Canceling A days actually weakens CX's hand as now they have only 30 days free reserve from based crew annually. So while that is inconvenient for commuters, it is worse for CX than unlimited strings of A days. You can put a reserve day in front of every trip, but those go away with the sick note too. With all this new reserve on bases, pilots will be happy to book off the day of their trip, if not mere hours before sign on. (Same can be said of HKG crew who can't get proper rest in those crappy hotels before the flight) Getting that sick note can take the better part of a day you know
Cheer up. The possibilities are limitless.