Question:
How long after WLS can you return to work moving heavy material?

Would like to talk with other men working as laborer who have had WLS. Am around 390# and 44 years old...hoping to have surgery in 2 months. Need to know what to expect. THANKS.    — Mike B. (posted on February 16, 2002)

February 16, 2002
ONLY consider LAP. 30% of opens get a incisional hernia post op, because the muscle wall is cut. LAPS have a near zero chance of hernias. This is why I picked LAP. My job involves heavy lifting of things up to around a 100 pounds, My surgeon released me to regular lifting a 30 days post op. I actually was lifting heavy things about 12 days post op, only as needed. Its my own business and some things had to be done. I moved perhaps 4000 pounds of material at about a month post op. Read my profile it details some of this.
   — bob-haller

February 16, 2002
I second Bob's response. If you have to do heavy lifting, do not consider having an open surgery. I am 5 months post-op and think I have a hernia from reaching - no heavy lifting involved. I was cleaning out the car and reached under the seat to retrieve a scraper and windshield deicer. The heaviest thing I've carried is a bag of groceries.
   — [Anonymous]

February 16, 2002
Wow... this is such a subjective question that needs to be personalized between you and your doctor. The variables between each individual are soo different. The most major variable is whether or not you are having open or lap. Either way you will not be able to lift a lot of weight...your insides will be the same in each surgery... the chances for hernia are much less with a lap, but the chances of messing up inside are too high... please discuss this with your doctor... he/she will be whose advice that will need to be followed... he/she could answer this question at anytime..... good luck to you....
   — Pamela W.