Going To Work (Or Staying Home...) While Sick

It's been a week of illness, not for my whole family--thank goodness--but for me. I've taken a couple of days off from work due to this illness. On Monday I woke up feeling bad so I called in sick, or e-mailed in sick and stayed home all day to recuperate.

When I arrived at work Tuesday, I saw the white board our department uses to track our comings and goings.

I think you see a pattern there.

Yes, about half the department had called in sick on Monday. This is an unusual event--calling in sick is rare. Normally, we're a pretty healthy bunch.

Because of what I saw on that board I made the decision on Wednesday that I needed to stay home again. I assumed--incorrectly--that I would be feeling better on Wednesday. This was not the case. I remembered that white board and saw how many of my co-workers had been sick earlier in the week. Since I was feeling worse, I didn't want to get anyone else in my department sicker, or get sicker myself. And all of us who works with others in the same building know that there are co-workers who do go to work when they should have stayed home. I chose to stay home.

Last night I kept thinking that Thursday would be a good day. I had had two days already this week to rest up. I was feeling better on Wednesday night and I looked forward to getting a good night's sleep and waiting rested and ready to go to work.

Again, I assumed incorrectly.

I hardly slept last night at all. Truth be told, I probably got two hours--maybe three if I'm stretching--the whole night. But when I woke up after about an hour of sleep, I felt pretty good, considering. So I drove to work and put in a nine-hour shift.

After dinner I had one other obligation before I could call it a day. My daughter and I had a rehearsal. I wasn't needed for the first part of the rehearsal so I went and rested. Unbeknownst to me, a fellow cast member snapped a picture and put it on Facebook. I know it's not very flattering, but hey--I worked hard for that picture! Taking time off and working while sick and everything!

So, what about tomorrow? Should I stay, or should I go? At work, we were able to get a lot done today, so much so, that I might not need to go into work tomorrow (I usually have Fridays off, working four ten-hour shifts...). I think we'll see how tonight goes before I can make that decision.