Is it normal for ear infections to last this long?

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11 Comments

So this shitty co-worker was sick for four out of five days the week after Christmas. He came back on the fifth day. Before this he refused to use power equipment for what I assume is laziness. He always made me or someone else do his work.

Ever since he came back he has been claiming he had an ear infection which affects his equilibrium. I think it's just an excuse to do less work.

I looked online and the general consensus is about a five day recovery. It's been like three weeks. The boss talked to him about it last week and this co-worker got very mad and claimed that the situation was out of his hands and more or less shifted the responsibility onto HR.

I am getting very annoyed with having to do his work. It's gotten to the point where everyone just expects it of me. I'm the only one willing to go the extra mile at work and I'm at the point where I'm willing to risk my job security for a new job.

What do you guys think? Am I just another young person with a superiority complex or are my feelings justified? He's middle aged if that matters.

Voting Results
33% Normal
Based on 6 votes (2 yes)
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Comments ( 11 )
  • mystery7
    9 years ago

    Yes it is definitely normal for ear infections to knock someone out for 5 days and more.

    I have just recovered from a viral inner ear infection. It took almost a month to be ok. Balance is one of those things we take for granted until we lose it.

    Until it happens to you, you have no idea. To give you a small taste of it try spinning around for say a minute then see how straight you can walk after that. Imagine being stuck with a feeling something like that non-stop for weeks. It totally sucks.

    And it's an invisible disorder , no one but you can tell that anything is wrong.

    The inner ear is very complex and lots of things can go wrong.

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    • Neuria
      9 years ago

      He's still sick and can use ladders just fine. When talking to someone about work, he has trouble hearing them. if he's talking to someone about sports or how shitty the manager is, he can hear them just fine. Now you tell me if this sounds legitimate.

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  • Neuria
    9 years ago

    I just found out he went to the health clinic, it's one of those cheap places. He has gotten three doctor's notes from them. From what I have heard they aren't the best place. It wouldn't surprise me if they're just handing him notes. I see him take some kind of pill but I don't know if it's an antibiotic or an aspirin.

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  • Avant-Garde
    9 years ago

    Does he have health insurance? That could be why he hasn't seen a doctor. Doctor's and the procedures they order, are so terribly expensive. Insurance only pays a portion of it, still leaving you with a gigantic some. Scary. The last medical bills I got are the last that I hope ever receive. It is so outrageously expensive!

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  • thegypsysailor
    9 years ago

    I think any half way intelligent boss would have demanded a doctor's report on this employee's condition.
    So don't go blaming the employee because he's smarter than the lot of you, for getting you all to do his work for him.

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    • Neuria
      9 years ago

      As far as I know HR is the only one he's actually talked to. My boss has no balls to demand to see a doctor's note. And again, from what I've heard he has only told HR that his ears hurt so he can't use the power equipment.

      My company is crazy about safety so all anyone has to do to get out of work is say their ears hurt.

      There are differences to day shift and night shift though. Day shift has managers and bosses with balls. They also rarely use power equipment. So if he were on day shift he'd be told to do a lot of bull shit work and he'd have to bring in a note.

      Night shift uses power equipment a lot. There is only one boss and he has no balls. So there aren't any menial tasks for him to do. He gets away with working very slow. All he does is collect a party check.

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  • howaminotmyself
    9 years ago

    Ear infections in adults isn't really that common. I never got them as a child but have had many since becoming an adult. My hearing suffers from it. As well as other, more subtle issues.

    The problem for me was that the ear infection always was the result of a sinus infection gone bad. So bad that my ear drums ruptured. I didn't tell people the specifics of my illness. It isn't really their business. But that can take up to two weeks to heal properly. And depending on how bad it is, you may have a lot of equilibrium fluid to build back up. Whenever I have sinus trouble today, my equilibrium is off. It's not noticeable to the outside world, but I feel it. But mostly, my hearing is all over the place and echos confuse the hell out of me.

    So he could just be being lazy. But feeling disoriented isn't exactly a fun feeling. I try not to judge too harshly when people are sick. I'd hate for someone to not believe me. But if he is a schmuck, do you really want him using power equipment?

    And I can think of worse things than being labeled a reliable and hard worker. I know it feels unfair, but you won't have this job forever. And how you deal with a difficult situation now will help you in later life. Talk to your supervisor, tell him you feel like you are doing more than others. Perhaps he trusts you more than the others to get the job done right.

    Good luck.

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    • Neuria
      9 years ago

      I've told him and he just tells me to worry about myself. It's like he thinks I'm acting out when I bring up how lazy everyone else is.

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      • howaminotmyself
        9 years ago

        How often do you bring it up? No one likes a constant whiner. Even in my small office we have the one lady who complains about everyone and her voice doesn't carry much weight because of it.

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        • Neuria
          9 years ago

          Once every few weeks.

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  • Spankz
    9 years ago

    As a child (aged 3-12 or 13) I used to get extremely severe ear infections to the point where my hearing would be affected. However, although these infections could last for weeks on end I can say that they have NEVER affected my ability to do anything. I still played sports, helped my dad around the house, etc. I didn't even miss school.

    So, in my opinion it's kind of BS that he's blaming this on his ear. If it's really a concern why hasn't he sought medical help either? Surely he must have SOMETHING that would relieve the irritation. When I was young I had to put ear drops in every 3-4 hours when my ears were infected. Do you ever see him do this? It's highly unlikely that he has a diagnosed infection without prescribed medication. He might be on anti-biotics, but I remember I had to take those once every 4 hours as well. Have you noticed him take any medication? With his ear infection as severe as his he would NEED it. Maybe he isn't taking it so he continuously con you into doing his work.

    Your boss can legally request a doctor's note, I suggest you tell him that. That way you can be sure that this guy's illness is real and he isn't just using it as an excuse to fuck the dog all day.

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