*guh* you have my sympathies- how bonkers are sickness policies?! Some people get ill more often than others, you may have this one year when you hit a rough patch, and then not be ill next year at all, does it cancel itself out then?? I had a similar dispute a few years back. I had quite a lot of time off as I kept getting ill, I was awaiting my tonsils being removed (which I informed them in the job interview), which would hopefully solve the problem. The day after my op I had a phone call from the 'big boss' to demand I attend work that day, as I had already had too much time of ill, and he didn't remember authorising my operation haha?!?!?! In his opinion if I could *croak* down the phone I was fit to work, I informed him my surgeon disagreed, and as he was medically trained I'd be taking his word for it! Idiots aren't they! Chin up, don't let the beggars grind you down. Good luck :-)