How long after surgery before you went back to work? Was it the right choice, or should you have gone back sooner or waited longer?

I have a desk job for the most part, but do a bit of driving to different offices. I had surgery on Friday and am supposed to back to work this Wed. Today is Monday and I am seriously doubting that i am going to survive a whole day at work on Wednesday.

Please let me know your thoughts...

I also had surgery on a Friday and went back to work on the following Thursday. I moved slow, didn't drive to work, and made sure that I didn't lift anything. If you can return on Thursday, you would benefit from the extra day of rest knowing that your last work day was Friday...leading to two more rest days on the weekend. Just my thoughts....I know everyone is different.

Well to be completely honest, I had three weeks I could use and I used all three, I would have been ok after two. However, my employers were more than happy for me to take the full three and I did, I came back completely recovered and recharged.

I took a full three weeks and was completly charged!! I have a standard transmission and the Dr. sewed my port to a strong ab muscle( He said) and I had a terrible pulling sensation on my right side everytime I sat it was awfull. I asked him did you stitch this to my rib cage:laugh:. he said it was my muscles on my right side compensating for the port and it should go away in a week. He was right i was good to by the three week mark.

Ps I'm a trainer so alot of my day is up and down at my desk.. wear comfortable clothing till you are completley heald so you don't have naythign bothering your port or stitches.

I would recommend taking a full week off of work.

And .... get yourself or borrow a recliner for sleeping! It makes a huge difference.

I took 10 days off, I felt so much better in the second week it was amazing. I don't think I could've made it back on the first week, too sore. I agree with the recliner comment. I lived in mine for a several days. Good luck.

There was no way I could go back to work after a week. I took two weeks off and loved being away from the job. I have a desk job and I am stationary. I have a two hour round trip commute.

The day I returned to work I felt energized and ready to go, which was day 14-post op. On day 7-post op my doctor lifted the driving restrictions she had placed. That was the day I went driving, shopping, and cleaning house. I was sore but feeling better on day 7. But I really needed the full two weeks just to feel 100% again.

For me personally, this was the right amount of time off. If you do not feel you can go back to work on Wed, then ask your doctor to provide you a note, which keeps you at home longer. Then provide the note to your employer. Take the time you need to recover, so you do not develop complications.

Good luck!

My surgery was 12/18 and I went back 12/27. I am a nurse and on my feet most of my shift, so the nine days worked fine for me. No heavy lifting for 6 however, and eveyone is/was ok with that.

Thank you all for the replies. I didn't think I was being a wimp, but my sugeon seemed to think I could have the surgery on Fri and go back to work on Monday. I gave myself a couple extra days by scheduling for Wednesday, but now I think I am going to call in tomorrow and take the rest of the week off. I have the time to take and I don't need to jeopardize my health.

You guys are the best!! Thanks.

Good for you - you know yourself better than anyone else. I had the surgery on a Thursday and was back at work the following Thursday - and was fine with that (I had to fight the inclination to go back a day or two earlier). But, I only have a 15-20 minute drive to work and work in an office. Everyone understood if I moved a bit slowly.

Just be careful what you wear (I had to keep adjusting the waistband of my pants) and I brought in a bottle of liquid Tylenol just in case.

I have a good medical leave plan at work so I took 3.5 weeks paid leave. I felt achy but able to function after about a week but two weeks were better to feel like a normal person again. I was glad to have extra time to get through all the post-op food stages and get back to normal foods and bodily functions - didn't want to deal with that at work!

I took off 9 work day (2 weekends). It was nice to have that much time to recover. I had the time paid so figured I would take it. I think I could have gone back after a week...I was getting a bit bored at home but if you have the time I would say take it!

I had my surgery December 17 and due to the Christmas holiday where our offices were closed Dec 24 & 25, I was off a total of 11 days, going back to work on Dec 28. I felt well enough, though, that had we been opened on Dec 24, I could have gone back then. I'm glad I timed it that way as making the transition of foods was easier to do at home than it would have been at work.

My surgery was on Tuesday and I went to work the next day. (desk job, work with my husband and he drove me) The day after that was Thanksgiving, so I had 4 days off. The reason I went back to work so soon was because my mother offered to come stay with me and (although I love her to pieces) it would have drove me nuts. All in all I did fine.

My surgery was this past Saturday and I went back to work on Tuesday, yesterday. I felt fine yesterday I took a nap as soon as I got home. Today I feel even better so I think 4 days off would have been perfect.

i went to work after a week, i would've loved 10 days or a bit more, but i couldn't leave work so many days. so if you have the opportunity, go ahead and take 10 days or more.

goodluck.:thumbdown: