Day 10, sick, need some advice/encouragement.
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,597
Day 10, sick, need some advice/encouragement.
This is day 10 off alcohol and xanax. I had two years and then relapsed.
I have been off work yesterday and today with a respiratory tract infection that has been going around. It's a new job and pretty stressful so I'm feeling I need to go in tomorrow. I'm feeling completely stressed out and overwhelmed at the thought of going to work while still not well, but more stressed out at the thought of not going in. I've completely got myself in a tizz and don't know how to think straight about this. I don't want to call in sick a third day and I don't know how to manage the stress of being sick as well as the stress of the job with nothing to take the edge off. I'm probably not even being coherent. I'm still in my probationary period and have already had 2 sick days.
Assuming I go in, how do I get through the day and deal with all the feelings of overwhelm that I know will come up. It's a high stress, fast paced and chaotic environment. It's not just me - there's not enough people or resources to get the job done efficiently.
It's not a job I would choose to take had I other options, but it's the only job I was offered after nearly 4 months of unemployment so I need to take care. It's also really good money so it's a chance to get a bit ahead financially.
I have been off work yesterday and today with a respiratory tract infection that has been going around. It's a new job and pretty stressful so I'm feeling I need to go in tomorrow. I'm feeling completely stressed out and overwhelmed at the thought of going to work while still not well, but more stressed out at the thought of not going in. I've completely got myself in a tizz and don't know how to think straight about this. I don't want to call in sick a third day and I don't know how to manage the stress of being sick as well as the stress of the job with nothing to take the edge off. I'm probably not even being coherent. I'm still in my probationary period and have already had 2 sick days.
Assuming I go in, how do I get through the day and deal with all the feelings of overwhelm that I know will come up. It's a high stress, fast paced and chaotic environment. It's not just me - there's not enough people or resources to get the job done efficiently.
It's not a job I would choose to take had I other options, but it's the only job I was offered after nearly 4 months of unemployment so I need to take care. It's also really good money so it's a chance to get a bit ahead financially.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,355
I'd definitely see how you feel in the morning.
I used to go to work at all costs - but I don't know how productive I was or how considerate I was being of others.
People get sick - even the best workers and even in their probationary period...
and I have to add because it really caught my eye...people manage being sick without 'something to take the edge off' too - watch that addiction monster - he's sneaky...
It's got to be your call...none of us know the details or which stress might be worse...but if you do decide not to go in, get a doctors certificate
D
I used to go to work at all costs - but I don't know how productive I was or how considerate I was being of others.
People get sick - even the best workers and even in their probationary period...
and I have to add because it really caught my eye...people manage being sick without 'something to take the edge off' too - watch that addiction monster - he's sneaky...
It's got to be your call...none of us know the details or which stress might be worse...but if you do decide not to go in, get a doctors certificate
D
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 8,326
Tiger, good advice from Dee. Get a doctors note if you can. You might call your office in the morning and talk to your supervisor to see how things are going. They may not want you in spreading germs. can you call your doctors office first thing and see if the doctor can get you in ASAP or maybe just write a note? My doctor has been kind enough to write an excuse for me after a phone call.
Take care. Love from Lenina
Take care. Love from Lenina
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,597
I have a note for yesterday and today, it won't be a problem to get another one for tomorrow if I need one.
Argh how do normal people manage normal stress? I know this is normal stress but it seems so overwhelming and confusing. It all seems so big and dramatic.
Argh how do normal people manage normal stress? I know this is normal stress but it seems so overwhelming and confusing. It all seems so big and dramatic.
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 98
Originally Posted by TigerLili 
I have a note for yesterday and today, it won't be a problem to get another one for tomorrow if I need one.
Argh how do normal people manage normal stress? I know this is normal stress but it seems so overwhelming and confusing. It all seems so big and dramatic.
Argh how do normal people manage normal stress? I know this is normal stress but it seems so overwhelming and confusing. It all seems so big and dramatic.
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Australia
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Definitely still too sick to go to work today so called in sick. I feel extremely stressed about not going in. Usually I would would just pop a few pills and not think twice about it. I have chest pain, I'm so stressed!
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Midwest
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Calling in sick twice during your probationary period sends the employer the wrong message. I would do what ever I had to do to show up tomorrow with a smile on my face. Taking off tomorrow would put you another day behind the learning process.
A new job that pays good in this economic environment is something to hold onto dearly.
Good luck with your health and your job.
A new job that pays good in this economic environment is something to hold onto dearly.
Good luck with your health and your job.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,355
Calling in sick twice during your probationary period sends the employer the wrong message. I would do what ever I had to do to show up tomorrow with a smile on my face. Taking off tomorrow would put you another day behind the learning process.
A new job that pays good in this economic environment is something to hold onto dearly.
Good luck with your health and your job.
A new job that pays good in this economic environment is something to hold onto dearly.
Good luck with your health and your job.
D
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,641
I had to cut back on work for a while when getting sober.
If it is any comfort to you, forget about getting ahead at the moment.
Patience.
Take it easy.
If you are sick, you are sick.
When you are well again, be gracious and a good employee.
That is all you can do.
Feel better.
If it is any comfort to you, forget about getting ahead at the moment.
Patience.
Take it easy.
If you are sick, you are sick.
When you are well again, be gracious and a good employee.
That is all you can do.
Feel better.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,597
I've been in the job since 12 December. I have a 6 month probationary period.
I am still too sick to go in. I can hardly get off the couch and I'm a bit dizzy when I'm upright. I'm definitely better than yesterday though. I will do my best to get into the office tomorrow. My boss has been at a conference elsewhere yesterday and today, so my absence isn't so obvious. I've responded to a bunch of emails this morning via my phone. Now I need to lie down again.
I've never been this sick for this long before. I would normally be chowing down on xanax by now to manage my stress and anxiety. OMG how do people do this. I take anti-anxiety medication as prescribed by my shrink but she also prescribes me xanax in case I have panic attacks. I have to learn how to manage an anxiety or panic attack without medicating it.
I am still too sick to go in. I can hardly get off the couch and I'm a bit dizzy when I'm upright. I'm definitely better than yesterday though. I will do my best to get into the office tomorrow. My boss has been at a conference elsewhere yesterday and today, so my absence isn't so obvious. I've responded to a bunch of emails this morning via my phone. Now I need to lie down again.
I've never been this sick for this long before. I would normally be chowing down on xanax by now to manage my stress and anxiety. OMG how do people do this. I take anti-anxiety medication as prescribed by my shrink but she also prescribes me xanax in case I have panic attacks. I have to learn how to manage an anxiety or panic attack without medicating it.
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,597
So its still Day 13 off booze, but yesterday I had to take a xanax. I woke up at 2.30am with a massive panic attack. Then I started getting severe chest pain through to my back, my arm started getting really heavy and weird, I got nausea and cold sweats. Eventually I thought I was having a heart attack because the chest pain didn't let up and and called an ambulance. I asked the ambo guys if it could just be because I had a virus anyway and a panic attack but they said that given that I'd had chest pain for 3 hours now and all the other symptoms were typical of cardiac event, they were taking me to hospital.
Fortunately everything was ok. I called my dr and told her what happened and that I was still experiencing increasing anxiety and chest pain and was worried I would have another panic attack, so she called a script for xanax into my pharmacy and I picked it up.
This is the pattern my panic attacks always follow. They wake me up in the middle of the night, fully blown, and it's too late to take the preventive steps I could take if I was wake when they started to ramp up.
So I think I have to have a bottom line about only taking as prescribed and letting someone, like my sponsor, know when I'm taking one. I have to stay honest about it. I may even just keep 2-3 in the house and get a friend to hang on to the rest so I'm accountable for how many I take.
On the upside, it's made it crystal clear that I have to deal with my boundaries at work, and finding ways to get rid of stress rather than letting it accumulate and explode like that. I was worrying about work all day and that was what I was worrying about when I woke up with the chest pain. And then I was lying in ER with a drip in my arm responding to work email on my phone. Sheesh.
I went into work this morning for a few hours as I had a drs apt down the road at lunchtime. I picked up my laptop and will do a bit of catch up on the weekend from the comfort of my couch.
Fortunately everything was ok. I called my dr and told her what happened and that I was still experiencing increasing anxiety and chest pain and was worried I would have another panic attack, so she called a script for xanax into my pharmacy and I picked it up.
This is the pattern my panic attacks always follow. They wake me up in the middle of the night, fully blown, and it's too late to take the preventive steps I could take if I was wake when they started to ramp up.
So I think I have to have a bottom line about only taking as prescribed and letting someone, like my sponsor, know when I'm taking one. I have to stay honest about it. I may even just keep 2-3 in the house and get a friend to hang on to the rest so I'm accountable for how many I take.
On the upside, it's made it crystal clear that I have to deal with my boundaries at work, and finding ways to get rid of stress rather than letting it accumulate and explode like that. I was worrying about work all day and that was what I was worrying about when I woke up with the chest pain. And then I was lying in ER with a drip in my arm responding to work email on my phone. Sheesh.
I went into work this morning for a few hours as I had a drs apt down the road at lunchtime. I picked up my laptop and will do a bit of catch up on the weekend from the comfort of my couch.
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