Life Decisions...

[erica_az 2]

I am in a bit of a quandry and would love some insight from those of you who have already had your surgery. Here's my situation...

I am currently pre-op, surgery will likely be scheduled for late March/early April. I have been contemplating surgery for years and finally made a decision and I feel really good about it.

Work has been awful lately. I'm bored with what I'm doing, I have a frustrating boss, etc. So the surgery (and the subsequent FML) was coming at a great time to get a little break from the monotony. This week, however, a promotional opportunity presented itself. A very exciting opportunity that would boost my career in all the right directions. The one catch is that I can't do both right now. If I go for the job opportunity, I have to postpone the surgery probably 6 months.

i'm really struggling because I am at a point where I want to take care of ME and move forward with the surgery. But this job opportunity is just the thing I've been waiting for and I've got a decent chance at it.

I wanted to throw this out to this community to see what your thoughts are. For those of you have already have had the surgery, knowing what you know now, what would you have done?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[Jaime_Boston 44]

How long was the FML? I'm only taking 2 weeks off and will work from home post op for a few weeks. Is working from home at all an option?

[erica_az 2]

My doc gives 2-3 weeks FML. Unfortunately, because this new position involves an urgent/time sensitive project I would have to be physically at the facility and likely working lots of hours.

[CoffeeGrinDR 148]

I only took a few days off and was back at work. I was really tired for 3 weeks but I was able to work.

[elfnow 277]

Do the surgery. Your newfound confidence and presence will change how you are perceived in the office and allow you to feel good enough to interview elsewhere.

[able2cope 193]

I agree with elfnow - My condifence has certainly grown since I had the surgery. It does seem to have changed how people perceive me too - although I realise that shouldn't really be the case.

[Seela 1,187]

Personally I would take the promotion. You sound excited about it and it's not like you're not going to be able to have the surgery. You're just putting it off for 6 months. Use that time to continue to make healthier changes. Getting a great boost at work and not being miserable in your job can really help you have more success with wls. Good luck

[Bufflehead 6,358]

I think if it were me I would take the promotion and put the surgery off. I had to wait a year between starting out and actually getting my surgery, due to various insurance company snafus. I was really resentful of the waiting (almost took my own money and went right to Mexico) but in the long run I got my surgery and am really pleased with where I am right now. Being unhappy in your job is something that sounds like it could last longer than the six months you'd be unhappy waiting for surgery, if that makes sense. But only you can know what will be right for you. Good luck!

[roundisashape 712]

My instinct would be to take the job so there would be something good to come back to - plus, those opportunities don't come up every day!

Before you make any final decisions, you might want to check with your insurance company. I believe mine gives 1 year after meeting their requirements (the 6 month supervised weight loss attempt, etc) to get the surgery before I'd have to start all over again. Some give more or less, and you wouldn't want to be in a position of having to start from scratch if you miss their deadline by a few weeks.

[lnelson796 117]

I agree to take the promotion! Surgery will still be there when the project is completed. And you'll be in a better mindset because of the better job. Plus you can use that time to start the mental adjustment into your new way of eating, and work on your meal planning during that time. I was grateful I took 4 months before surgery to change my eating habits, which made the transition post surgery so much easier.

[erica_az 2]

Thank you all! I hadn't thought of the difference between going into the surgery under work stress vs. going into surgery being happy at work. Being in a good frame of mind is essential to healing and success. That definitely helps as I consider the options.