Not Feeling Well...At All? Then Call In Sick!
Take Care Of You
It has been many a year since I began working for wages, and I have had many jobs and taken several courses (not college) to further my "knowledge" in various fields of employ. But nowhere do they offer a course in "How To Be Dispensable."
Now I know this sounds a little odd, and perhaps you are thinking that this writer has started to lose her mind. But I can assure you, I have not done any such thing. In fact, I am closer to sanity than ever I have been before.
It has taken me 30 years to come to the following conclusions:
1. If I am ill and have to call in sick to work, the company will not fold, collapse, or fail to operate;
2. There are others who work there, too, who likely possess some of the same basic abilities as I do and can take up the slack while I am not able;
3. That my health is as important (probably more so) as my job--because without my health I am basically useless to my employer, and even more importantly, of no use to my family.
To all of you out there who feel that you must go into work even when you feel like death-warmed-over, when you are feverish and contagious and likely to pass your illness on to others who happen to have to work alongside you; to those of you who like to “lord it over” everyone you work with that you "never call in sick" or "never take time off", well, big whoopie doo dah. Do you think that makes you a hero? Years ago, I may have agreed with you—but no more.
I have recently been going through a fairly common "condition" called vertigo, which, as most of us who have ever had it know, is short-lived and likely to go away as quickly as it appears. However, this has not been the case for me. Mind you, I have had the "bed spins" while at work on several occasions, and as stated, it disappeared quickly. You know, just lasted long enough to be annoying for a moment and then went bye-bye. This time, it has been severe and given me nausea and even sent me to the emergency room for a day.
I had to call my boss the first morning and tell her I would not be able to come in to work that day. She was not happy, but oh well. There was nothing to be done about it. One cannot drive a vehicle, with any safety, while their world is spinning all around them. Common sense, right?
Once I was released from the emergency room the next day, a Saturday, I had been prescribed valium, as an anti-spasmodic, to supplement the meclizine I had been given previously. Again, doctor's orders, no driving and get as much rest as you are able--that is the only thing that will help this condition to go away. I believe the condition is what they are calling an inner ear virus. Of course, this is tricky to diagnose because the inner ear is hidden even to the doctor's scope. Go see and otolaryngologist (ENT) as soon as possible. This specialist grounded me to the house for 2 weeks. As you can imagine, my employer is none to thrilled. But you know what? Too damn bad. Aside from the feeling of high fever--the feeling that makes you feel like you are welded to the bed--this is the single worst waking feeling you can have. The vertigo itself, combined with dizziness and lightheadedness, literally leaves you feeling "out of control" in your own surroundings.
I felt guilty for the first day or two; that stupid feeling we get when we go against our own rules and call in sick to work. But having dealt with this condition for over a week now, that guilty feeling has been replaced by a feeling of “I guess I really do need to rest and I am much more tired than I realized.”
I can take the time I need to get back to a feeling of wellness and to know that once I do return to the workplace, the same work load that was there the last day I was there, will once again await my dispatch. I am good at my job and that is all fine and dandy, but unless I am in peak health, my job performance will suffer and the care of my family will likely be less than optimal, as well.
So, to those of you who see yourselves as "indispensable" or "irreplaceable" let me assure you, you are likely both of those things sometimes, and you owe it to yourself and your family to take care of your health when it is warranted. You will be of no use to anyone in the long run if you gamble with your health and fall seriously ill. Be dispensable. Sometimes, it is just what the doctor ordered and well worth it!
