Dilating at work?

[Debra]

If I would have had to, there is an extra sitting room + shower in the women's bathroom at my work...but luckily I got away with simply dilating before work, after work, and before bed. That seemed to work fine. I think the worst for me is the one before bed though....I just want to go to sleep and having to do that extra chore before I can sleep is always so dragging.

Now that I'm at 2x a day, I stick to the before work and after work and that seems to work nice.

[Annah]

If I would have had to, there is an extra sitting room + shower in the women's bathroom at my work...but luckily I got away with simply dilating before work, after work, and before bed.

That's exactly what my doc suggested. Im sure there are others out there too who weren't forced to dilate on their lunch break! OMG that would be a pain!

[Ann Onymous]

Having surgeons tailor the number of suggested dilations to the patient would be something new from back when I had surgery...back then, all of the major players gave EVERYONE the same guidance that came across their operating tables.  It was a pre-printed document in a lot of cases...and they usually gave guidance (even outside of the USA) on the standard of 'abundance of caution' as we would see in an attempt to stave off liability claims. 

And the reality is that there are plenty of us from WAY BACK and who used different surgeons and who were not even diligent at the three times per day but yet have turned out just fine...and with FAR LESS time off than was being described as expected by the OP. 

[hilah.hayley]

Dr. Bowers on her website and confirmed by her office recommends ideally 8 weeks before returning to work. My companies FMLA benefit covers my salary at 100% for the first 60 days and then 60% for the next 30 days after that. If I had my surgery in November instead, I would have been covered 100% for all 90 days, as  I would have passed the 4 year mark at the company, increasing my benefits somewhat.

Dr. Bowers office told me that most patients take on average 6 weeks off. If I have the days, and need it, I WILL use them!

[Ann Onymous]

Dr. Bowers office told me that most patients take on average 6 weeks off. If I have the days, and need it, I WILL use them!

I'm not saying don't use time...hell, at the time I had surgery, I had close to three months worth of time on the books not even counting my sick time (made for a nice check when I finally quit that agency in '99).  I just didn't need to use it...I cannot fathom being at home for that amount of time.  I would have gone absolutely bat->-bleeped-< crazy...and since it was in the days before remote access on computer networks was common, I couldn't work from home. 

[hilah.hayley]

I'm not saying don't use time...hell, at the time I had surgery, I had close to three months worth of time on the books not even counting my sick time (made for a nice check when I finally quit that agency in '99).  I just didn't need to use it...

It's not something I lose! It's not like my vacation time or my sick time or my personal days etc. This is purely FMLA for medical leave alone. Considering that 1. I have worked just about every weekend this summer, 2. Have not had a single vacation in 2 years, 3. Have work that I do on the side, it makes lots of sense for me to take the 2 months!!!

I will A. have a vacation for a while, B. Spend time with my wife and son, C. Heal, D. Do some consulting work on the side all off the books and make double what i'm earning! Perhaps enough to pay for my sons sleep-away camp next summer, or pay for our 10 year anniversary cruise next year!

Plenty of reasons to take the time!

[regan]

D. Do some consulting work on the side all off the books and make double what i'm earning! Perhaps enough to pay for my sons sleep-away camp next summer, or pay for our 10 year anniversary cruise next year!

Be careful with that...if your employer catches you, the least of your worries would be getting fired.

[hilah.hayley]

Be careful with that...if your employer catches you, the least of your worries would be getting fired.

Not at all! I provide internal messaging support. There is no conflict of interest in any way and the work being done on the side is all remote, so it's not like I'm taking time to do something I can do in the office and doing it while on medical leave. I do this work from home.

I'm one of a number of people in my group that do work on the side. My company is a software development firm, of which I have no part of.

[regan]

Not at all! I provide internal messaging support. There is no conflict of interest in any way and the work being done on the side is all remote, so it's not like I'm taking time to do something I can do in the office and doing it while on medical leave. I do this work from home.

I'm one of a number of people in my group that do work on the side. My company is a software development firm, of which I have no part of.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is a United States federal law requiring larger employers to provide employees job-protected unpaid leave due to a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his or her job

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993

Your employer may feel if you're well enough to continue your side job, then your recovery probably isn't a "serious health condition" requiring FMLA leave.  I would make sure your employer is clear on your intentions while on FMLA leave.

[hilah.hayley]

Your employer may feel if you're well enough to continue your side job, then your recovery probably isn't a "serious health condition" requiring FMLA leave.  I would make sure your employer is clear on your intentions while on FMLA leave.

My employer does not authorize working from home, which I would be doing for this side job.

Not to mention, I've been working on this side job around as long as I've been working for my present employer. There is no complication or difficulty.

Also, our plan is a privately insured plan the provides PAID leave, not unpaid leave. If the Doctor says it's too early to return to the office, that's all the care about. For my side job, i'm not returning to an office.

[regan]

Do what ever you feel is right, but if I were in your employer's situation I would wonder why you could continue your side job, which requires essentially the same functions of your primary job (sitting at a desk, talking on the phone, etc) but you were unable to perfom those same functions for your primary employer. 

A doctor's note isn't a golden ticket, your employer can ask for a second opinion if nothing else.  In the end, your employer may choose deny your FMLA (I would) and may either seek reimbursement from you or terminate you AND seek to recover the money.

[hilah.hayley]

Do what ever you feel is right, but if I were in your employer's situation I would wonder why you could continue your side job, which requires essentially the same functions of your primary job (sitting at a desk, talking on the phone, etc) but you were unable to perfom those same functions for your primary employer. 

Regan,

You don't seem to follow what I'm saying. My company does not want people working from home. This means that regardless of how well you can use your laptop at home, or answer the phone at home, if you're not well enough to travel the hours commute on the subway in to the office, sit at your desk all day, and as necessary climb the flights of stairs to the data center and address any issues with servers under your control, and travel home  on the subway for another hour, then you are sick and require leave of some sort!

The work I do on the side requires that I simply have access to a laptop connected to the internet.  I can do that in the hospital even! If that is not more clear, then I cannot make it any more so.

Where you work or what you work in, it may be relevant but in my situation it simply doesn't apply. Thanks for your concern. Besides, I did not ask for this advice you're offering rather I asked how to manage dilation schedules with work.

Thank you.