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I haven't had surgery yet but when talking with my surgeon they originally suggested 2 weeks and 7 days off of work minimum. I explained that I work from work and am not on phones or required to be at my computer at all times leaving me freedom to get up walk around, drink, etc... They seemed to be ok with that but still emphasized how important it is to take time off work to get accustomed to the new you and rest.

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I was back to work in 7 days. I have a desk job and no physical requirements other than sitting on my ass. I did make sure I got up atleast hourly and took a 10 minute walk around the office and warehouse to keep things moving. I did wear compression stockings for a couple weeks after I started back to work.

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I took three weeks off but could have gone back after two. I had a desk job.

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I had surgery on Monday and returned to work on Thursday. I do have a desk job and did work from home on Thursday and Friday of that first week. Truth be told, although I did get some things accomplished, I didn't feel great and wished I had just taken the full week off. Week two was fine for me, once I got off the liquid diet.

Edited by Losefly

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This is going to vary so much from person to person because everyone’s recovery is different. I am not working right now but if I did i probably could have gone back the same week. I was one of the lucky ones that had very little pain post op but for whatever reason some people have a great deal of pain and it lasts for days or even weeks. I would plan on longer but discuss with HR the option to go back sooner if you feel up to it. Half days may be a good option when you do go back cause the one thing everyone seems to say is how tired they are after surgery. I took lots of naps.

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I had surgery on 8/31 and start work again on Monday. I really didn’t think I would need 4 weeks but I have to say starting at week 2 I have low energy and need to nap a bit. I am hopeful now that my diet is more varied and I can get Protein from a variety of sources that I will perk up. But as far as pain and recovery I think you can go back in a week.

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I had surgery on a Tuesday and took that week and the next week off. I could've gone back but I get tired easily even though I have energy. I'm glad I took two weeks. Three weeks would have been de trop.

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I work construction and hard labor I waited until the mrs. Annoyed me and c ouldnt take it now more. 3 weeks. And didn't do n o climbing of scaffold for 3 weeks after returning. Desk job I would have went back after a week get a routine down first health before work

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Physically I could have gone back to work after a week (desk job), but I found that the first week(s) it’s quite hard to get your Water in AND figure out some kind of eating schedule, so I was very happy with the 3 weeks I took.

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I work from home taking phone calls. My Dr gave me 3 weeks off and I took one week off pto. I had extreme dizziness, and it finally cleared up this week. I'm 4 weeks po and just started back to work 2 days ago. I don't have pain but I have no energy.

Sent from my SM-G991U using BariatricPal mobile app

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I took three weeks - have had a painless recovery but struggled to get Water in and meet my Protein goal so I was very sluggish and dizzy. I did do two half days near the end to tackle my inbox because the idea of it was stressing me out!

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I still havent gone back to work 10 weeks po, but i have had mental heath issues to deal with and had/having really hard time eating and getting enough fluids in so i have been feeling miserable and fatigue quickly, everyone is different and heal at different rates.

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    • 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.
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