This week I came down with a cold. Just a regular cold, nothing special. The kind that would definitely not get me out of going to school when I was a kid (after all, my mom was not taking a day off work unless I had a fever or was vomiting).
But last time I had a cold several colleagues commented on how sick I seemed, and there was also the time I got in a coughing fight and it took about 15 minutes to stop. And I have practically nothing to do at work (as usual).
So yesterday as I finished my second pocket pack of tissues, I decided I would see the doctor to get put on sick leave. I called my regular doctor to try to get an appointment after work, but she didn't have any space left. SOS Medecin came to the rescue, and I scheduled an appointment for 5:30.
I felt rather silly explaining why I was there and what my symptoms were (runny nose, swollen lymph nodes on the throat, an occasional cough, fatigue), and the doctor very seriously examined me and then announced he was confident there was no secondary infection and I just had a regular cold.
Then he asked if I worked, and when I said yes, asked whether or not I wanted an arrêt de travail. That was the whole point of being there, so of course I said yes, but it felt so strange to have it left up to me.
This morning I really felt like I was playing hooky. I mean, was I really too sick to go to work? My American side said no. But it's not like I was feeling full of energy and ready to take advantage of the day off (there was still a lot of nose blowing going on). And it's better not the share my cold with my colleagues.
This is my first arrêt de travail since 2010, and while the hassle of having to seeing a doctor and then losing a day pay (the public sector has the 'jour de carence' again) means I won't ask for one at the drop of a hat, I could see myself being more generous with the arrêt de travail.
1 comment:
I'm the first one to point out that France isn't perfect but damn, I like the human way of treating people... here, you'd better not get sick. First your sick days are usually your paid holiday time and you may be asked to bring a note from the doctor, which is ridiculous if you just need a day of rest at home, because who wants to spend four or five hours at the walk-in clinic for a freaking note?!
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