Will taking sick days as a TCO affect my chances of getting my contract extended?

Hi everyone, looking for some advice from anyone.

I’m currently a TCO and it looks fairly likely that I’ll be kept on/extended, although I haven’t been formally offered an extension yet. I really want to stay, so i don’t want to mess up.

I’ve already had one day off sick during my current contract, but I’ve had a flu/cold that just hasn’t fully gone away and I’m still quite unwell. I was in work today and honestly felt terrible runny nose, coughing etc.

I also feel a bit embarrassed coughing around the people sitting beside me. If I’m honest, I know I personally hate sitting beside someone who is clearly sick, and I’d feel like I was being selfish coming into work when I’m coughing constantly.

My worry is that if I call in sick again tomorrow, management might think I’m taking the piss or that I’m unreliable, and that it could somehow reduce my chances of being kept on.

For anyone who has been a TCO before (or manages TCOs), is having a couple of sick days during a contract generally completely normal? Would you think taking another day or two off with an ongoing illness could affect whether you’d recommend someone for an extension?

I obviously don’t want to suffer through work purely because I’m scared of losing the extension, but I also don’t want to unnecessarily damage my chances of being kept on.

Would appreciate any experiences/opinions!