I plan to have the lap band in May, as long as all goes well with insurance approval. Anyway I have lots of accumulated sick time and I really want to take off one month to focus on me. I figure it would be a nice time of year to get into a good walking routine and focus on healthy eating. I feel like I need a "ME" month. The kids will be in school, hubby at work. I don't want to reveal to everyone at work why I am really out for the month. Does the doctor just right a general note stating this patient is under my care and can return.... "date". I am trying to prepare for the questions and I am not sure what to tell people as to why I am out. I don't want to lie but I am not ready to tell everyone. Too bad I couldn't say I was having my gall bladder removed but I already had this done 3 years ago....Anyone else in this situation...any ideas or suggestions. I know people may notice weight loss but I am always dieting so I can just say I am back on weight watchers.

Is a month all you have? Cuz I would make sure to at least keep a few days for later use just in case a complication arises. I wish you the best of luck in your journey! =)

I plan to have the lap band in May, as long as all goes well with insurance approval. Anyway I have lots of accumulated sick time and I really want to take off one month to focus on me. I figure it would be a nice time of year to get into a good walking routine and focus on healthy eating. I feel like I need a "ME" month. The kids will be in school, hubby at work. I don't want to reveal to everyone at work why I am really out for the month. Does the doctor just right a general note stating this patient is under my care and can return.... "date". I am trying to prepare for the questions and I am not sure what to tell people as to why I am out. I don't want to lie but I am not ready to tell everyone. Too bad I couldn't say I was having my gall bladder removed but I already had this done 3 years ago....Anyone else in this situation...any ideas or suggestions. I know people may notice weight loss but I am always dieting so I can just say I am back on weight watchers.

Can you perhaps take the time off as FMLA and not use sick days? This is what I did and it qualified as paid time off. I work for a very large corporation and no one knew why I was off, there are privacy laws that protect you. I just told my manager that I needed FMLA time off, did not even have to specify it was Medical and then CIGNA took it from there and did all of the approvals and CIGNA of course needed to know it was for the surgery for approvals. When I returned to work there was a form that needed to be signed by the surgeon stating that I was able to return to work on the specified date. My surgeon recommended I be off for 3 weeks and it was so nice to have that ME time, after the first 5 days I felt fine and was able to enjoy the time off. Good Luck!

You aren't required to tell them why you are having surgery. Just tell them that you're having a medical procedure done, and that you will need however many weeks of recovery time.

I've told people I am close to at work, everyone else knows that I'm going to be out for a while but no specifics. If you're vague when people ask why you're going to be out then they tend to respect your privacy.

My job wouldnt have let me take off a whole month if I wasnt really sick. The day after surgery, I flew home by myself from Mexico and tromped thru two airports for endless hours. I can see them allowing you a week off but is your doctor really willing to sign a note saying you need a whole month under his care, because you want time off to get walking starting and pamper yourself?? Have you asked your surgeon if he will sign such a note?? Mine wouldnt have. Remember this surgery is a 40 minute procedure they can do as a outpatient.

flowers, I think it depends on the doctor. Mine said at the seminar that some people have been out as long as 6 weeks.

It isn't just the physical recovery, there is a large mental adjustment as well. For people whose jobs prevent them from having easy access to food and drink (like mine!) they also have to figure out the mechanics of getting in their fluids and meals in during work hours.

If you can get a full month off--go for it! I wish I'd had that long--you do need time to adjust. No one at my job knows I had lap band surgery--they all think I had a hernia repair. My doctor's note said I had abdominal surgery, which leaves it wide open--no one is told for sure what it is, and the doctor doesn't have to lie about what you had done.

I don't have any answers to your question but I will tell you I was glad to have work when going through recovery. I am a teacher and was mad that I couldn't get the surgery when I was off in the summer and now I am glad that didn't. I couldn't imagine how hungry I would be if I didn't have the distraction of work.

By law your medical department at work, your surgeon or anyone that treats you or has anything to do with your records can not disclose what you are having done without your approval. (HIPPA) So if you do not want the doctor to tell your work what you are having done, he can't. He can write you are having surgery and will be able to return to work on such and such a date. However, where I work we have our own medical department with doctors and such, and we do not get sick days, per se. When we have surgery or whatever and want our time off paid, we have to sign a release letting our medical department get our file from the doctor if we want work to pay for time off. However, medical can not disclose to the building boss or anyone else at work what was done. Hope this helps.

I had 4 weeks off work (I have a physical job). It was approved through our short term benefits at work. Even though the surgery itself is short, it is still surgery. I didn't have to tell my boss the reason I was going to be off other than to say a medical procedure. The paperwork was all handled through the company that does our short term benefits. They only told my boss my dates to be out and my return date. They are required by law to not discuss your information unless they have your permission. I have to say that I really felt like I needed my time off. I don't think I could have been ready after just a few days like some people have done. Good luck to you!

HIPPA protects your right not to disclose your medical information to anyone.

FMLA protects your right to keep your job, while you recover from a health matter, which will keep you away from your job for a period of time. Or FMLA can be used intermittently. There are requirements of FMLA, so here is a link for your review. U.S. Department of Labor - Employment Standards Administration (ESA) - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - Family and Medical Leave Act

You do not have to provide any detail regarding your health issue to your employer. You do need to provide a medical note for a long term absence. My employer does not know I was banded. I actually took two weeks off on vacation time.

Plus, I am on FMLA for my monthly follow up appointments with my bariatric surgeon. My surgeon had to complete my employers FMLA verification form.

I instructed my doctor not to place the name of the bariatric center on the FMLA form or to send me any documentation paper work that would state bariatric or weight loss on it. I basically instructed my doctor to just sign her name, as I did not want to disclose what medical issues I was under.

As you know, a lot of doctors have standard forms that reflect the name of their centers and what type of doctor they are.

Good luck!

Bear in mind that the first month is a huge losing time. You will shed a large percentage of weight that first month. People WILL notice when you return, especially if they haven't seen you. Then the rumors will start..... Just a thought.

My doctor is willing to write a note for however long I want. I am going to take a month and I think I will just say I am having abdominal surgery. This still leaves me with plenty of sick time if I have any complications. I have other friends that have had the surgery and they returned after two weeks and they wish they had stayed out longer. I guess the adjustment is different for each individual. To me this is one of the biggest decisions I am making for my health and yes...I am taking a month for ME time. This past year was a very difficult year for me...for several personal reasons. I need to prepare mentally and emotionally for a positive change for my life. This is going to be my year for change.