How long would it take for recovery after surgery to return to work

[lonewolfcorey5]

I work at an animal sanctuary and I want top surgery really bad lol who wouldn't, but I also love making a difference and don't want to miss a lot or be gone too long to get replaced. We have a building with big dogs in it and a building with small dogs so I could work with the smaller breeds until fully recovered but was wondering how long it would take for me to be able to do that or at least go in for office work and other small tasks. Thank you in advanced.

[RaptorChops]

it depends on which surgery you decided to get as well as what type of work you do. If you do keyhole I believe recovery is a week to two weeks. I had the double incision and my recovery time was 6 weeks because I do more labor intensive work and it requires me to lift more than 50 lbs. If you do like office type work I think 2 weeks with double incision.

[LaneD]

I know how you feel.  I didn't want to miss work because I take care of people with special needs and felt bad about leaving them without a worker.  With that being said, you need to make sure you allow yourself to heal.  Everyone is different and you might end up needing more time to recover than expected.  You might later regret trying to go back to soon and possibly compromising your results/health.  Take care of yourself, in the long run an extra week or so off work won't matter.  You will be back making a difference  .  I had to take 6 weeks off with DI because I lifted a 100lbs person.  Depending on how you feel and what jobs you can do you might be able to go back in 2 or 3 weeks to say just give the little dogs attention or things that are not strenuous.

[FTMax]

I've heard anywhere from 1-6 weeks just depending on how you heal. For me, I had very low/no pain and was able to work from home a few days post-op and go back to work (with a lot of modifications to my daily duties) once my drains were out. Some guys have complications or are in a lot of pain and need longer. Nobody can say for sure how long your recovery would be.

Probably the most stressful part of going back to work so soon for me was the drive. Don't just think about what you'd be doing at work, thing about everything that would be involved - getting dressed, packing your stuff, commuting there, getting settled in, working, and then doing all of that in reverse to get home.

[genderirrelevant]

I have a very physical job and I took off 4 weeks completely. It was another 4 weeks before I felt able to do everything normally. I've been pleased with my recovery. I thought I'd have a lot more pain.

[lonewolfcorey5]

At work I generally walk dogs from indoor kennels to run in the yard or walk them on a leash around the perimeter. Play with them too but some dogs are very strong and pull or are really hyper and jump (tend to be the bigger breeds). I also do laundry, dishes, and other cleaning. Dog kennels are cleaned daily by sweeping, mopping, and changing their bedding. I also do some desk/office work. I also clean the cattery which is a room with all of our cats which involves mopping and sweeping and cleaning litter boxes of course lol. The only time we have heavy lifting is when heavy items are donated or we are rearranging stuff but that's not too often and I can have the other guy do that if it happens during recovery. I hate to spend that much time away from the animals, they're the world to me and I do enjoy being they and when one person is not there everyone else has a heavier work load so I don't want to be out too long but long enough to heal somewhat.

[Arch]

You should discuss your concerns with the top surgeon of your choice. As someone has already said, the type of surgery matters as well.

I had a DI-style procedure in my mid-forties and would not have wanted to return to teaching after two weeks. I was tired, I was still sleeping a lot and taking daily naps, I was still wearing a medical compression vest, I still had big issues with reaching and stretching, and I was forbidden to lift anything heavy for quite a long time.

I had plans to move to a new place about two months after my surgery. Frankly, I was glad to delay those plans because I was worried about stretching and discomfort.

People who are younger and fitter (and who heal quickly) will tend to recover faster than I did, but I still think that it's better to be conservative and then be pleasantly surprised if the recovery takes less time than anticipated.

[Ayden]

I taught at a preschool primarily (also 3 other schools junior high to high school) when I had surgery. I was told 4-6 weeks. I had family come visit me here in Japan after 3 weeks and even just riding the trains and taking them sightseeing was a bit much and I was worn out a lot of the time. I wouldn't have returned to teaching in anything less 4 weeks and I ended up not going back to work for all six.

Of course, I also traveled internationally right after surgery so my healing process was slowed down by the fact that I wasn't as stationary as I supposed to be. Definitely talk to your surgeon and get their recommendation.

[Muscle Matt]

Wow, I've been so worried about missing over a month of work, because all I've ever read from other people is that healing time is 4-6 weeks. It would be a major financial toll on me to miss that much work for the year (saving for school in addition to top surgery). I'm looking to get peri and was confused when I saw people online who looked very capable of moving and going about their daily lives a week or two after (but still, until now, I've NEVER even heard anyone say recovery can be just 1 or 2 weeks). People have been filling my head with the idea that even light work, recovery time is 6 weeks. I work hard but only lift moderate weight most of the time (I imagine once I go back, I still won't be able to lift giant bins of wontons in water for a while, but luckily I'm not the only guy there capable of that).

That's such a relief, thank you guys so much. I feel so, so, SO much better hearing that.

Maybe peri really isn't that popular and so everything I've been hearing about top surgery has all been about DI.

[FTMax]

Wow, I've been so worried about missing over a month of work, because all I've ever read from other people is that healing time is 4-6 weeks. It would be a major financial toll on me to miss that much work for the year (saving for school in addition to top surgery). I'm looking to get peri and was confused when I saw people online who looked very capable of moving and going about their daily lives a week or two after (but still, until now, I've NEVER even heard anyone say recovery can be just 1 or 2 weeks). People have been filling my head with the idea that even light work, recovery time is 6 weeks. I work hard but only lift moderate weight most of the time (I imagine once I go back, I still won't be able to lift giant bins of wontons in water for a while, but luckily I'm not the only guy there capable of that).

That's such a relief, thank you guys so much. I feel so, so, SO much better hearing that.

Maybe peri really isn't that popular and so everything I've been hearing about top surgery has all been about DI.

I also couldn't afford to be out of work for very long, so I feel you. Just remember to take it slow and listen to your surgeon. Mine said in general, 4 weeks to return to everything. I felt just fine once my drains were out (1 week post-op), but I'd say by and large my experience was not typical.

You can probably aid the healing process by being as physically and mentally in shape as you can pre-op.

[Arch]

Lonewolf, how's it going? Are you still making plans for surgery?

[WatchMeRise]

This topic has me kinda terrified- on Monday I'm starting my first job as an apprentice carpenter in a 4 year apprenticeship program. I'm hoping to get top surgery done in 2016, but I had no idea the recovery was such an ordeal. My job is 100% physically demanding, and requires lifting 150-200 lbs on a daily basis, as well as being able to use tools and climb a ladder, so it sounds like I'd be totally out of commission for a couple months. I'm gonna be worried about losing my job if I have to take two months off due to a surgery that they may view as unneccessary, although I would assume firing someone in that situation would be considered discrimination. I'm also going to have to make sure I save up enough money to live for two months without any income- with that in mind, I may need to postpone top surgery until I can afford taking time off to recover.

Has anyone had to deal with similar concerns?

[FTMax]

This topic has me kinda terrified- on Monday I'm starting my first job as an apprentice carpenter in a 4 year apprenticeship program. I'm hoping to get top surgery done in 2016, but I had no idea the recovery was such an ordeal. My job is 100% physically demanding, and requires lifting 150-200 lbs on a daily basis, as well as being able to use tools and climb a ladder, so it sounds like I'd be totally out of commission for a couple months. I'm gonna be worried about losing my job if I have to take two months off due to a surgery that they may view as unneccessary, although I would assume firing someone in that situation would be considered discrimination. I'm also going to have to make sure I save up enough money to live for two months without any income- with that in mind, I may need to postpone top surgery until I can afford taking time off to recover.

Has anyone had to deal with similar concerns?

Hi,

I'm a hospitality consultant, and I have to lift ~165lbs multiple times on a daily basis as well as climbing. Before top surgery, I hired an assistant and trained him in all of the physical aspects of my job. I went out for surgery for 1 week and worked remotely from home, then came back to work once my drains were out (1 week and 1 day later). I didn't do any of my own lifting for about 4 weeks.

If they allow you to take sick or vacation time during your program, take it. Start banking it now so that you have about a month saved up total. You could also look into the Family Medical Leave Act and see what you'd be able to do. When in doubt, ask HR what can be done. Nobody needs to know what kind of surgery you're having done btw. All you need is a letter from your surgeon saying what your restrictions are and how long they last.

[invisiblemonsters]

This topic has me kinda terrified- on Monday I'm starting my first job as an apprentice carpenter in a 4 year apprenticeship program. I'm hoping to get top surgery done in 2016, but I had no idea the recovery was such an ordeal. My job is 100% physically demanding, and requires lifting 150-200 lbs on a daily basis, as well as being able to use tools and climb a ladder, so it sounds like I'd be totally out of commission for a couple months. I'm gonna be worried about losing my job if I have to take two months off due to a surgery that they may view as unneccessary, although I would assume firing someone in that situation would be considered discrimination. I'm also going to have to make sure I save up enough money to live for two months without any income- with that in mind, I may need to postpone top surgery until I can afford taking time off to recover.

Has anyone had to deal with similar concerns?

2 months? no way. i was in that situation. i have a physically demanding job (also requiring to lift heavy things the same weight) and i was back to work in 4 weeks! i went back to school in 2 weeks (technicaly a week because i got it done during march break and took an extra week off then went back). you aren't as limited as you think but you should be careful and take it easy and not do too much too soon. you also wouldn't want to stretch your scars but honestly, you should be good. i didn't feel drained or exhausted. i didn't travel too far for my surgery (6 hours there, 6 hours back while staying there for 4 days) but after my surgery for the first few days i was drained. all i did was sleep. when i got home, i was good. i wasn't in pain after i left the recovery place but they gave me meds anyway. my drains were already out too but i didn't have a vest like most people did though.

honestly just talk to someone and see what options you have.

[RaptorChops]

I was out for 6 weeks and never got compensated for any of my time off. All FMLA did for me was kept me from losing my position. I also never got reimbursed by my insurance company for the surgery which they are supposed to pay at least 60%. So yeah it hurt and when I came back and worked two weeks my pay check was $16.85 cents LOL (big mistake on my bosses part).

[David]

It's also worth noting that recovery time is different with double incision than with keyhole (or peri). DI tends to have a much longer recovery time than both keyhole and peri.

[teddybear_zach]

I had DI and was back at work in 3 weeks. I work in a call center so the work isn't that physically demanding.

[Arch]

I had DI and volunteered at a booth for two days on Pride weekend two and a half weeks later. I think my shifts were only four or five hours, but getting there and back again was no picnic. I didn't have to lift or perform any significant physical activity, but I did have to stand quite a bit, and it was a little more than I wanted to do at that point. I was pretty washed out afterward. Fortunately, I didn't have to work during the following week.

That weekend was when I stopped taking daily naps in the middle of the day, since I was out and about. I realized on Monday that I could manage quite well without the nap.

Bear in mind that I was in my mid- to late forties when I did this. Most younger guys will likely have a somewhat quicker recovery.

[David]

I had top surgery on the 14th and I'm returning to class on the 18th. It's not technically work, but similar to what would happen if you returned to an office job.

In the 3 days I've been post-op, I've barely had any pain. I've been resting in bed but I manage to prepare my own food, even went to the pharmacy to pick up my pills (that I haven't taken because I'm not in pain), etc.

My range of motion was a lot less limited than I anticipated, and other than the bandages tugging at my skin, I'm pain free. Once they come off monday after class (and once the drain comes out that day also), I expect to feel even better than I do now.

I was really stressed out about recovery from reading people on here saying it would take weeks before I could even leave the house at all, but if I had known I would have been a lot more relaxed before surgery.

[Arch]

I went to therapy and a social group five days after surgery, but I didn't have to actually do anything. I slept in that day and took an afternoon nap. I think that I am slow to recover from the anesthesia and shock to the body, but I've spoken to other guys who didn't feel like doing much for a couple of weeks.

I think the best thing is to be cautious and listen to your body.

P.S. David, maybe I missed it in another post, but did you have DI?