How long were you off work after surgery?

I'm with Mark, plus I wanted to be back on a somewhat regular diet before heading back to work.

Although I am still pre-op, i too am fortunate to have STD coverage and I plan on using as much as the good Dr Hagen will allow me too.  I have been in discussion with the disability case manager at work and we have laid out a plan based on their experience with previous candidates.  

I was given 4 weeks initially by the Center. I had it extended to 6 weeks just to sort out eating issues and to feel better than ok. Then I return modified for a few weeks. I have a job that is demanding physically (nurse) so I think that's appropriate.

I had some complications and ended up being in the hospital for a week- even with that I went back to work at 4 weeks post-op and I was fine at my desk job. Totally up to the individual though.

I had surgery on a Tuesday in Mexico and spent the night Tuesday and Wednesdy. Thursday night we stayed at a hotel before our flight home Friday. I washed a load of clothes when I got home, did a little cooking over the weekend, and went back to work at my desk job Monday morning.

I took 8 weeks and am going back on Monday.  The psych and I were concerned about managing my depression with the malabsorption which was an issue for a few weeks.  Physically I was well after 3 weeks, but after that you need the time to eat and drink - it takes so long.   I found that this past week I have been able to get in all my food and start adding some vegetables as well as all water and vitamins.  It was good to be able to focus on getting this in place prior to adding the stress of work.

I also suffer from depression and take antidepressant medication.  Do you still take it after surgery or do you have to wait a certain amount of time to start up again? I have heard you can dissolve the pills in liquid and take them that way as an option, but I guess it depends on what type of med you are taking. My biggest concern is with my mood after surgery, as it is a huge change.  Did you find your mood changed after surgery? I have heard a lot about grieving food, and it sounds like it would effect my mood a lot.  Has your energy level improved after surgery?  My mood is better but my energy is still very very low.

The nurses will give you all your appropriate meds while you're staying in the hospital so you don't have to worry about bringing your own. Also, in your pre-op admission appointment they will tell you which of your pills to take the morning of your surgery. I'm pretty sure you'll keep on taking the same meds as usual post op, depending on the size you may feel more comfortable cutting them in half or dissolving them, but after the first couple weeks you should be fine to take them whole. Also you might want to inquire about it when you start going to your individual appointments with the Nurse and Nutritionist to discuss how your body will now absorb your meds etc... It's good to use the resources that they give to you along the process and although you get a lot of information from this forum, always use the direction from the actual doctors.

I was off for 6 weeks and also had short term disability through Great West Life, which covered 100% of my salary while I was off. I recommend speaking with your HR dept or your boss closer to your surgery. Your HR department will also need to file their papers to insurance to make sure you get paid appropriately so being prepared to have that discussion in a few months is something to think about as well. I didn't discuss my time off with my boss/HR until 3-4 months before my surgery, so it gave my employer time to plan for my absence.

My mood changed after surgery but I expected it to as a result of the surgery itself as I previously experienced when I had my gallbladder out 2 years ago, where I took 2 weeks off. Also because I didn't start taking my birth control again (which helps my mood****il a month post-op, now I feel so much better!

Also - don't rush going back to work if you can afford to stay home. You'll be thankful you took the time to manage your eating schedule and be in a routine before going back.

Hi Zizzler

Never stop taking your antidepressants without MD supervision.  After surgery you do keep taking your meds.  The issue is that the absorption might change.  Try to see a psychiatrist pre-op who has bariatric specialization.

Basically, you need to change any long acting meds to short acting and split your dose to take it twice daily; also you need to go check your stool for any meds post op (I had full tabs come out looking the same as when they went in).  Then I had to go to opening the capsules and pouring the beads onto a spoon and crushing the pill (very nasty at first but I can tolerate it better now).  I put a little Chapmans no sugar added ice cream or SF/FF pudding on a spoon so that the beads will stick and take them that way with a chaser of water as they can go all over your mouth; then I let a small amount of ice cream melt with the crushed pill mix it up and chase that down quickly with a spoon of ice cream.

I've had some issues with mood related to the malabsorption of my meds but the psych upped my Wellbutrin which boosts my effexor and I am doing well.  I may have to make changes again once absorption returns.

Grieving the loss of food (best friend) is very common after surgery.  I decided preop that food and I had a dysfunctional friendship and I would have to let that go.  So far it hasn't been an issue at all.  I'm thrilled with the RNY. 

In terms of energy, that has a lot to do with my mood - I would say that you want to go for remission, that is don't settle for mood improvement but still not participate in your life/household chores etc.,.  After my last relapse I changed meds and started at a low dose which boosted my mood 100% over what it was, that said I still had many of the other symptoms (playing video games, not participating in household activities, no sleeping...)  I am now at the highest dose of effexor and once it was boosted with Wellbutrin I felt like myself again and am active in my life.  Go for remission.

All the best

Deidre.

I was given a 4-6 week time frame to be off from work (I have a desk job with lots of stress and I have depression as well). My STD covered my absence 100% (SunLife) and I used my Health Spending Account to pay for my OptiFast as it was not covered under my regular benefits as there is no DIN number (not sure if this helps you as you really need to look at your benefits to see what you are covered for with prescriptions, STD and hospital room coverage). I took my prescription without a break from it for my depression as that's what my surgeon said to do...right now I had to get a supplement as I've been having extra stress from my son and I could not handle it (yes I was sliding down that path but since I'm taking the extra meds it is better). Good luck on your future endeavours and make sure you write down any questions as you will forget to ask something along the way!

Connie