lie

I am very fortunate with my bosses and it's a big part of why I don't leave the godforsaken bible belt.

If I had a good reason to stay home for the day, unplanned, I would be honest with my bosses (I support four attorneys). If they needed me, I would come in regardless. If they didn't really need me, they would give me an "All good."

I try very hard to live radically honest and avoid making up excuses.

Usually been lucky enough to have bosses I can be entirely honest with.

When I worked... I knew the schedule for the next day. We would sit in meetings discussing breaks and lunch and parts and who does what and estimated time of completion. I would have to get sick at work and tell them I may not be able to make the following day. They would pull an extra to sit in the meetings. It sucked... but it paid well. I made great money by suiting up and showing up.

I haven't been sick in...a few years? I also haven't taken an unscheduled day off in about the same amount of time. I really should though. Oh well

What ever it takes !!
Enjoy !

Most of the pricks I've worked for wouldn't give me a day off unless I lied to them or was half dead.

Yep, and yep. I do both depending on the situation.

Doing that at the moment but I'm usually pretty honest about it.

In some cases the failure to recognise the danger inherent in some illnesses is inadequately recognised within many workplaces. I refer not just to infectious diseases but illnesses that affect an employee's ability to perform competently and safely. Even office workers can cause deaths through negligence.
You can kill as many people by inadvertently burning down a sweatshop garment factory with locked doors as you can by ploughing a 40 ton truck into crowds going into a football stadium.
Illnesses ranging from tooth ache, endometriosis, depression, menstruation to obsessive compulsive personality disorder etc. can all seriously affect competency and employee safety.

[aviva.co.uk]

? You don't deserve it ?

I look at this from the management point of view. I never cared if a good employee took time off, because I knew they would make it up. By law in Europe, people are allowed a limited time off for illness. I never bothered to check for my good staff. Bad staff never lasted long - one's boss usually knows when you are pulling the wool, and chooses not to acknowledge it unless it becomes habitual.

When you play in a band there is no calling in sick. I have played with a fever over 100 a few times. I once played with a drum stick taped to my hand because l smashed my fingers when the hood of a car fell on my hand and latched. The show must go on.

If you mention some mild form of dysentery, they never ask questions