Time off from work

[Sealover]

Hi, just wondering how much time I should put in for being out of work. I have a desk job but it is demanding. I had my short term disability paperwork sent directly to my surgeon to fill out and have not gotten word he completed it yet. What are your experiences for being out of work? I've read that some people feel pretty good physically after a week and others need a month to be back to normal. Any input is greatly appreciated!

[bellahanna]

Hi there!
I requested 3 weeks off and I'm so happy I did it. I know that office people return back to work sooner, but my job involves physical activity so I just wanted to play safe. But I can tell you one thing, being on liquid diet you wont have any energy. It actually might be pretty hard to return to work in one week. The first week I spent on the couch sleeping. I'm two weeks out and still feel pretty weak. My suggestion would be, take as much time off as you can.

[hookydad]

I took the two weeks my doctor recommended, and it was perfect. The first week took care of the pain, the second week I worked on stamina. I was still pretty whipped be the end of the day for the first month, but the cool thing is, you are losing weight at the same time. So when you do feel 100%, you will feel remarkable.

[Jen43]

I was off six weeks but I think that was cause I could take that time.

[Craya559]

I got 6 weeks because my job required lifting patients. I’m glade it was that long also because it takes time to adjust to this new lifestyle. Good luck on your journey it has been totally worth it for me

[mandyjdc]

I did 3 weeks. I work in a hospital and have to push a 400 lb. machine around, move patients, move furniture to get the machine in the room, etc.

It was OK, however, I probably should've taken 4. I had to take quite a few pain meds to make it through my first week back at work.

[Gvn71]

I'm lucky in that I have been at the same job for almost 25 years and have about 1000 hours of sick leave in my balance. I took 6 weeks and am really glad I did. I could have gone back to work in about 2 weeks, but would of had to go back on "light duty" which is more of a pain for me than for the job. I was up and moving around pretty normally at 2 weeks, and was told by my Dr. that I was cleared for all activities at 4 weeks. I decided to just stay out for the full 6 weeks so that I could really dial in my eating / protein plan.

Long story short..... How much time you take off depends totally on your situation. I work in law enforcement, so I couldn't go back to work until cleared my Dr. for full duty. If you have a total desk job, then I would say 2 weeks, longer as the job gets more physical.

Hope this helps!

[Dutchie]

We are entitled to six weeks sick leave.

[DHB]

I felt pretty great at one week but lacked stamina. I do some work from home but was able to start attending meetings, etc. during the second week without much trouble. Don't know if half days are an option or some work from home days, but I think it's probably hard to spend a full 8+ hours at work in the first two weeks just because you may want a nap. I never was a napper but I sure needed one for the first 2 weeks.

[KiwiGal]

I took 2 weeks and that seemed right for me. I have a desk job. Felt ok physically after 1 week, the 2nd week was more to get my head around how I had to eat/drink. Listen to your body and take as long as you are able to I guess.

[Kindle]

Surgery on a Friday, back to work the next thursday. I'm partners in a veterinary practice so no work = no pay. I specifically scheduled surgery over Christmas, so technically only missed 3 work days. Then it was back to 10 hour days on my feet, bending, squatting, etc. Got eased into it somewhat with the following week being a short one because of New Years. Just made sure I had plenty of protein shakes to sip on all day in between appointments since I was still on liquids only. Surprisingly I had no problems and plenty of energy once I started adding fruit to my protein shakes. The biggest concession was not lifting more than 20 pounds for 3 weeks. We couldn't schedule any large dog surgeries or horse appointments during that time.

[Sealover]

Thank you everyone for all your answers, they have been very helpful! I am requesting 2 weeks off but told my boss that it could be more depending on how I feel towards the end of the second week.

[sraebaer]

I took two weeks because then I didn't have to go on short term disability. I was fine. I'm a teacher, so a pretty demanding/stressful job, though I didn't have to pick up anybody!

Do what works for you.

[Christie13]

I work a desk job and only took a week off and I was fine. I was tired by the end of the day but completely doable. Some people have a harder time. I think to be safe you should take at least 2 weeks off. My surgeon filled out my STD paperwork just in case I needed it. I didn't.

[julieaponte]

I had my surgery on a Wednesday and flew home that Friday & went back to work that Monday. I was fine but everyone is different. If you are able to take more time then definitely take it. The main thing I think is getting used to eating and drinking on a set schedule. I had very good support and flexibility at my job to prep all of my meals here so it made it easy. Best of luck!!!