What is the worst condition you have been in but still went to work/school

[I Love Pluto]

I'm a retired music teacher. I had to go to work on concert day with a 103.4 temperature.
The next day - I had my other school's concert with a 102 temperature. I stayed home for the next two days to recover!

 

[ebradley23]

My husband and I work for the same company, and we're the only two in our office right now. I go to work when sick unless it involves bodily fluids being expelled from my body. I refuse to do either in a public bathroom (our office is in a building shared by other companies).

When I was young and dumb I went out for an Independence Bowl party on Dec 30th where I had a couple of buckets of hurricanes. I still had to work NYE. I didn't realize I was still drunk when I went to work until the hangover kicked in about 2 pm. It was awful, and I'm lucky my teller drawer balanced.

 

[Mokat76]

Years ago I sometimes went to work suffering from gout. The attacks are exquisitely painful, but because you can't really do anything to stop the pain I sucked it up and went to work. My co-worker pushed me around in an office swivel chair so I could move about the building. It's a strange thing because there are no visible symptoms...except for the excruciating look on my face.

Ouch. My neighbor suffered from that--and I do mean suffer. Helluva nice coworker you had, though.

 

[Mokat76]

I had a terrible 5-day migraine and dragged myself to work every day. I don't know why since I was useless. Finally on the fifth day my coworker dragged me to the ER. By that time I was also dehydrated and very weak from being so sick. Some good IV meds in a nice dark corner of the ER and I was almost human again within hours.

When I was in a special military course for mid-level officers, I managed to get bronchitis and a sinus infection. Classes were not something you missed and our section chief was a tough-as-nails Marine. Yeah. That said, even he could see I was suffering so every day for about a week when the big auditorium lecture session started right before lunch, he let me sneak away. I crashed for about 90 minutes, ate a quick lunch and went back to our small-group sessions. I stayed sick for weeks, but those breaks in the beginning saved the day.

 

[MIGrandma]

Fever of 102, chills, aches, coughing....I was a waitress and didn't have anyone to cover my shift. It was obvious I was sick but one lovely customer filled out a comment card and said I "didn't smile enough.". Others were kind and caring and couldn't believe my boss allowed me to work like that.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I have multiple health issues and am medical retired now. But often use to force myself to work under dire circumstances. Once I didn't know Inhad shingles, a stomach infection causing an ulcer and a broken toe lol.

 

[Kellykins1218]

It wasn't at work or school, but I was at the laundromat when my appendix decided it no longer wanted to be part of my body. I managed to get all of my clothes out of the washers and into the dryers even though I was doubled over.

 

[ronandannette]

Back when I was about 19/20 yrs I worked at a daycare...I had to open at 6 am. I had 104 fever and felt horrible. I think I did go home about lunch time. The owner didn't come rolling in til about then. Going to work the last month my Dad was alive was really tough.

That must have been so desperately hard. I sat at my desk, 600 miles away waiting for "the call" on the day my DMother passed away.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Stayed at work a few hours after a kidney stone and I've had to work multiple days when I could barely sit or walk due to herniated discs.

 

[mom2rtk]

I worked all day feeling quite awful and gave birth that evening. Does that count?

 

[10MoreMinutes]

I went to work with stomach and back pain and a fever that was causing me to shiver uncontrollably. Left after about 4 hours and headed to the doctor. It turns out I had a severe urinary tract infection that had raised my temperature to 103.

I've also gone to work multiple times with my sciatica flaring to the point that I could only walk if I was bent over.

When I was a senior in college, I drove 6 hours back to college after spring break with what turned out to be pancreatitis from a gall stone slipping free and blocking my bile duct. The college clinic nurse took one look at me and sent me to the ER. The ER doctor informed me they ran my liver enzyme test three times because they thought the results were too high for me to still be conscious. I ended up in the hospital for four days.

 

[wilkeliza]

Oh it is probably a tie for the time I had to stay at work even though I was bleeding from my ear from a bad ear infection. (It took someone much higher up then my store manager seeing me to get sent home even though I asked several times) or the time I got a 1st/2nd degree burn at the coffee shop I worked at and the manager told me I was fired if I left but a customer stepped in and said they would call corporate and the city to report abuse if I wasn't allowed to go to the urgent care place to get checked out since my hand was red, swollen, and shaking.

One time where I looked worse than I actually was was after getting a tooth pulled then going in for my shift at a store. I was in no pain and just had gauze in my mouth but every customer was like omg I could never work the same day I got a tooth pulled.

 

[rajak73]

the tops was probably doing my colonoscopy prep at work.

I did a colonoscopy prep at work too

My worst, 2 cracked or broken ribs, I'm a electrician and had to finish a job that day, was great until carpenter did a little sawing, sawdust in the air, you know one of the sneezes that surprises you and you can't do anything about it....yep that was it, put me right on the floor!

 

[DebbieB]

I am a company trainer and had to go out to California from Pittsburgh to do a week long training class. I had a horrible cold. So I had to fly cross country and then try to conduct the class. At one point I had to leave the room because I was coughing so much. It was a major project and I couldn't cancel. I went back a couple months later for follow up and the manager said "you are so different when you're not sick!".

 

[klmall]

Similar to Mokat76 above, I worked several times with bad migraines. I could usually get a sub if the migraine started at night or early AM but if I wanted to leave early I never felt comfortable having my fellow teachers drafted to cover my classes with little notice. I always knew when a migraine was coming because I became very sound sensitive; not easy to avoid with 7th graders in a lunchroom! Luckily after many years I no longer get migraines!

 

[BLAZEY]

Spent most of the night in the ER not Being able to breathe. Ended up with severe Bronchitis and pneumonia given codeine and antibiotic. Emailed my professor at university as I had a presentation the next morning. She emailed I would would forfeit and get a zero if I didn't show up. It was a Monday. I guess she assumed I was lying and was hung over. Showed up with my ER discharge papers antibiotics, gave my presentation and walked out as not to infect the class, plus I felt like crap. Aced the presentation despite being so sick. Went to the department head who happened to be my advisor and told him what happened. He took my complaint but submitted it after I received my grade (Mean prof was at least quick at getting her grades out). All I was asking was for a extension to the next class.

 

[LovesTimone]

Okay lets see...over the years... Strep Throat, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, asthma attacks, stomach flu, and early stages of labor and still went to work...

True story it's funny now but not when it was happening....I was working retail as a assistant store manager, and I was working when the stomach flu started, back and forth to the restroom, I call my bossed and told him how sick I was and just could not make it... his response was you will stay till I get there or you don't have a job and you have a daughter to support.... I tried to stay in the office away from everyone... I did have to go to the floor to deal with a customer return and the merchandise was not even from our store brand and she went to screaming at me to just take it back she bought it here, with another stores tags and for me to give her money back... when I picked up the trash can the threw up in it.... about the time the district manager walked in for a surprise visit... Nice... I had a customer screaming at me, and my head in a trash can when the district manager was standing watching...Priceless.... after I threw up.. I excused myself, told the customer and associate, I will be right back and with as much dignity as I could muster at this point...walked to the back of the store, pulled myself together... went back only to see the district manager handling the customer...and he did not take back the item...He( district manager) looked up at me and said very nicely please head back to the office and I need to talk to you....I thought I was fired for sure... When he got in the office, he was like why are you here, your so sick you can barely stand up.. I did not want to throw my boss under the bus as I needed my job... I told him I was waiting for the store manager to come in... He said your going home right now, and don't worry about your job...I said but I have to work here... then ran to the restroom...while I was in the restroom another manager came in early to do some paper work... I came out he ( district manager) handed me some trash bags( talk about embarrassing) and asked me where my stuff was and got it for me, drove me home in my car while I threw up the whole way home..(honestly I wanted crawl in a hole till it was over)... had the other manager follow us, the told me to call him the next day and we would go from there,... I ended up having to call my parents in the middle of the night to take me to the ER, I spent the next 2 days in the hospital, then the rest of the week at home, it wasn't just a stomach bug, I had a huge ulcer and mixed with the flu, really nasty stuff. I had to call him from the ER and he was like don't worry your job is safe... just let me know when you can come back... So I did when I came into work... we were minus GM... The district manager was there and told me that that the reason in he was there that day was about personnel complaints to the hotline about the GM, and to do an investigation... He said when he saw me, and talked to me that day, he said I could see the fear in your face... and it was not your fault what happened... later on I found out that when he got back to the store he was not playing around the office girl( 20 years with the company) said she had never seen him so upset... he did not call the GM but called the other 2 managers in, and did employee interviews with whoever was there, and was the GM surprised when he showed up at 3:00 when he was suppose to be in at noon...We ended up getting a great GM and my ulcer went away...

 

[Erzengel]

I remember when my first girlfriend broke up with me and I still went to class. Mentally I wasn't even there.

I also remember going to class after my wisdom teeth was taken out. Still in a lot of pain.

 

[scrhsa]

That must have been so desperately hard. I sat at my desk, 600 miles away waiting for "the call" on the day my DMother passed away.

Wow! I was lucky enough to be close. But we weren't sure how much time he had. Looking back, I think it was actually harder driving around town and connecting places to him. I live in the town he grew up in, so I had all kinds of stories about places where he worked as a teen, where he rode his bike, places he went fishing, etc. Hugs to you!

 

[MamaLema]

Okay lets see...over the years... Strep Throat, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, asthma attacks, stomach flu, and early stages of labor and still went to work...

True story it's funny now but not when it was happening....I was working retail as a assistant store manager, and I was working when the stomach flu started, back and forth to the restroom, I call my bossed and told him how sick I was and just could not make it... his response was you will stay till I get there or you don't have a job and you have a daughter to support.... I tried to stay in the office away from everyone... I did have to go to the floor to deal with a customer return and the merchandise was not even from our store brand and she went to screaming at me to just take it back she bought it here, with another stores tags and for me to give her money back... when I picked up the trash can the threw up in it.... about the time the district manager walked in for a surprise visit... Nice... I had a customer screaming at me, and my head in a trash can when the district manager was standing watching...Priceless.... after I threw up.. I excused myself, told the customer and associate, I will be right back and with as much dignity as I could muster at this point...walked to the back of the store, pulled myself together... went back only to see the district manager handling the customer...and he did not take back the item...He( district manager) looked up at me and said very nicely please head back to the office and I need to talk to you....I thought I was fired for sure... When he got in the office, he was like why are you here, your so sick you can barely stand up.. I did not want to throw my boss under the bus as I needed my job... I told him I was waiting for the store manager to come in... He said your going home right now, and don't worry about your job...I said but I have to work here... then ran to the restroom...while I was in the restroom another manager came in early to do some paper work... I came out he ( district manager) handed me some trash bags( talk about embarrassing) and asked me where my stuff was and got it for me, drove me home in my car while I threw up the whole way home..(honestly I wanted crawl in a hole till it was over)... had the other manager follow us, the told me to call him the next day and we would go from there,... I ended up having to call my parents in the middle of the night to take me to the ER, I spent the next 2 days in the hospital, then the rest of the week at home, it wasn't just a stomach bug, I had a huge ulcer and mixed with the flu, really nasty stuff. I had to call him from the ER and he was like don't worry your job is safe... just let me know when you can come back... So I did when I came into work... we were minus GM... The district manager was there and told me that that the reason in he was there that day was about personnel complaints to the hotline about the GM, and to do an investigation... He said when he saw me, and talked to me that day, he said I could see the fear in your face... and it was not your fault what happened... later on I found out that when he got back to the store he was not playing around the office girl( 20 years with the company) said she had never seen him so upset... he did not call the GM but called the other 2 managers in, and did employee interviews with whoever was there, and was the GM surprised when he showed up at 3:00 when he was suppose to be in at noon...We ended up getting a great GM and my ulcer went away...

I'm sorry you went through that. I'm so glad for the happy ending.