How long are you able to take off work?

This is my very first post! YAY! I usually can find all of my answers by doing a search. On this topic all I can find is how quickly you can go back to work. I'm wanting to know how long you can stay off work? HAHA. Like wondering how long the FMLA is generally approved for or how long the short term disability is paid out?

I can only give you my experience.  My company pays for six weeks of medical leave every year.  I wanted to take the entire six weeks off, but my surgeon said "No way."  He only wanted to give me two weeks, but I negotiated for another week since I had another surgery at the same time of my VSG.  I then took a week off as vacation so I was off work a total of four weeks.

You might ask your surgeon how long he will let you off work before signing a return to work order.  I can't help you on the short term disability issue since my salary was covered. 

The best way to find out is to talk to someone in your HR department, since every workplace is likely different.

How long did I take off? Two weeks.

How long could I? I teach... not a lot of pay but there are other benefits... like sick days. I have about 80 days accumulated that I could have taken off. 

My surgeon wants everybody to be off 4-6 weeks to adjust to new eating habits and to make sure you get fluids and protein in.I pushed pretty hard to go back at 4 weeks since our office was so short handed.....I now wish I would have taken the 6 weeks, walk,go to gym, prep meals....but 4 weeks was awesome:)  I pay for a 7 day wait for long-term disability,so disability kicked in after I covered the first week with sick time :) Check with HR what you are paying into....

I took a week off completely, then super part-time for a week & still working half from home this week. Next week will probably be back full-time. My job doesn't involve much physical activity (no lifting, rarely have to bend, etc.). If I worked in a more physical job, I would've taken 4 full weeks probably, maybe more. 

I'm a teacher and had my surgery June 25 last year so I was able to have 8 weeks to recover and get used to my new way of doing things.

I took 3. I planned for 2, but was still really swollen and needed more time. I took a few sick days and the rest as short term disability. 

I am taking four weeks off. My surgeon would pretty much allow as much as I can afford. Mine is all FMLA and almost all unpaid because I didn't have hardly any leave left.