how long did you take off of work?
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benagek
Posts: 46 Member
I am wondering what a realistic recovery time is for me to be ready to be back at my desk job after gastric sleeve surgery. My friend who had the surgery last year said she felt great within 2 to 3 days of surgery and could have easily gone back to work. (But she's a stay at home mom...so I'm not sure if that would be true). I have a flexible job and schedule so I'm thinking it shouldn't be too bad, but I want others opinions.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Day 2 and 3 definitely would have been a no-go for me and I have a desk job. I was 5 days post op before I returned to work. The next 2 weeks were somewhat hellish. I was always tired and weak. Were I to do it all over again, I'd take off at least 2 weeks to give my body a chance to heal and just rest really. I'm 28, relatively active pre-op, high demanding job. I can see if someone older, less active and having a demanding job needing more time to recover, especially if you have complications. Either way, we all heal differently, so I say go w/ your doctor's recommendation first and if you feel ready earlier, head back out to work.0
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i am pre op also my doctors absolutly stress a minumum of 2 weaks because not only are you healing, but it takes some adjusting to sip on water all the tine and the liquid only portion of recovery, also to adjust to the vitamen scheduale.....just thought id give you the point of vew from diff doctor0
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i am pre op also my doctors absolutly stress a minumum of 2 weaks because not only are you healing, but it takes some adjusting to sip on water all the tine and the liquid only portion of recovery, also to adjust to the vitamen scheduale.....just thought id give you the point of vew from diff doctor
This was the same advice I got from my surgeon. I took two weeks off. I felt better the first week but I am really glad I didn't rush back, and I took the time to heal and adjust.0 -
I was back to work after a week off. I probably could have gone back after a few days considering no pain and no problems with mobility, but definitely got very tired by mid afternoon and needed to take naps. So a week was good for me and I have a desk job.0
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If you have a flexible schedule you can go back sooner. I have a desk job but am able to work from home. After a couple days I started working a few hours a day.
It is really important to be very prepared beforehand though. Be sure you have "food" planned out and don't get caught up in work and forget to be sipping on water or eat. You can't make up time in the day so you need to be on top of that before throwing work in to the mix.0 -
I had the RNY, however my surgeon prescribed two weeks off for both RNY and sleeve. I work in IT, and I'll be honest, I probably could have gone back to work after just a week, however even after 2 weeks off I was thoroughly beat by the end of my first couple of days at work.0
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I was off for a full week after VSG. Physically, I was capable of returning to work, and was not in pain or nauseous. I was a bit fuzzy, mentally, though. Not too bad, but it was not a very productive week for me at the office.0
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I took two weeks off and needed them, even for my desk job. I was still exhausted and just needed to focus on getting my fluids and protein in. Even for the first three days that I did go back to work, I only made it until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon and then went home because I was too tired.0
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I just had my pre-op yesterday, I have surgery next Thursday. My surgeon gave me a work off order for 3 weeks. I am sure I will not need that much but I will take the rest.0
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I had the sleeve done on a Tuesday. I was suppose to have a work call from home on Friday but had to cancel. I went back to work part-time on Monday (teaching a 2 hour class where I was on my feet.) I was still a little sore while driving and I was tired in the afternoon, but it was very manageable. If you can, I would take a week and then work half-time or reduced hours for the next few days, and then back to full-time after that.0
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Thanks! I have taken a full week off and then I will just see how it goes after that I guess. I just don't want to pass out at work or anything so just want to be fully prepared.
I appreciate all your comments!0 -
My doctor wouldn't let me take less than 2 weeks, I ended up taking 4. I was healthy and off pain meds and feeling okay at 2 weeks, but I am glad I took the full 4 to re-train myself to eat at specific times and figure out how much liquid I could handle at once, etc.0
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My doc recommended 4-6 weeks off so I took all 6. I'm glad I did as I was barely back to functioning like a human even 4 weeks after the surgery. I found it very difficult to concentrate and was constantly fatigued. Everyone's different, one of my friends had the surgery and she was at a bday party 3 days later like nothing had happened.0
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I was back at work in two weeks and only had a little discomfort and soreness. I have a desk job so had to get up through out the day and walk around discomfort was from sitting to long.0
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I had sleeve surgery on Thursday and went back to work on Monday. I only needed pain meds for the first two days. I work in an office so my job does not require any lifting and I am not on my feet very much.0
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I have a desk job and was off 2 weeks. Physically I could have gone back sooner, but a friend, who also had WLS went back early and felt he really didn't have a handle on the food and water requirements and how he was going to make that work with his job, so he told me to take my full 2 weeks. I did and when I came back I knew what I needed to do and how I was going to get it done.
Pat.0 -
I just wanted to put this out there. Why do we all find the need to rush back to work? Do you not have short term insurance or time accrued and do it because of financial pressure? I do have insurance to cover my time off, so I plan on taking as much time as I need. This might sound lazy in today's culture, but I look at it this way. We are making modifications to our bodies basic functions, and huge mental and physical changes. I want to return to work, strong, not weak. I want to be prepared to handle those first days back, not feeling like I need to take a nap or am completly miserable, because I still havent figured out how to balance my food, water and work at the same time. Please, for all us upcoming WLS patients, take your time. I think the more we push, the harder it is and this is already a huge undertaking.
For all you veterans, please include in your answer:
Did you return quickly due to money
Was your return seamless or did you struggle
Thank you all0 -
I just wanted to put this out there. Why do we all find the need to rush back to work? Do you not have short term insurance or time accrued and do it because of financial pressure? I do have insurance to cover my time off, so I plan on taking as much time as I need. This might sound lazy in today's culture, but I look at it this way. We are making modifications to our bodies basic functions, and huge mental and physical changes. I want to return to work, strong, not weak. I want to be prepared to handle those first days back, not feeling like I need to take a nap or am completly miserable, because I still havent figured out how to balance my food, water and work at the same time. Please, for all us upcoming WLS patients, take your time. I think the more we push, the harder it is and this is already a huge undertaking.
For all you veterans, please include in your answer:
Did you return quickly due to money
Was your return seamless or did you struggle
Thank you all
Good points. As I said in my response, although I could have gone back sooner, I took my full 2 weeks for just the reasons you stated. I wanted to be sure I totally understood what I needed to have food and water wise and make sure I knew how I was going to work that around my job.
I agree wholeheartedly. If you can take the time, have the insurance and leave to provide the income, take your full amount of time. It makes it so much easier to work our plans when we are really comfortable with what we need to do for our new tummies and new lifestyle.
Pat0 -
I had medical leave and vacation that I could have taken. I went back to work because I felt like the sooner I could develop a regular routine the better it would be for me. I did spend a good bit of time prior to surgery planning out how I was going to manage my meals at work, so I felt prepared in that area. I returned to work 4 days after surgery and I did not have any problems. I feel very fortunate that I had very little pain and discomfort after the second day post op. I know that is not the case for everyone, so I believe it is important to listen to your body and do what you think is best for you.0
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Hello
I assumed based in everyone's comments that two weeks was sufficient. While I'm not in pain anymore, I am still off work on week three and not intending to rush back full time until week five, which is what my Dr. Gives. My job allows for work from home flexibility, so I am doing about 2-4 hours a day starting this week, but it find that I am very easily fatigued and am not ready to be back at my desk job all day. I typically work ten hours at work and working at home I am still finding that by mid- afternoon I have no energy. So I would be pretty useless sitting at my desk with in concentration. I am still on purée food for a few more weeks, so I hope that my energy comes back as I eat more. I fully expected to be back to work after a week or two, and had to be convinced to take the extra time I need and not rush back. There is something to be said about giving yourself a chance to adjust to changes and get your strength back even if physically you aren't in pain...0
