Feeling so guilty calling off sick

[mclennan]

I have had a good old fashioned flu the last two days, with fever, chest congestion, cough & body aches. I'm pretty miserable. I called off yesterday and had to force myself to call again today. I had enough energy to wobble to the shower this morning but I'm back in bed, shivering and coughing.

My unit is super short staffed! I work in case management and and we are up a creek lately, no clerical support and we recently lost a supervisor, so my supervisor is covering until a new one is hired. Everyone's patient load is 100+. Ridiculous. It's the same old formula of hospitals squeezing as much as they can out of as few staff as possible.....they won't spend the money on more staff.

I feel HORRIBLE calling off! I worked sick Tuesday until my voice ran out. Being gone for 2 days really screws my co-workers and we are not set up to work from home (yet). I HATE this. It's generally a good place to work and I love my boss. So I feel extra guilty. Why do we nurses struggle with this, taking care of ourselves? Why am I feeling a minor state of panic, that everyone will hate me when I get back or I'll be disciplined in some way? I rarely call off or am late, and a good employee, but for some reason I feel doom.

I dunno. Just want to commiserate with anyone who can relate.

[Wile E Coyote, ASN, RN]

Far from a separate issue.. it is THE issue. Caregivers.. cannot provide care.. if they NEED care themselves.

Are we so self -important that we feel the need to report for duty, even when we can't possibly perform to the level our patients need?

Perhaps I should expand then, one issue was raised IF any other professionals feel guilty for calling in sick (presumed self-importance) and I gave examples refuting that particular issue. Again, the larger issue being if said self-important behavior was counterproductive or not is SEPARATE.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Earlier this week and last week, nurses were working sick, wearing face masks! Like they were HEROES. I'm sorry but I think that is crazy. I feel really crappy about co-workers having to cover for me but I'm not gonna run around the office in a face mask. Despite the face mask they obviously spread it anyway!

I had more to say yesterday, but no time to type.

I've done this for the sniffles... but if you were/are so weak you can barely drag yourself to the shower, that is way beyond the sanity of going to work w/ a mask.

For what it's worth, I recently took *three* sick days a while back. I went home sick for the first time since my first job at age 16. It wasn't a matter of putting on a mask and being a superhero; I was vomiting and running a fever, too weak to do anything (my husband even had to hand me my baby to nurse before they left in the a.m.)...my skin even hurt...forget being mentally capable of focusing on an unstable pt.

If anyone was grumbling about it behind my back, eh, at least they didn't get my germs. My husband and 2 of my kids got it a couple days later, so I was contagious.

Your work will carry on, will figure it out. You're not going to be any help to anyone if you're not well yourself, you will be sick longer, and you will be exposing others to what you have. Your pts and colleagues need you well.

[CJ NV]

Feeling guilty is a normal reaction.In my opinion,I will feel more guilty if I come to work sick and spreading the flu virus to my co workers,staff and most especially the vulnerable patients...

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I just had a week off due to gastroenteritis, and worked two days this week. I was feeling fine. My eye was irritated Tuesday night. By Wednesday it was fire engine red and painful, itchy, and felt like sand was in it. Went to urgent care, and told pink eye and given antibiotic drops. Went to eye doctor on Friday. Viral pink eye. No work for another week. Jeez talk about feeling guilty, but realizing I cannot be around patients with this awful looking red tearing, painful eye. I don't want to spread this to anyone.

To top it off my 4 year old is sick too. Running a fever no real source of infection. The eye doc thinks I got a viral pink eye from him. His fever started the same time I got the pink eye.