When were you able to function normally again after surgery?

I hope to have my surgery before the end of the year. I have two children, I work part time, and I attend school full time. I am wondering how soon after surgery I can expect to return to my normal activities, ie. walking, driving, cleaning, etc...

Thanks guys!

You should be up and walking the day after surgery. You need to get moving to help get the gas out of your system.

Driving should wait until you're completely off your pain meds, which could be a week or so depending on how you're doing.

You will likely be pretty sore and have limited mobility for at least the first week, quite possibly two. Don't expect to get much cleaning done.

You will also have a lifting restriction. Nothing over 10lb for at least six weeks is common.

Most people are back to work after two weeks, though it's common to feel very run-down and tired for longer than that. I didn't really feel fully like myself until the end of month three.

This was my experience - I'm a mother of 2 and work "part" time (as an attorney that means 30 hours a week) and run a 501(c)(3) foundation. I work both from home and in an office.

I had my surgery on Tuesday morning at 8. I was walking by 3 PM that day and walked every time the nursing staff came in to take vitals or once per hour - which ever came first once they got me to my room around 3. I went home on a full liquid diet Wednesday at 1 pm. I was instructed no baths (I could shower), no swimming, no lifting more than 10 pounds. I could drive as soon as I was off pain meds. (I didn't take any after I left the hospital).

I worked from home on Thursday and Friday, billing 6.5 hours each day - so not quite a full day. I went to the gym and spent an hour on a recumbent bike on Saturday. I went to church as usual on Sunday. I was a bit more tired than normal.

I went to work Monday as scheduled. Other than the 10 pound restriction, which was lifted by my team 3 weeks post-op, my life was pretty normal. I didn't drive on Thursday, but did do some errands on Friday. I did make the kids help more with clean up than I usually do and didn't do any "stretching" cleaning - e.g. I didn't scrub the tub because that kind of reach was uncomfortable for me for about 3 weeks. However, in a pinch, scrubbing bubbles do work pretty well.

Couldn't figure out how to edit the post to add -- FYI = I have had two c-sections and this surgery was a walk in the park versus having a c-section and dealing with a newborn.

Diana, I love this comment, it made me feel so much better. I have had two horrendous c-sections and have been feeling apprehensive about my upcoming VSG surgery because I expected it will be the same or worse than a c-section. Thank for for sharing your experience :)

My recovery went just how Julie mentioned. I was back to feeling like my old self and fully recovered between four and five weeks after my surgery.

I felt tired and cold for close to 3 months but was able to function almost normally at work and with taking care of my toddler right away. I did not take any pain meds after leaving the hospital the day after surgery. I also gave birth without pain meds though so YMMV. I did not honor the lifting restriction and was very lucky that I didn't damage myself.

I work full time and was back at it 8 days after surgery. I had anticipated issues with cleaning, so had my house professionally cleaned the day before surgery and made sure laundry was done. Driving was no problem as I never took any pain meds, even in the hospital (they make me nauseous). I did not feel tired as I made sure to consume adequate liquids and adequate protein. My husband is retired, so I did not have to care for children or worry about household chores.

You should feel free to reach out to any support you have, such as a faith community, to help if needed. Even having a back up to drive or to bring meals for the kids is helpful. People do want to help, and letting them do so with a specific task makes them happy and your life better.

Exactly what Julie said.

I'm a week and a half out and I have been working a few hours each day since my 4th day post-op and will be fully back at work as of Friday this week. The good news for me is that I am able to work from home, so I don't have to be presentable. I have not had much in the way of pain and haven't been taking pain meds so I have been able to drive/run errands on my own. My lifting restriction is 20 lbs which is different than what most surgeons require at 10 lbs and I haven't found that terribly restrictive at all. The one thing aside from my full liquid diet that keeps me from feeling "normal" is that I tire very easily and this has only improved slightly since my surgery. My sister had a VSG in July and I think it took her a full month before she started to regain her energy.