rest from this ‘friend’. Hope you feel better soon.

She isn’t a friend. Yes explains you are sick and rest up

Sorry to hear this. She would probably make a comment - she has become quite bitter

your friend sounds horrible.

Get yourself to bed op if you’re not there already. I prescribe nothing more taxing than sipping tea, dozing and watching Bridgerton.

GP here. Ignore your nasty ‘friend’.
You NEED to be off work today and at least the rest of the week. You know as well as I that asthma should not be underestimated. Take care
(ps I know how you feel, I have a chronic illness too and find it ridiculously hard to take time off even when I KNOW I should).

Cheeky cow. Of course you should take the day off!

Take a sick day, your sick! Guessing so called friend has zero understanding of brittle asthma or danger it poses to you

Working at home is still working. The advantage is (as PP have pointed out) you can power through a minor illness like coughs, colds upset stomach and similar. However you OP indicates you have been up all night at A&E and are still wheezing and coughing so I dont imagine you would do much work. Depending on how much time you have had off I would call in and take a sick day.

I'm sorry that person made you doubt yourself. I work from home, and since doing this I have greatly reduced my sick leave, also because like you I find it easier to work when ill when home, and I can see how that starts to muddy thinking. You've had a terrible night. I hope you can get some rest.

As usual, first reply nails it.

Your friend is a twat.

I think it is too easy to power through when you wfh. Recently I have taken the attitude that if I wouldn't have made it into the office then I am not logging on. I think I end up feeling ill for longer sometimes with trying to keep going.

In your shoes you are really ill and of course should be off sick.