How to tell if you should call in sick
By SAMEH FAHMY
Nashville Tennessean
The alarm clock jolts you awake, and within minutes you realize that although you don't know exactly what's wrong, something isn't right.
You have a runny nose, a cough and possibly a fever.
Should you call in sick to work?
Dr. Robert Forti, an internal medicine physician at Nashville Medical Group, Baptist Hospital, says that if you have a cold or the flu, chances are you'll be just fine in a few days.
Your decision about whether to go to work is more about the health of your friends and co-workers than your health, he says.
"What you absolutely don't want to do is put other people in peril for catching that same illness," he says.
With that in mind, he's helped us compile this chart to help you decide whether to call in sick. When in doubt, of course, check with your doctor.
IF YOU HAVE AN UPSET STOMACH OR DIARRHEA
IF YOU HAVE A FEVER
IF YOU HAVE A COUGH
IF YOU HAVE A SORE THROAT
IF YOU HAVE SNIFFLES OR A RUNNY NOSE
A SPECIAL WORD ON THE FLU
People often wonder how to tell the difference between a cold and the flu, but Forti says it's simple:
"The flu is very characteristic," he says. "You feel like you've run into a brick wall."
A sudden onset of high fever, body aches and fatigue with a cough and sore throat are sure signs of the flu. If you have the flu, then absolutely do not go to work or school.
"Those people really need to be out of contact with other people," Forti says, "because that's a highly transmissible (illness) that results in a lot of lost work and productivity for the public and the community as a whole."
