I am new here. I have my referral to see the surgeon but haven't scheduled my appointment yet. I was wondering if anyone here is a bedside nurse at a hospital and how long you had to take off after surgery before heading back to work?

Thanks!!

I'm also a bedside nurse and wondering the same thing. Thank you for asking!

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I was an RN house supervisor at a small specialty hospital when I was sleeved 2.5 years ago.

I was fine enough to return to work after 1 week, but ended up taking 2 weeks off to utilize excess PTO hours that I had accrued.

I actually work on the floor where the bariatric patients go post-surgery. One of the other nurses asked the bariatric coordinator and she said that she would have to be off work for 3 months. I am hoping for more clarification once I meet with the surgeon. I will do that if need be but I also need to find out about short-term disability if that is the case.

Just now, nursebb said:

One of the other nurses asked the bariatric coordinator and she said that she would have to be off work for 3 months.

Please...3 months is rabid overkill, especially for a sleeve, band, or bypass.

These are simple, minimally-invasive laporascopic surgeries. My sleeve was a same-day procedure: I was operated on in the morning and sent home that night.

Those with no complications and sedentary jobs often return to work in 1 week. Those with complications, slower healing, and/or laborious jobs usually return to work in 2 to 4 weeks.

But 3 months (12 whopping weeks)? The bariatric coordinator who said that is living in La La Land among the ivory towers and unicorns who fart rainbows.

I am a nurse in day surgery, I took off 2 weeks and was ok. I'm charge, so my situation is a little different. 3 months seems like a long time. Which surgery r u planning to have done?

14 minutes ago, Rita48 said:

Which surgery r u planning to have done?

According to the profile, (s)he plans to have a gastric sleeve.

12 hours ago, Introversion said:

unicorns who fart rainbows

@Introversion

visualizing above

always great posts by you

who loves ya baby??

kathy

I am a L&D/OB OR nurse. I am waiting to get my surgery date but my Dr recommended 4 weeks off of work since I will be sleeved with a hernia repair.

1 hour ago, Kate D said:

I am a L&D/OB OR nurse. I am waiting to get my surgery date but my Dr recommended 4 weeks off of work since I will be sleeved with a hernia repair.

I also had a hernia repair at the same time I was sleeved. I had no pain after the 4th postoperative day. I returned to work (post-acute stroke floor) 2 weeks later with lots of heavy patients.

I work in an extremely busy and heavy surgical ward and I was told 3 weeks. I'm 6 days out and feel like 2 would be suffice since I'm so bored at home. But I can understand the 3, don't want adhesions or to pull anything down the track. I'm going back to a set of nights, and the best part is, work doesn't know what I've had done so it worked out well for me!

Unfortunately I will not have the benefit of my floor not knowing that I had the surgery. Because I will be a patient on the floor that I work on. I was able to watch a gastric sleeve surgery today at work. Definitely gives me a different viewpoint, but I still really want to have it done. Hoping to schedule an appointment with the surgeon for my initial appointment early December.

I am a veterinary nurse, not quite the same, but I am on my feet all day and doing physical patient care. I went back after 2 weeks, I wish I had taken 3. Felt OK after 2 weeks but non stop active days left me weak, depleted and a bit sore, felt much better the 3rd week. I'm a month out now and feel "normal", as if i've never had surgery.

Good luck to you!

I also had a hernia repair at the same time I was sleeved. I had no pain after the 4th postoperative day. I returned to work (post-acute stroke floor) 2 weeks later with lots of heavy patients.

That’s good to hear because I was worried about only being off for four weeks. The patients on my unit are larger sized ladies (pregnant) and can be immobile due to epidurals or spinals. So, it requires a lot of lifting and turning of my patients.

I work on med surg and had to take off 6 wks due to lifting restriction.

I'm mental health...right now

HW: 265
SW: 250
CW: 188