Are there any guys in here?

Good am,

Welcome to the VA Board! In addition to the advice and experiences you've already received I think its really ambitious to try and return to work sooner than you really should. I worked in Quality Assurance when I returned to work and I had LAP and was not able to get bac****il 4 weeks to the day I had surgery. LAP is actually less invasive than Open so you should really talk with Dr. Hutcher about what the expectations are for a safe return to work. As for the physical part what others have mentioned such as gas and a basic uncomfortable feeling is right. You'll want to make sure to follow all the rules in order to obtain the best results.

All best!

Dr. Hutcher is absolutely amazing! He did my surgery and he saved my life. I did not go back to work for 4 1/2 months but I had lots of complications. I am sure he can give you a safe time to return to work. Let us know what he says. Good luck!

Howdy LC,

I had open w/Dr. Hutcher and was making good progress for a couple of days then had to go back in as 1of my kidneys stopped working, as it was determined after if started back up, but it set me back 5 days out for 5 days, so I was on liquids for 3 weeks and even though ai was moving more, that first week, I was really wrung-out from surgery.  It is a major surgery and your body is definitley in need of healing time.  I went back to my desk job after 4 weeks and wish I had waited 6.  I was fortunate to have an nderstanding boss and a slight work load as I finished all of my assigned projects for the month before I left for surgery.  Boy did that prove to be a good move.  Yuo will do great as you sound motivated and determined but trying to do too much too fast can do more harm than good.  You also have to learn to listen to your body and be smart for the best results.

The VA Board, Exercise and Fitness Board and Men's Boards are where I hang out.  Great folks out here on OH.  It was a real benefit to me, looking at all the before and after pictures and reading the inspiring homepages and experiences.  And you can be as candid as you want, particularly on the Men's Board, but the folks on all the boards are MORE than helpful.

Contact me anytime. I'll be glad to help all I can, or all you want.  I live in Colonial Heights and work at Fort Lee during the week.  I'd be glad to meet you and talk in person if you'd prefer that too.

Joe
[email protected]
(w) 734-2074
(h) 526-1817

Thanks for the info. I guess I am just worried because I am self employed and don't have anything to fall back on. I need to keep my small business running even if I am not out working, but at least at work part of the day over seeing things.

I am really excited and motivated to make this work. I have stuck to my LSD all last week and this week, have not been hungry at all. Actually enjoyed eating differant food. I had gotten tired of all the other food I was eating.

I plan to do a lot of walking and working out. I am tired of having to shop online and pay $95 for shirts, even though I like them, rather be able to bu off the shelf or at least have the option to.

Yay! A pic to see who we are talking too! Congrats on sticking to the LSD. Commonwealth's diet wasn't horribly strict and actually the progression to different stages of diets post op isn't horrible.

I am sure you will do fine. Again, welcome to the boards and congrats on your surgery!