Work??

2 weeks is the bare minimum. I went back after 2.5 weeks, but I was completely exhausted and ended up taking quite a few sick days. I had to nap after work every day until about the 3 month mark.

DH's surgeon had him off for 4 weeks, but I'm unsure if that was his standard. DH also had a hernia repair at the same time, so he could have allowed the extra time for that. He felt ok pain-wise by middle of week 2, but was glad for the extra time to acclimate to the new sensations--knowing when to stop eating, chewing long enough, etc. he doesn't think he could have handled that at work at first.

I was out for 3 but could have gone back at 2. I had some $ saved up to where I could afford it and planned ahead. I used that time to really get organized, my clothes, my food prep,and my excersize plan.

Will you need to do anything equivalent to lifting 10 pounds for six weeks after surgery? That's the only thing you must not do.

You'll get tired quickly for the first few months. Is there an opportunity to nap in between dropping kids off at school and when school gets out? You might need a daily nap for a while.

Pain is usually not as big an issue as most people think. Avoiding lifting, and getting tired quickly are the most common issues.

As a Transportation Director, thank you for being concerned about the driver situation, but don't let anyone pressure you to drive until you feel up to it. Better have a late bus than an accident. I've had to remind my managers many times to quit complaining to drivers calling off and making them feel guilty or even pressuring them to come in sick. It's just not worth it. Good luck to you.

I took 8 weeks off and glad that I did. My work requires active, critical thinking, which can be impared with many after anesthesia. I was a very cheap date to anesthesia, and with no complications at all, was very listless for a few weeks. It was about 6 weeks before I felt like myself again, and I was happy for another two weeks to work out a workable routine for work.