Hi,

I am contemplating Gastic Sleeve using the DaVinci Robotic process. Have been for 2 years. I play a lot of Golf, 105, and 90 times per year(2016, 2017). Just don't walk the course often. I do this with a couple of medical issues. Lower Back, Apnea, Slightly high blood pressure. No Diabetes, or other issues.

I am curious on the (typical) recovery process from a work/travel perspective, Sex and/Or Golf).

Will I be able to travel for week, within two weeks? Should I wait until I get to Solid foods, etc..

How long will it be until I recover internally, versus external incisions?
Do they use staples, Stiches, Glue on the external incisions?
Has anyone had their incisions open up due to activity?

I am not a medical doc - but I can share my experience of 2 surgeries - lapband implant, removal 10 years later, revision to sleeve. They were all laproscopic surgeries.

Incisions are not the big issue - they healed quite readily. Being able to get enough liquids in is much more of an issue. Having enough energy, getting used to all the crazy food phases, mood swings due to hormone changes due to rapid weight loss etc was much bigger deal. I was also warned to be careful for 6 weeks - no heavy lifting (like 5 pound limit!) to avoid creating adhesions.

So, deskjobs people often go back to work in 2-3 weeks. I personally felt like HELL for closer to 6 weeks - I would have NOT been up to do business travel within 2 weeks of surgery - it was a big adjustment for me. It was even longer before I felt fully human to be honest, but I was doing normal stuff around 6 weeks or so.

I was riding horses about 6-7 weeks post op, for example.

I don't golf, but I was back in the gym doing cardio on Saturday after a Tuesday surgery. (Slowly, on a recumbent bike, but doing cardio). I was back working with my personal trainer after 3 weeks (cleared by my surgeon to do so.) I work at a desk, so I was back in the office 6 days after surgery, but did work from home a couple of times a week for that first week or two after surgery.

The biggest hit was the energy department for me - it took me a good 2 months to feel like I had most of my energy back, but anesthesia usually knocks me on my butt for a good 5 weeks after a surgery - just the way my body deals with it. Six weeks after surgery I was out of town for a week to handle my mother's funeral - no real problems related to the sleeve there.

Best of luck.

As someone who travels for work a lot-- there's no way. Travel requires lifting baggage and walking all over airports, with limited food options etc. At two weeks, you'll likely be on a mostly liquid diet, you can't lift more than 10-20 lbs, and trust me when I tell you, the change in diet makes you feel weak and tired more than usual. Walking your way around a large airport dragging luggage will drain you of any energy you have.

If you have the surgery, see if you can get some good time off. I only took a week off, but told my boss I can't travel for a month. I work from home/office now and I'm doing fine.