A very wise person once told me when I thought I was indispensible. "They change the president sometimes every 4 years" Now when I think my business can not do without me I hear that quote in my head. Things may not get done the way I would do them and the decisions made may not be the ones I would make but that is the trade off I make for being away from work. I have never heard of a armored truck following the hearse in a funeral procession. Take time for your self it will make you a better employee, boss, spouse, friend. I wish I could take credit for those thoughts but I am lucky enough to have people in my life over the years that have reminded me what is important. I now show dogs as a hobby, it requires travel and being away a lot, the gratification I get from seeing my dog compete it why I get up and work everyday. But if work gets in the way and I have to make a decision, nothing will keep me away from the dog show short of family. Good luck on finding your right balance and success on your journey to good health.

I'm having a weird time at work too! I'm being made to feel selfish, by senior management not my team mates! We have had a huge influx of work, very unusual & my team is being disbanded at the end of november. I have some 25 cases right now with about 8 working days before my surgery. I normally have 5 -6 cases per week & clear 1-2 cases per day. I've been asked to work longer days (10hrs a day) Nd to work Saturday. My colleague Hayley has offered to work with me to clear cases but she has the same workload & we would still struggle. I was told today the "have HAD"!!!! to take on temp staff to clear MY backlog & the month I'm taking off. Guess what they are taking on 2!!!! People to cover my job! ..... 2!!!

I have decided to concentrate on my operation, positive thoughts no negatives, let work take care of it's self. I will work on Saturday but only because it suits me & I get the day in leu towards my time off.

I agree with you take care of yourself & the rest will fall into place xxx

If it takes two of you I think you need an assistant and a huge pay raise! lol

I understand feeling a bit guilty deep down because you're doing something totally for yourself and we've been conditioned to think that's somehow "wrong." But...news flash...as much as our workplaces need us, as much as we're super responsible people at work...all will be ok. Just ask yourself if they'd be better off without you now or down the road if something worse happened to you or you even dropped dead. That puts things in perspective.

Enjoy this time for YOU. You are so worth it. You've made the tough decision, now travel that road and take the journey with confidence, hope and peace. The sleeve has been the best gift I could give not only myself, but my husband and co-workers as well.

Keep us posted and don't be afraid to share your thoughts. We're here for you!!!

I am being threatened with not being able to take a medical leave because i took one last yr to have my gallbladder out. I have lots of colds and illness since that surgery and have missed quite a bit of work. I understand where the bosses are coming from but I have been with the company for 8 yrs and am #28 in seniority. We have a horrible turn over rate. I am a schoolbus driver. I am legally not allowed to drive if my b/p is to high or I become insulin dependent with diabetes. So I guess my bosses are going to have to accept the fact I'm going out on medical whether they like it or not. My husbands theory is, I can always find another job in the same industry around here. It takes a special kind of person to be a schoolbus driver.

I stayed home one week before I went back to work. It was too soon. Today is 3 weeks post op and it is the first day I have been pain free. Please stay home at least 3 weeks. Going back too soon, like I did, was foolish!!!