A question for everyone ....need advice

 Ok....so as I posted yesterday I got my date. So my question ......when I ask Dr Klein about returning to work he said 3 weeks. I told him I was a nurse and lift people all day in my area of nursing. He didn't seem concerned, also said I could go back to playing ball hockey and baseball. Just concerned that he is not being realistic and wondering if I should advocate for longer length of time off or go back on light duties. Input on your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks
Mimi.  

I think you'll have a tough time doing heavy lifting at 3 weeks.  I went back after a week,, but no lifting and I don't think I'd have been ready at 3 weeks out. 

i met with my surgeon yesterday, Dr.Sullivan, and he pretty much told me the same thing.  He said by 3 weeks post-op, i would be able to return to all activites, he said what ever you are doing today you can do then.  I was a little surprized, i would have thoguth that it would a take a little longer than that for everything to heal.

I'm an RPN and Dr. Klein said I should be off for 6 weeks. He filled out my work papers to that too. My surgery was May 2nd and my expected return date is June 16th. My occupational health office has been in touch with me too. He also wrote approximatley on the return date, allowing for some wiggle room. I work in a hospital on the CCC/IPU floor.

Hope that helps. Another nurse with the same surgery on the same floor was off for 8 weeks.

I understand where Dr. Klein is coming from. It is a not an open surgery where you have a large incision with stitches and lots of healing needed. You will have 5 very small incisions that will most likely heal within a week. So physically there is nothing to tear open at 3 weeks, assuming all is healed.

The internal of the surgery heals at about the same rate, so the risk of an internal failure is very low. They sew the parts together with super strong surgical thread and staples.

I think your biggest challenge is getting all your food and vitamins in during the day and keeping yourself hydrated.

I also feel you may even find at 3 weeks you want to go back to work. A renewed energy. But everyone is different.

Jason

Oh.. crap.  Im going to push for 5 weeks.  I work in building maintenance and do heavy lifting, painting, repairing stuff etc. 

 It all depends on how YOU feel..............BUT with that said when I went for my Social Worker, Dietician, and Nurse app't the Social Worker was very pushy with the fact that they were concerned about me lifting my son whom is 19 months old before the 6 week mark.  And I am pretty sure the clients you would be lifting would be heavier then my 19 month old son.  So with that said, I know the Dr.'s know best but if the bariatric team are so concerned with lifting after surgery there must be some evidence that you could hurt yourself after surgery if pushed too quickly.  

I havent had surgery yet so don't know from experience but my dad did and he said it takes a long time to heal and feel physically able to the things you once did without thought.  So I would suggest reading your body signs.  If you don't think you are able to return that early, I wouldn't pu****  

Amanda

Hi,
Everyone is different but I am 11 weeks out and I only took 3 weeks off. However, I did not do any lifting heavier than 10 lbs until 6 weeks out. I find I still get tired and pushing to go back to work at 3 weeks was a bit early. As far as lifting we were told at our meeting on Tuesday night that even at 5 months out you can still strain yourself and pull muscles you werent aware of. Be very careful!!! Only you know your own body.
Anyways, that is my two cents worth. Hope it helps.Denise

It's major surgery. 6 weeks recovery is pretty standard.
 
I can't see how lifting patients would be good after three weeks. Yes, I would advocate for a longer period off.

I had no trouble at all getting as much time off as i wanted from Dr. Huynh. He asked me when i wanted to go back, i gave him a date, and he wrote it on the note. He asked me about my short term sick plan,and if i would run into trouble with my employer about it, but that was his only concern.

The lifting, frankly, is not what i'd be concerned about. Like others have said, its a minimally invasive procedure, and you're not that physically compromised by that.

What I'd be concerned about is your ability to get all your nutrients and water in. If you get dehydrated, or aren't able to consume enough food because of the time constraints of your breaks and whatnot, you could get quite ill.

Mon