Kaype

Hi! I had my band surgery on Wed 3/10/10. I have a desk job and mentioned to the pre-surgery Psychologist (required by my insurance) that I planned to take about a week off and then go back part-time for another week. She STRONGLY suggested that I take as much time off as I possibly can - at least several weeks. She pointed out that it is not just the physical recovery, but the emotional & psychological adjustment, all that drinking, walking, getting ourselves and our families in a completely different mode and lifestyle than we knew before. I know that sounds a little dramatic :wub: but I realized that there’s a reason I ate myself to 120 lb overweight because it was the easiest thing I enjoyed doing for myself. I have worked full-time my entire life and have never taken significant time off to be ALONE (during the day when hubby and kids are away) with no serious agenda. I realize I am fortunate to have a lot of accumulated leave time, and I was able to catch up on my workload prior to surgery, and <confession> brought a little work home, and can keep in touch by email. I'm also VERY fortunate to have a supportive boss and co-workers, and a job with some flexibility where I can do some work at home if emergencies arise. I also have a health-insurance-mandated weight-loss coach that I speak to weekly by phone. She also advised that I use my time off to think about what I want in my future, and who I want this healthier person to be 10-20 years from now. In other words, I got multiple recommendations to do a lot of deep soul-searching while I'm off. (but maybe that's because I need more help than most people!) LOL Anyway... I have scheduled 2.5 weeks off full-time, then 2 weeks part-time. I have videos, and books, and a small list of low-impact household projects and gardening. Overall I think the two practitioners make good suggestions to permit yourself some down-time just to be good to yourself. But I know that everyone's jobs and situations are different, so whatever you decide, take care of yourself and good luck in your journey!! [No ticker yet but currently down -13 lbs in 13 days since pre-surgery liquid diet]