Do you work through injuries?

[ApolloSZ]

My basic principle is, if its a genuine injury, i.e. accident, something I couldn't control, I'll take time off if its bad enough or affecting my ability to work/function safely.

How ever if I get injured doing something stupid (like bruising my ribs after responding to my friends challenge... damn them) then I'll suffer through it and show up at work. Learn my lesson as such...

Although on that occasion I got sent home early simply because my boss is cool (I'd need to go into detail to explain the whole thing XD)


Illness wise, thanks to my trademarked Mutant Immune system, I take like 1/2 days off a year sick. If I'm infectious I won't risk my workmates.

[MoonCat]

Sevendaysky, I have plantar fasciitis too. The thing about this condition is, it comes and goes. I've gone for months without a twinge, then suddenly it starts up again. Right now it's in the starting up again phase...*sigh* Every time I get up at work, I limp for the first ten or so steps until my feet loosen up a bit.

[AccountingDrone]

though... the navy's take on things ... eh dunno if it really helps or costs cos i've seen colds pass through like wildfire. and gastro. that one i'm surprised i actually got SIQ for on my last ship. for a while they were having to send people back to work cos we'd already reached the siq quota on the ship and people working engineering & food service were first pick. engineers cos you don't want the people running the engines to get hammered and food service cos they handle food.

Rob used to hork into one of the small clear trash bags and carry it in to the Doc's office from machinery 1... once he got 3 guys on the mess deck to toss their cookies on the deck

[Racket_Man]

the only time I have called in sick in the past 7 years is when I had several kidney stone episodes about 2 years go. these were sever enough that I thought it best to NOT be puking on my delivery customers.

I have even worked several times when I threw my knee out and limped around for 2 weeks. only slowed me down just a little

I have to be worse than death warmed over sick to call out even though we are supposed to (being around food and all). can not afford to loose that time and money.

[Little Retail Rabbit]

To date, I've never had work-related injuries or such things, although I can see them being more likely now. Now I'm at the er, big orange hardware store, it involves an awful lot of heavy lifting. I have tedonitis in my wrists and hands, and I'm not particularly strong, and a female member of staff starting giving me flak for asking her to help me lift boxes of laminate flooring into a trolly, stating that they "weren't heavy" and then promptly picked it up by herself. It meant I felt obliged to do it myself from then on, and for the rest of that week, my arms were sore, with the muscles tight and aching. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not going to lose my ability to draw and write over a crappy fucking temp job that I'm hating already anyway.

I had to bring in a note from my doctor exempting me from window cleaning at my old job (believe it or not, heavy lifting in a clothing store just...its nothing...but cleaning the mirrors...that fucking hurt!). Despite the note, my manager always tried to get me to do it anyway, and the fat bitch who loved to cause trouble made complaints about me not doing it, even though I was doing plenty of other cleaning jobs to make up for it.

If I take a day off sick, you know I'm ill. I won't miss work for for colds and shit like that. Ear infections though, yeah, they are the worst culprit, they tend to have me in a lot of pain.

My mum currently feels bad for taking time off work for her fibroid hurting her and the painkillers draining her of energy. Bless her.

[bhskittykatt]

If I'm vomiting, or otherwise non-functioning, I'll call in sick. If it's just a cold, I take some DayQuil and keep extra hand sanitizer nearby at all times to avoid spreading it.

Once on the paper route, I slipped on a slippery step and sprained my ankle so badly I could barely drive home. I was working housekeeping at the motel at the time, so I called up work and let them know, and they kept me downstairs. My ankle was sore for a week, but it wasn't broken, so I took it easy but kept working.

[Kristev]

Most people just don't have a choice not to work through injuries. At least, not in the United States.

[XCashier]

The last time I called in sick was due to a nasty muscle spasm in my neck. I saw a doctor over that one.

I've had absolutely horrible hay fever for a while, and I've been working through it. Fortunately, most of my customers realize it is just allergies and don't give me any grief.

Occasionally, my tenosynovitis flares up, which makes cutting fabric painful. I usually ask if I can have more register time when my wrist is hurting (register is easier on a sore wrist than scissors, and I can do it left-handed if necessary), and the managers have been very accomodating.

[Lyse]

When I was at the call center, I would work with migraines - a few times even showed up with the hospital bracelet still on for severe ones that needed stronger meds than I had at home. Then a new attendance policy was put out just for team leads that cut our allowable occurrences in half. I'd never had an attendance issue, but the lead policy would put me close enough that it made me nervous - so I submitted FMLA paperwork.

The same day that the paperwork went through, my supervisor called me in to his office and had an HR person there. I lost my lead position and the lead pay. Then two weeks later I was informed that I would no longer be working the graveyard shift that I was hired for and had worked for three years - instead I would be 5am to 1:30pm - despite the fact that this aggravated my agoraphobia, causing panic attacks and led to migraines.

That was when I stopped working through the pain - for that company, at least. Luckily, I ended up leaving there within 5 months.

[SongsOfDragons]

I've never had a serious injury *taps self on head for luck* and thus far I don't think I've ever actually called out - twice I went in to various temp jobs feeling like my lungs were full of cotton wool, because I get nasty chest infections in winter (going for the flu jab this year) and both times I had to be sent home. The fact that the first time was the Swine Flue scare year and I was coughing a lot helped.

Both times I was informed I wasn't wanted back before the third day dawned. Such is the life of a temp.

[Android Kaeli]

I rarely, and I mean RARELY, get sick -- the last time I called out sick was about......I dunno. Probably a good two years at the most, if not at least a year and a half -- and I'm guessing at that, 'cause I really can't remember the last time I called out of work for myself. I've gone home early more then I've called out, but even THAT I still count on both hands the number of times I've done it in the last fourteen years I've been working retail.

I've stayed at work even when I'm throwing up -- sorry, I'm NOT going to get warning points for leaving early or calling out.

[CorneliaMarieRocks]

I used to be able to work through migraines but as of late they've gotten worse. If I've got my pain meds then I'm ok, pop a Lortab & go on, but if I don't then stick a fork in me I'm done. 'Course I'm un-employed at the moment so

[ozcatbug]

I just recently had a week off because of a bad cold. It hit me really bad, causing my asthma to play up as well as muscle aches and extreme tiredness. I spent 6 days in bed. The previous week I had a really sore throat (the start of the cold). Went to work and sucked on cough lollies, as well as drinking lots to sooth it. Didn't want to take the time off as I'm a casual and if I don't work, I don't get paid. Once the asthma started, there was no way I could go to work.

As for injuries, I have hypermobility, which I describe as being someone that bends, but doesn't break. I'm highly flexible, and my body doesn't give out pain signals like it should before injuries occur, so once I feel pain, I know I've hurt myself. A high pain threshold means I can work through most pain. A few years ago I had a work related tendonitis. Got booked in for surgery, totally covered by worker's comp. I had to be at the hospital on the Monday at 10am. Usually on Monday's I would work 5-9am, which would give me an hour to get home and get back to the hospital. So that's what I did. Everyone was shocked that I was booked in for surgery and yet turned up for work that morning. Even the surgeon was shocked as he knew how severe the tendonitis was (when I met him he examined me for 5 minutes then booked me in for surgery asap).

I have problems with my lower back (including sciatica), shoulders and neck, knee and ankle, as well as photophobia (sensitivity to light in my eyes) and a number of other issues. Because of the shoulder and neck problems, and possibly the photophobia, I have been getting migraines more and more frequently. I will only call in if the migraines come with nausea, which so far has only happened about 5 or 6 times in the past 6 months. Luckily twice it was on the weekend so I didn't have to call in. As for the back problems, I was working on the receiving team so the pain didn't really stop me, and now I get to sit down without all the heavy lifting, so that helps.

Since I was hired from an agency specialising in workers returning to work after illness or injury, my boss understands that I have a heap of medical issues, and so he seems understanding. But we will see. My insurance for physiotherapy for the year will run out next week so I will have to cut my visits from twice a week to once or twice a fortnight. If my migraines increase, I might have to think about finding a new job that isn't as hard on the body.

[crazylegs]

I generally only take time off sick if said injury/illness will compromise my or my patients safety. Say for example I had stitches, if I could cover them before I went on shift I would work - if I could not then I won't work. If I have D&V I won't work, but a cold I will (I'll just dose up with all sorts of meds first).

[cashierbex]

There are migraines where I cannot get out of bed. Even after taking something. I call off. And sometimes it starts during work. I sometimes can live through it, but other times, forget it.

Had a groin injury last year, if I can't walk or stand, screw that. My job is quite physical. Oh and screw Worker's Comp.