I called out of work on Wednesday.
I was sick. I didn't have a fever, nothing to go to the doctor for. I was sick with worry, and from sleeplessness. I spent the night supporting a friend, with help.
No matter how good the cause. or how staunch my resolve, the truth is that a lack of sleep is my kryptonite. It fucks me up, good and hard. I got maybe three hours of sleep.
I woke up around 9:30 in the morning after those three hours of crap sleep, and for the briefest of moments entertained the idea of getting in the car and going into work. Then, the mental & physical sleep debt tide rolled in, and I felt like I'd been hit in the face with a baseball bat. Repeatedly. By someone with bad aim.
So, I took a day. Thankfully, I had some sick leave banked up, so I could. I lay in bed, slept a bunch (poorly, because replacing sleep debt is not a 1-for-1 deal.), even took a VERY long (90+ minutes) bath in our Very Enormous Tub of Awesomeness™ until I could push the chill from my bones, and feel human again.
I'm glad I could do that.