Hi All!

I am starting my journey after finally making the decision to do weight loss surgery. I'm scared, excited, and everything in between! I have done research for months before making this decision and I have a few questions if you lovely folks could help!

1) I am taking vacay Dec 4th to Disneyland and I wasn't sure if I should wait to schedule surgery till after? It will require a lot of walking and I fear that I wont be able to keep up. I am not too worried about the holidays and having the surgery done around that time.

2) Can I take FMLA and apply for Short Term Disability during recovery?

**These are the ones I couldn't find direct answers on**

TIA for your input!

Hi and welcome! I don't know about Disneyland, but I do know you can take FMLA leave. Because you have to stay overnight for a bariatric surgery, it counts as inpatient care. https://jjkellercompliancenetwork.com/news/does-time-off-for-weight-loss-surgery-fall-under-the-fmla,https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/28f-fmla-qualifying-reasons. I also think a very strong argument could be made that bariatric surgery is not elective surgery, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

I'm at the beginning of my journey too!

12 minutes ago, Theia103121 said:

Hi and welcome! I don't know about Disneyland, but I do know you can take FMLA leave. Because you have to stay overnight for a bariatric surgery, it counts as inpatient care. https://jjkellercompliancenetwork.com/news/does-time-off-for-weight-loss-surgery-fall-under-the-fmla,https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/28f-fmla-qualifying-reasons. I also think a very strong argument could be made that bariatric surgery is not elective surgery, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

I'm at the beginning of my journey too!

okay great that is good to know! I looked up on the EDD website and it looked like it was but I wasn't sure.

its an exciting and scary journey isn't it!

If you are getting your surgery within the month I would think you had plenty of recovery time before Disney, otherwise, schedule the surgery after the trip. Generally, it is whatever diet plan you have to do pre-surgery (seems to vary based on BMI and surgeon) could be 3 days to 4 weeks of the pre-surgery diet. Then you have surgery, two weeks later they will do a wound check to see how you are healing. After that, you will have monthly check-ins that can be virtual (at least in my case) for the next six months, then you will have yearly check-ins.

You may want to find out what kind of timeline the clinic you are going to has to determine if before or after Disney will work for you.

Edited September 6, 20233 yr by New To This23

7 minutes ago, New To This23 said:

If you are getting your surgery within the month I would think you had plenty of recovery time before Disney, otherwise, schedule the surgery after the trip. Generally, it is whatever diet plan you have to do pre-surgery (seems to vary based on BMI and surgeon) could be 3 days to 4 weeks of the pre-surgery diet. Then you have surgery, two weeks later they will do a wound check to see how you are healing. After that, you will have monthly check-ins that can be virtual (at least in my case) for the next six months, then you will have yearly check-ins.

You may want to find out what kind of timeline the clinic you are going to has to determine if before or after Disney will work for you.

ok that makes sense! I meet with the surgeon on the 19th and I will ask these questions. I think there is a 10% weight loss. thats 28lbs for me. So that is going to take time LOL

Welcome and good luck on your journey! i would definitely wait till after Disneyland! Your endurance will be lessened after surgery. I took FMLA and ran out of PTO so also was getting paid with Short term disability.

I wasn't out long enough to take FMLA (a lot of us are back to work in about two weeks, and I had a lot of unused PTO so I just used that), but I would guess you'd be granted it if you apply since it's a medical issue.

Edited September 7, 20233 yr by catwoman7