Days off work after surgery

[KimA-GA 540]

How many days off work did your dr suggest?

how many days did you take?
Do you think you should have taken more or less or go part time to start?

my surgeon has said he recommends a few days off after surgery. I plan on at least a week off and then part time for a week or two as I go through the first part of the recovery. My job is mostly in an office. I do go out in the field to do some work, but will be putting that on hold during the first part of my recovery.

I would love to know real experiences!

[KevinS62 73]

I planned for a week off, but put in some half-days from home. My surgery was on a Thursday and by Monday I was putting in 5 hours a day from my bedroom office. I felt pretty good physically and probably could have put in full days, but felt I deserved a little relaxation time. I went back to full days at the end of the first week.

[Sleeve_Me_Alone 656]

I had surgery on a Tuesday and was back to work (desk job from home) on Monday -so almost a week. Pain was fine but I was SO TIRED. I had to take breaks to rest frequently, and took a nap every single day after work for at least the first week back. I would say, if you have a good bit of flexibility and can rest when needed, you'll be fine. If not, a full 2 weeks might be helpful.

[kcuster83 1,504]

I took off 2 weeks, when I went back the third week I worked "what I could". I was not in physical pain except when I found myself hunching forward at my desk it would start to hurt my abdomen. But, my job is mentally draining and very demanding. I was exhausted by lunch and went home half days most of that week.

By week 4 I was pretty much completely back to normal and kept up with the full time.

[Tomo 1,196]

I planned for 2 weeks but I was able to do desk work a few days later. I work from home though so I don't know how I would've done with a lot of people around me. The only pain I had was a sore throat for the first 2 days. I knew better this time around and chewed on Mylanta minis for gas pain. While the pain wasn't bad at all for me, I did feel tired like the others for awhile so your plan sounds about right. No field work for a few weeks just so you can let your body have the best possible healing.

[Crisscat 181]

Dr said 5-7 days but I took 2 weeks because I had the time I could burn from work. I was anticipating for any problems to arise but I didnt have a single one outside of a pesky stitch that wasnt cooperating lol

[Arabesque 7,468]

One friend was back at a desk job after a week. Another took three weeks. Me, I took four. My blood pressure was very low (always a tendency pre surgery), my thinking was doughy & my energy was low. You can never really predict how you will recover. You may find it helpful to keep your return to work flexible with your employers just in case. Like have a second week off available if you need it &/or part time/reduced hours options available too.

[Spinoza 1,467]

I booked 2 weeks off (holiday leave) and with hindsight I needed every second of that. Even when I returned to work I wasn't at my best for a couple of weeks afterwards. There's terrible pressure to get back into the office. If I had had a cancer diagnosis and got 2/3 of my stomach removed to treat it I can't help feeling I would have 'allowed' myself longer to recover. The procedure is similar, despite this having being my choice.