Not sure if this question has been asked before but was wondering how you all cope with sick leave from work.
For the last few years I’ve had several episodes of time off (always with a sick certificate from GP) when I find it too painful to work. I’ve worked through bouts of Covid, bad colds, viruses etc.
I’m office based working in healthcare and work from home too but sometimes it’s just too much. Problem is I feel so guilty. I have colleagues who are often absent with what seem quite minor issues but that doesn’t assuage my guilt.
I’m currently signed off waiting for US guided shoulder injections - tenosynovitis, tendinitis and inflamed bursa. Even using a mouse is very sore.
So others who have regularly had to take time off - do you feel bad about doing so and how do your employers respond?
Friends and family tell me not to be so concerned as I have a disease and I work really hard. But I can’t kick the old guilt feeling keeping me awake at night (along with the pain!)
I was lucky (?) enough to be diagnosed shortly after retirement - which did NOT help with the costs of meds. But my answer is still true. I would join you in feeling guilty, but I WOULD take the time off. Those who know you understand that you work hard but have a serious chronic disease that sometimes kicks you hard. Those who do not know you, or choose not to understand - probably the same ones who take lots of time off for trivial complaints! - won’t be compassionate no matter what you do. Don’t suffer because of the opinions of those who don’t matter. We do so much self-defeating people pleasing and it should/must stop!
As you’re in the UK the Equality Act deems PsA is a chronic disease so you are protected and can expect to be given reasonable adjustments to do your job such as dictation software so you don’t need to use a mouse or type etc etc. Also the amount of time off can’t be used against you unless of course it’s so much that you aren’t there enough to do your job. But you have a heavy amount of statutory support to keep you working despite PsA. So I wouldn’t waste my stress on being too concerned about it.
For me, the concern is that I don’t look bad enough. What doesn’t show during the day is the lack of sleep, stiffness from sitting and internal inflammation issues. Unless carefully observed, I present as normal for my age. And when try to explain, I get the usual, “We all have aches and pains.”
Unfortunately, I am an independent contractor so if I take time off from work I am not getting paid. That said, I have structured my schedule in large part to accommodate me. As a general rule. I work for a few hours in the morning and then I work for a few hours in the afternoon/evening. Today is one of those more challenging days where I’m working from 8:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., And then again from 2:00 p.m. till 8:30 p.m., so they’re not all short days, but that middle of the day break has made it much more feasible for me to keep up with my schedule