Question

Good Morning,

I am having surgery in the near future. The board is fantastic and a great help in answering questions but I have one that I have not seen any talk about.

How soon have people been able to return to work after surgery?

Thanks

Bill

The answer to that has to do with what type of job you have and your tolerance for pain. You should not drive until you are completely off all prescription pain meds for at least a few days. I have a desk job and could return to work in a week. While my daughter has a job where she is on her feet and has to lift,she had to be off wor****il her first follow up appt. 2 weeks after surgery. She then returned to work with a lifting restriction for an additional 2 weeks.

thanks for the info. alot goes through you mind before surgery

Hi Bill,
I was off work for a week as well. I too have a desk job. Talk to your Dr., he/she will be able to give you an idea of how long you will be off work based on the amount of physical activity is required.
Best wishes to you.
Leslie

Of course everyone heals at different rates. MY experience, I could have gone back to work in 3 days, but I took two full weeks, and the week I went  back I did 2 hours the first day and increased 2 hours every day.

IMHO, If you can afford it - I suggest that everyone take at least two weeks - and here's why

(A) You need to get into the right "mind-set", especially when it comes to your "eating regiment". If you’re anything like me, in the past you never ‘ate’ when you were suppose to. You skipped meals, ate the wrong things, etc.

In order to be successful, you need to follow the rules; eat at specific times; drink all day, etc. Even in an “office" atmosphere, sometimes things are hectic, and you may start “short changing’ yourself in the beginning.

Get down a good foundation, and this way when things DO become CRAZED, you’ll know that no matter how nuts it is, YOU need to take care of YOURSELF FIRST

(B) I always feared, God-forbid what happens if something goes wrong, and I am at work. In my case, NO ONE could have picked me up if I fell. And many “on site nurses" have no bariatric training and/or knowledge. The anesthesia may also cause you to be groggy and/or cause body pain for a few weeks.

So if you have vacation time coming to you, then take it. If you don’t, and want to spread it over a “long weekend" – then do that too. But if you think you’re the type of person who can go back to work after a few days, then choose that.

Only you know you ;D !!

I was back on campus, walking around and going to class. Carrying my books. Driving. All within four days. Had surgery on Thursday, went back on Monday. :DDD



Good luck.

I returned to work with 1 week off. im an rn in an icu and my charge nurse was kind enough to give me 'gentle' assignments.
like the earlier poster said ' it depends on how fast you normally heal and what your job is'

Hi Bill,

I agree with Tom, I also took two weeks off. I felt better on the first week but I wanted to make sure I wasn't feeling dizzy anymore and that I had set my times for eating.. because just like Tom said I too skipped meals and didn't have a set scheduled. The two weeks off helped me eat my three meals a day and at the times I needed so not to be starving.... I also travel alot in my job and didn't want to be driving or flying until I knew for sure I was ok... But just like everyone said talk to your doctor because it also depends what type of work you do....

Good Luck...
Janitzia

I took two weeks off, but felt pretty good after a week.  I also am a desk job (mostly) worker.