How soon can I get back to work after the surgery?

I am considering the lap band and I have asked some questions about the surgery. Thanks to all who are being patient with me and answering my questions. I am starting a new job on March 31st. The thing is, I will not be able to take time off from work for 6 months. How many days do I have to take off from work? Can I got back to work the next day? What if I have the surgery done on a Friday evening. My work hours will be M-F 7-3. Also.........what kind of diet will I need to be on down the road after surgery? Actually...where is a site that has frequently asked questions? lol..because I know I am bombarding yall. Thanks

You won't be able to go back to work the next day. I've heard of people going back after about 3 days but I couldn't have done that, i'm a week and a day post op and have to go back this weekend and am a little nervous because I'm still pretty sore. I can't drive until I am off of my narcotics and that scares me too. Most likely if you are just starting this job and you are just starting the process of getting the lapband you won't have to worry about taking time off before the 6 months because it will probably take that long to get everything done. some of the steps for mine for example were 1. attend a informational meeting 2. meet with the surgeon 3. check with your insurance regarding policy on weight loss surgery (mine required a 6 month medically supervised diet and a BMI over 40 or over 35 with other comorbitites ie.sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes etc.) most insurances require a medically supervised diet of some kind 4. nutrition appointments (i had 2) 5. psych eval 6. labs and tests (labs, ekg, abdominal ultrasound, chest xray, etc.) 7. final meeting with surgeon 8. then everything was sent for insurance approval. once I was approved the hospital called me back and we set a date for my surgery about 1 1/2 months away. There are really a lot of steps to getting any kind of weight loss surgery..you will go through almost all of these steps for any surgery you would choose, especially if you are using insurance. If you are going to be a self pay a few of these things might not apply but many still will. As far as having your surgery done on a friday evening, you'll have to research that when you call around to centers that do bariatric surgery because many places have set days and times that they do their surgeries (for example, mine only does his surgeries on tues and wed) I hope this helps you some, probably not stuff you want to hear but my experience so far. To learn more about post op diet and other stuff you might want to know, go to the lapband message board http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/a,messageboard/board_id,5359/ good luck!! Angela

Hi, I agree with Angela, I had my surgery on March 3rd that makes me almost 4 weeks post op. The pain was much more than I expected and I had 1 week off from work, I went back to work very sore with no meds. Driving hurt also, it is a journey and one that can not be rushed. If you try to get back to work too soon or other activities is may slow down your healing process and your long term success. Be patient, I know it is hard but make sure you have the time you need for yourself. Rita