I recently started work about 3 weeks ago in a job I love, strangely enough. But yesterday I suffered from diarrhoea and couldn’t get in to work (I rely on a long journey bus service) as I needed the toilet too bad. Now I rang my boss/owner of the company and I said that I would be an hour late for work and I told him exactly why, and he was fine with it. Now I got ever so near to work and I needed the toilet, this time it was really bad. So I rang him again and said I don’t know what to do. He then told me to go home to bed and said he was a good judge of character and that I wouldn’t mess them about. Which I am swear I am not doing. I then went home and took some diarrhoea relief tablets and they worked, worked almost too good infact.
I then went to sleep with the view of going to work the next day (today) but when I woke I felt awful, worse than before by a country mile. I am extremely lethargic, bad stomach pains, a cracking head ache and I am now constipated (believe that if you will!) I tried to go to work, but I couldn’t make to the bus stop never mind to work. I rang my boss, and I said, I feel worse than yesterday and I can’t make it in. He didn’t seem to pleased on the phone, he was very dismissive about the subject. I said on the phone that I will be going to the doctor’s today and his reply was “alright” and then the conversation abruptly ended. Now I did go the doctors, and I am indeed really ill. I said to the doctor that I need some sort of proof about this as I fear my work think I’m taking the piss basically and I do not want to lose my job by any means. She refused and said I have to be off for a minimum of a week for a sick note. She then proceeded to say that I must not go in to work tomorrow as I risk spreading my virus, she did say however that she would be more than happy to answer a phone call from my work in the event of work not believing me.
Now, I am scared about ringing in tomorrow and saying that I will be off for a third day running. I don’t want to lose my job, as it is something I enjoy doing and got very lucky to get it in the first place.
What shall I do? Shall I risk going in, and maybe passing out or pooing myself? Or shall I ring work and tell them to ring my doctors as proof about my illness?
I am 21, living alone, away from parents, and I’m scared of losing everything. I apologise for this rather large rant.
I will appreciate all answers that come my way.
Thank you


What you do is provide your boss with a self certificate which you can get from the receptionist
at your Doctor’s surgery, and simply write ‘ Gastroenteritis’ on it
which is the proper name for ‘diarrhoea’
Taking anti diarrhoea tablets is never a good idea,
because if you have a germ or a virus it will take its own time to work its way out of your system
Make sure you drink plenty water, as this will flush out your system of the bad bits
Phone your boss and tell them what your doctor said, and provide your boss with a self certificate
I suggest you go to your doctor and get a medical certificate your boss cannot fire you when you supply a medical certificate
You are allowed to be sick. Your fears are too great.