Have a date...work?

I was approved and my date is May 4. Like many others I am terribly concerned over what my life will be like post surgery. I do feel like I am affirming a commitment to myself by getting sleeved. Still frightening that the ultimate solution is cutting away most of a healthy stomach and essentially putting my body into starvation mode....

Anyway, I am telling almost nobody about surgery. I will have it on a Thursday morning. Plan to be back at work on Monday. And it's a seriously crazy work week, as first a management offsite on that Monday and then corporate expo Tuesday. I am a major organizer for both. What advice can you give me to get through? I am going to stay glued to the water bottle, which is good. I will of course need to be at the obligatory team dinner but can order just a soup or something and then not eat it... main concern is being not obvious about recent surgery and also not showing weakness or falling apart... It's just two days. My manager does know in case of emergency. But I really need to keep quiet on it....

I know other sleeved people have been through going back to work shortly after surgery, so thought I would ask.

I was approved and my date is May 4. Like many others I am terribly concerned over what my life will be like post surgery. I do feel like I am affirming a commitment to myself by getting sleeved. Still frightening that the ultimate solution is cutting away most of a healthy stomach and essentially putting my body into starvation mode....

Anyway, I am telling almost nobody about surgery. I will have it on a Thursday morning. Plan to be back at work on Monday. And it's a seriously crazy work week, as first a management offsite on that Monday and then corporate expo Tuesday. I am a major organizer for both. What advice can you give me to get through? I am going to stay glued to the water bottle, which is good. I will of course need to be at the obligatory team dinner but can order just a soup or something and then not eat it... main concern is being not obvious about recent surgery and also not showing weakness or falling apart... It's just two days. My manager does know in case of emergency. But I really need to keep quiet on it....

I know other sleeved people have been through going back to work shortly after surgery, so thought I would ask.

For me, it seems completely unlikely that you'll be able to hide something like this after 5 days. You'll be tired, possibly still sore, possibly cranky, but most of all just tired and fatigued. You'll probably want to/need to take a nap or three. People who tend to go back to work early also tend to have low-key jobs.

So you have options - you can disclose your surgery. You can disclose that you've had surgery and then tell people "but I'd rather not talk about that since it's personal. What do you think of this report?" You could lie and say you've had another surgery "I had a hernia repair, so I'm a bit sore and tired, but I'm here! What do you think of this report?" (I don't recommend the lying option.)

Good luck.

I'm scheduled for May 1. My surgeon refuses to let me return to work for at least 4 weeks, possibly 6. And I have a desk job. The time frame you are hoping for doesn't sound like enough for you to heal and get back to a regular work schedule. Whatever you and your surgeon decide on, I wish you best wishes on your journey!

Even though it is a laproscopical procedure - it is imo - a major surgery.

You may be ok. Or not. First couple of weeks I was in pain if I fid something to stress the abdominal area. And I was easily tired. A trip to a store - and I needed a nap. I was drinking enough and getting enough proteins.

Even after 4 weeks I was very weak and tired easily.

I appreciate the feedback. I thought, I can power through the days. And then after that should be more business as usual so I can be more flexible and get the rest I might need.

I guess I should expect to be weak. And sore. But still mentally functional?

I would agree with your last statements. You might want to say you are not feeling well and shorten your days or take a day off here or there. It will be true (you won't be 100% for the first few weeks).

I was not mentally all there first couple of weeks. Being tired, pain, post anesthesia effect, pain pills - all of that had effect on my.

I learned that any anesthesia affects me. The longer I was under the worse I was. Pain pills - they are great for pain but they make me feel "stupid"..

Fyi- I am an engineer and manager in my company. First 2 weeks after the surgery I was told not to sign any contracts or any important legal docs.

You may be fine after a couple of days...Or you my feel sick. Only time would tell.

There is a good chance that you won't be mentally functioning at full capacity either for at least 2 weeks. It's not something you should plan on.

Mental functionality is exactly what got some people into trouble being too ambitious about returning to work early. You may be able to put on a fake smile and say "I don't know what got into me, I feel tired today", but if you're expecting to do any critical thinking, you're setting yourself up for a struggle. If your participation in that week's events is important, then I suggest you reschedule your surgery and try to schedule a couple of weeks off at minimum. The standard is 4 weeks. Those that bounce back as quickly as you expect are not the norm.

It was at least 3 weeks that the pictures on the television just moved too fast for me to pay attention to. It was 6 weeks before I started feeling like myself again. Fortunately, I took off 8 weeks total and I was able to hit the ground running at that point. Did I mention that my recovery was picture perfect and event free?