Returning to work?

[LouLouM 70]

Happy new year, everyone!

I am in the beginning stage of the whole process and am thinking about timing. I am a teacher and wondering if I should try to squeeze the surgery into spring break and take that time to recover or wait until summer when I will have more than enough time to recover. Currently we are doing distance learning which isn't physically demanding, however, if we are to return to the classroom, I am worried that from so few calories, I might feel weak or tired. I know how hard it is to restrict calories with a normal sized stomach that I can't imagine functioning normally at work on so few calories. I could be totally wrong though.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[Uomograsso 364]

I have a desk job in IT. I had surgery on a Thursday. Got out of the hospital on Saturday. Took the next week off and was back to work on Monday. I was very fatigued an pretty much went to bed about 8 pm for the first three weeks after surgery. I slowly started to build up more energy. It took a couple of months before I felt somewhat back to normal. I work 100% remote even prior to the whole "pandemic". If you know you will still be doing remote instruction, then you should be OK. If you are going to be back in the classroom, it will be difficult. If it were me, I would wait until summer. You can take theses months now to work on improving your diet and exercising to get in better shape for your surgery. If you do plan on doing it over spring break you might want take an extra week off.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Uomograsso

[BigSue 1,325]

It's hard to predict how you'll feel after surgery. Some people have easier recoveries than others. I went back to work 11 days after my surgery, but I could have gone back a week earlier and been ok (but I have a desk job and don't have much personal interaction with others, so I don't have to be "on" all the time). I felt kind of crappy for the first few days after surgery, but by 5 days after surgery, I felt pretty normal. The day I went back to work, I felt great.

I think the biggest challenge with returning to work is getting all of your fluids and Protein. It's basically a full-time job for the first week or so. It might be challenging for you as a teacher to pay enough attention to your fluids and protein while you are watching/interacting with the kids (I don't know what grade you teach, which could affect how closely you need to watch them).

As for feeling weak or tired due to low calorie intake, everyone is different, but the amazing thing to me about surgery is that I have a very low calorie intake but do not feel any of those hunger symptoms. I'm 5.5 months out now and I feel great with plenty of energy even though I am averaging less than 600 calories per day. Before surgery, going even a single day under 600 calories would make me feel weak, light-headed, and ravenously hungry.

The safest bet is to wait until summer when you have plenty of time to recover You would probably be ok doing it on spring break, but you might as well take advantage of the time you'll have in the summer so you don't feel pressured to return to work before you're ready. I know that once you decide to have the surgery, you are anxious to get it done ASAP. Right now, waiting 5 or 6 months may feel like an eternity, but by the time you get to surgery day, it will feel like the time flew by.

Also, you say you are in the beginning stages of the whole process. I'm not sure how far you've gotten, but you may not be able to get through the whole process by spring break, anyway. Do you know your insurance company's requirements for surgery approval? Many insurance companies make you go through 3 or 6 months (or more) of medically-supervised weight loss before they'll approve the surgery. Your surgeon may have additional testing requirements that you'll need to complete, like an upper GI test, psychological evaluation, nutrition classes, etc., and that could all take a few months.

[catwoman7 10,945]

I worked at a university (am now retired), and my supervisor preferred I wait until the summer *just in case*. So I waited until the spring semester was over (had my surgery June 3, 2015). Although I really didn't want to wait, I'm glad I did. By the time school started back in the fall, I was rarin' to go again...

[Arabesque 6,594]

It will depend on how you recover. I always take longer to recover than others if I’m sick & it was the same post surgery. A friend was back after a week. Another after 2 weeks. Me, 4 weeks later I picked up a part time contract & I was wiped every afternoon. I was having issues with low blood pressure & low energy. I have Gilbert’s & slow recovery is common.

I was a primary teacher & I know how physically & mentally demanding the job is. I’d probably look at having the surgery in your longer break. It will give you time to work through the pre solid food stages & start getting your head around how your new tummy works for you.

Good luck with your surgery.

[LaoDaBeirut 158]

I'm a professor and my job is virtual now. I did my surgery right before winter break. I had no complications from surgery and an easy recovery.

However, I'm glad I had a long break from work. In the first couple weeks of recovery I definitely had a brain fog. I felt fine physically but my brain didn't feel like it was as fast as usual. I think lecturing would have been difficult and if a student asked me a tough question I probably would have flubbed it. I say do it in the summer. Teaching requires so much of your mental focus that even if you physically recover, it's tough if your brain isn't ready yet.

Another thing is you will have to eat very small amounts throughout the day and in the first few weeks you might be slowly sipping Water or a Protein Shake for hours. This is tough to do when teaching.

[RTL1234 99]

I think that is such a hard question to answer since it’s very dependent on the person. I am a nurse, bedside in a hospital that works 12’s. I had surgery on 12/22, I took four weeks off. I’m grateful to have the saved time off. I am getting a little stir crazy but I know the physical demands of my job prevent me from going back. I’m also kind of glad to avoid covid and other illness patients while I feel like I’m at a compromised immune state. (That could be just all in my head but it’s how I feel lol). I assume I would feel the same with germy kids lol. Could you take off an extra week after spring break?

[GradyCat 3,692]

I only needed about a week's recovery time in terms of energy and ability to go back to work from home teaching online (I was a professor) but every body is different, so use your best judgment for you. I don't think you'll need the whole summer but you might like that time frame better. Good luck on your WLS journey.

[rachelblank1 6]

Kinda wondering the same...I start back work on Monday, I'll be 12 days post op.. I'm starting a new job, with a new company. [emoji51] I'm a bit nervous but I am hoping it will all be fine.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using BariatricPal mobile app