Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

When to schedule- desperate for advice about recovery time



Recommended Posts

Hi, I am a teacher and ideally I want to get surgery a week before our april vacation and then I will have almost 2 weeks to recover before going back to work. I want it so bad I just cant wait but at the same time am a nervous wreck especially if I am getting the bypass. I could also wait until the summer when I am out of school but I really dont want to wait that long. Advice? Ideas?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi! I’m 2 1/2 weeks post op sleeve
I took 3 weeks off and this is my second week and I could have gone back to work this week I felt a lot stronger as soon as I started purée stage. Good luck!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think having 2 weeks off work would be ideal. I able to drive on day 5 but there's no way I would have had the energy to stand up and teach all day plus it took that fist 2 weeks to figure out when to eat and drink etc. If you keep the April date then you would be fully physically recovered for summer which would be perfect since the first 6-8 weeks you healing and probably just walking for exercise etc. and eating the same foods repetitively. During the summer (so at the 3-6 months post op) is when you will feel like being more active, starting new habits, and trying new foods to figuring what works for you regarding meals and how your body handles eating "normal" foods. Then when you go back to school in August you would have a good handle on things.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses! I love this forum. Im just wondering if the bypass takes longer to heal. My husband got the sleeve and after 2 weeks he was def ready but I am nervous if I get the bypass what if I am not ready. at the same time I want to give myself a head start before summer!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

IMHO hands down, wait.

You will need to focus really hard on yourself for a bit during recovery and teaching does not usually lend itself to selfcare. Also you will not know what your energy level will be or bathroom & eating habits will be like until after surgery. It will be a learning curve.

I know its hard to be patient, but you really might want to think about it a lot more in terms of what your job will demand of you during your recovery period (test prep, testings, evaluation, conferences, etc...) And of you can handle it.

Good Luck 💙

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m a teacher, had the bypass! Please wait until the summer, I know it’s hard but there’s no way I could have returned to teaching 2-3 weeks afterward. Feel free to message me if you have questions

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was an academic librarian and my supervisor asked me to wait until the school year was over *just in case*. So...I did. I took three weeks off but could have gone back after two. So you may be fine unless there are issues, which there usually aren't (I had the bypass).

Edited to add that it doesn't seem to take any longer for the bypass to heal than it does the sleeve. The above posters are right, though, in it may take awhile to figure out the whole food thing - what your stomach will tolerate, what it won't. It definitely would be easier to do this if you wait until summer and have a couple of months to figure everything out.

Edited by catwoman7

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I didn't have the GB, i had the sleeve with Hiatal hernia repair..... That was a Wednesday and i felt like i could go back on that Friday.... I went back that Monday. Probably the easiest SX i ever had. I had zero pain, i was up walking with in hours of the sx.

The key is to move and not just sit around.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

At my pre-op class yesterday, we were told that unless you have a physical job requiring lifting or pulling over 10 lbs that you would be fine in 2 weeks for work. They said it sometimes depends on your previous experience and that if you’ve never had surgery or a broken bone etc., you may have more difficulty than someone who has. Good luck!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It’s wasn’t the pain for me, I actually had very little pain/complications. It was just the fatigue that followed. It took me a good 4-6 weeks to get my energy back. Maybe it was just me though 🤷🏼‍♀️

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had gastric bypass and took 4 weeks off from work. Like others have said, I was very tired. I would definitely wait until summer and not rush it. Good luck!!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×