How long are people taking off of work?

I am 1 week post-op and just got home from the hospital a couple days ago - I had some complications because of blood lose.  So, I am a bit behind on my recovery.  But, I had only taken 1 week off of work - and I told my boss there was NO WAY I was going to be able to be back to work next week.  Of course, she wants to know - when can I come back to work?  I don't know what to tell her.  I have a sales job - inside/outside - so not very physical.  But, I am just barely starting to hobble around my house and take the short walk to the mailbox.  What are some times that others have taken off?  Should I be thinking about short-term disability after my 2 weeks of vacation are used up?

Interesting question.  Here's what is going to happen .... probably.  I would be willing to bet that at two weeks out you are going to feel better and even good enough to go to work.  But this can be a tricky time.  You have to move around in a sort of slow motion for awhile after returning.  

What happened with me was that at the two week point I felt great ... as if I never even had the surgery.  But then I started moving around in my kitchen to prepare a bite and found out that going from the refrigerator to the food prep area and turning around to throw stuff away caught up with me.  Light headedness and nausea set in.  I also discovered that just moving around my apartment and picking up things off the floor would cause light headedness if not done slowly.  

You have to move around somewhat deliberately and with thought.  If you are going to get up from a desk and head to let's say a break room then think about it and tell yourself to take your time.  Again you are likely to be feeling pretty good but it's those sudden movements that are instinctual that will have you moving faster for some task and you will get hit with the light headed feeling and perhaps nausea.

Remember that energy comes from calories and you are very low calorie especially the first three or four weeks.  I have no idea if the complications will slow down your progress but I would have to think that they would.  What you might do is go back and try half days if possible for the first couple maybe.  Obviously if you don't need to go home then don't ... but perhaps prepare your boss for the possibility that you may only be good for a half day.  

I know many people that have returned after two weeks and say that about half way through the day they wanted to crawl into bed.  It really isn't about how physical the job is as much as it is about the low caloric intake.  Also you need to remain very mindful to get in your 8 cup minimum liquids ... especially during work.  Getting dehydrated at work will wipe you out almost as much as the low caloric intake.

I know that I am the world's worst patient.  If I had to go back in a two week time frame I would absolutely go in and act like nothing ever happened.  I would not show anyone that I was hurting or in any way slowed down by my absence.  This attitude would have wiped my out very early in the day and I expect I would have to call it a day earlier than I would have hoped.  Or I would have struggled through a very rough day.  It isn't about the pain but the feeling of being drained of energy that you might experience early on.

Everybody is different in how they react to this journey and as to when things progress to various stages such as when it is time to get back to work versus staying home and recovering.  My best guess is you will definitely need all of the two weeks and very possibly an additional week (making it three weeks ... although as I mentioned perhaps that third week could be half days).

Last thought is ask your surgeon for an opinion in returning to work.  Obviously the surgeon knows about your complications and may be able to better predict a time frame.

Good luck and hope something here might help you decide.  

Thank you!  Great comments and things to thing about.  I think you are correct - that when I do return (probably at the end of the 2 weeks mark) I will do it with the stipulation that 1/2 days might be needed.

I work in a hospital as a nurse assistant, and we do lots of heavy lifting, transferring of patients and help with daily care of the patients. My nurse manager did not want to see me at work doing al that for about 6 weeks. Mind you that not all managers where I work are that thoughtful and caring but I think she was right. My surgeon only gives 4 weeks off, the other 2 weeks were given to me by my manager, I was back to work for about 10 days (after being off for the 6 weeks) and i was getting very tired at work so i took another 3 weeks off. 

I know that i am very lucky to have the manager that I have and the job that allows me to accumulate and use a large amount of pay time off as well as sick time off and sick leave. But our health comes first, and although that it has to do with the low calorie diet that we are taking in, I wouldn't want to be at work pushing on a 700 pound patient when i just had a gastrectomy in the recent weeks. 

In the end its a case to case basis. Do what you feel comfortable with, remember right now you need to think of your health. 

Thanks for the thoughts!  Since I do not do anything that involves lifting or moving any heavier than 3 lbs, I won't need quite that much time.

My doc wanted me to file for short term disability for 6 weeks. I was shocked and so was work! But I did it.

Calking is right - at about 2 weeks it was like someone threw a switch. I stopped napping. I felt quite a bit better. I started convos with my doc and boss about possibly returning early. I started back remotely this week at 4 weeks post op. I took 3 weeks short term disability and 1 week vacation. So far, so good, but I am realizing I must monitor my intake more closely, which is what I suspected would happen.

The biggest reasons I didn't want to return physically right now were my doc's admonition that it might not look like much from the outside, but this was, truly, major abdominal surgery, and 2) I KNOW how my job goes and didn't want to be learning to manage puréed foods and get back into the groove at the same time.

Good luck to you!

You made a good point - right now just getting in my fluids, food, protein drinks and medication are a full time job.  I think when that part becomes more of a routine - it would be a good time to go back.  Thanks!

My insurance only approved me for 3 weeks. I actually needed another 3 weeks and needed to get approved for FMLA. The complications I was getting were actually a result of getting healthy. My blood pressure lowered dramatically and it was not stabilizing and my doc had to adjust my medications and try to get it right. I was passing out all the time and felt like crap and weak and tired. Once they figured it out, I was good to go and felt great. Every person is different. Surgery pain and all that was minimal for me after week two. But standing up and than passing out was not fun :) Good luck and I hope you are approved for whatever time that you will need.

I was wondering about that kind of problem.  I am also on BP Meds and I would figure I wouldn't need them at some point.  I don't have BP Cuff - should probably get one instead of relying on the passing our/light headed part.  I have read in a couple of places about  FMLA.  What exactly is that?  Does my HR Dept do that if I need to go on short-term disability? Thanks for sharing!

FMLA stands for family medical leave act. It is a law that can give you up to 12 weeks of un-paid medical leave. They can transfer you and things like that in your office but they cannot fire you as a result of the time off. But keep in mind you will not be paid. I know my company would not extend STD so I had no choice but, to use FMLA. This is something HR will approve you of but, only with the recommendation and proper paper work filing from the surgeon or doctor's office.