back to work post surgery

[kelsi]

Happy day to be alive. I would like to hear from those willing to share what their process was in going back to work--how long , how much, post surgery. Of course I know there are many factors that influence this and have got some information from a search. Thank you!
kelsi

[Melissa778]

Kelsi,

I went back to work part time 4 weeks post op....and It really did wear me out.  At 6 weeks post op I was back to work full time.  I am 10 weeks post op and I do have my tired days still.  But I do Accounting and Financials for a large Medical Coproration and I stare at a computer all day....taxing on the eyes   I think I was lucky to feel as good as I did so soon.  Best of luck to you.

Melissa

[satman]

Hi kelsi, i went back to work 7 months to the day, please keep in mind that i was in pretty bad shape to begin with. I have heard that some people have returned to work at 2 weeks which i thought was amazing.
i did go back at full time but some reccommend starting out part time.
as far as post surgery i had the 7-12 nerve jump [7 1/2 hrs] and i had an eye weight put in [2 hrs] and my an surgery was 17 1/2 hrs along with roughly 6 months physical therapy. all of these surgerys were in a 4 month period 27 hrs total,WHEW,glad thats all over.
i have now been back to work since november 1st.

[HeadCase2]

Hi kelsi,
  I went back to work 8 weeks after surgery.  I had originally planned to return to work after 4 weeks, but decided to spent some more time doing vestibular retraining with long walks every day. And I'm glad I took the time to do that.  Thankfully my medical leave policies at work allowed me to do that.  If I had absolutely needed to I could have returned to work sooner, but I was more ready after after 8 weeks.
 Like most an patients, work was fatiguing at first and I slept longer than normal. The first week, I came home and went right to bed until the next morning.   I do mostly computer activites at work and at first computer screens with a low refresh rate bothered me a bit.  That went away with time.
  Best of luck returning to work.
Regards,
  Ro

[Debbi]

HI Kelsi-

As you so correctly observed, everyone is different.  I started doing an hour or two of work a day at two weeks.  I have slowly gotten that up to about 7 hours of work at the three-month mark.  I could probably push harder, but am happy with the pace right now.  I own my own business and work primarily from my home office, so getting back to work for me was much easier.  Those who have to commute need to factor that in.

Hope this helps.

Debbi

[Jeanlea]

Hi Kelsi,

I was in the hospital for 8 days after surgery and then spent another 5 days in the hospital for a blood clot.  I went back to work after 8 weeks.  Could have gone sooner, but I'm a teacher and had enough sick days.  It was good rehab being back in the classroom.  Weaving through the desks really helped my balance.  I was lucky in that I never had any problems with fatigue.  I attribute that to the fact that I had long ago perfected the art of using as little energy as possible.    

Jean

[oHIo]

Kelsi,
After multiple complications and an 11 day hospital stay, I returned to work 9 weeks after my surgery.  I went back to my regular 3 day, 10-11 hour schedule with a one hour each way commute.  I am a nurse, so it was back full steam when I returned.  I would have like to have stayed off a few more weeks, but I was highly motivated to go back.  My paid time off had run out and I would have had to pay for my benefits out of pocket along with having no income.  

My co-workers could not believe I came back like I had never been off.  I was tired at the end of the day, but it was good to be back in a routine again.  When I returned to work, I still had some major facial nerve issues (and still do) but I have learned to adapt.  Driving was my biggest barrier to my return.  I did not start driving until the week before I went back, mainly due to eye issues (my eye is sewn most of the way closed so I have no peripheral vision).  

I am now four months post op.  At three months, I went to an amusement park and actually rode a few rides.  Looking back at where I was two weeks post op (pretty much dependent on other people to walk me to the bathroom) and where I am now (the one walking other people to the bathroom), I've come very far in my recovery.  Each day just gets better!

[Pooter]

I went back to work part-time (4 hrs a day from home) at about 6 weeks post op.  Followed by about 3 days at the office 4-5 hrs a day.  Then I started getting headaches and ultimately ended up back in the hospital for 4 days with an allergic reaction to a diruretic I was on (leading theory cuz they're not sure).  I spent a few days back at home and then I am back to full days at about 8 weeks or so post-op.

As you said, we're all different and differ in our recovery times, recovery, complications (if any), etc..

I hope this helps..

Brian

[pswift00]

Hey, anybody here take public transportation to work?  My big concern post-surgery is having to deal with riding the bus/subway (metro rail) with no left side vestibular nerve.  That should be tons of fun.  Though I can't wait to have someone give me guff when I ask them to let me sit in the handicap seat they're occupying.  Is it wrong if I derive some sort of sick satisfaction by saying to someone, "I had brain surgery. What's your excuse?" 

[kimberly]

I was lucky and didn't work at the time of my surgery but I resumed regular activity about 4 - 6 weeks after and  started a new job about 4 weeks after.  So far everything is smooth sailing.  I don't have issues with public transportation now either.  I guess initially the balance issues can be taxing for a lot of people when it comes to transportation.  You could try a short trial trip to see how it goes?

Good luck!

Kimberly

[leapyrtwins]

Kelsi -

I agree with what others have said here - everyone is different.  I'll also add that IMO a lot depends on your job and what it entails.  I basically have a desk job - I'm an accountant and I also manage a staff of 4 - and I was able to return to work 1/2 days after 2 weeks; I returned full-time after 4.  However, my job is more mentally challenging than physically challenging and it should be noted that a full work day for me is only 7 hours, not 8.  I also had my mother staying with me and my children so she was able to "taxi" me to work until I started driving again - which in my case was 6 weeks - and she was handling all the household chores so I was better rested then patients who might have been dealing with those duties also.

My biggest issue when I returned to work was fatigue.  When I started back I was glad I was only going for 1/2 days since I was wiped out the other 1/2 of the day.  After working a few hours, I was more than happy to return home and take a nap.  In time I was able to build back up to my normal work day. 

I would suggest letting your body be your guide.  Start slowly and go from there.  If things are relatively easy and you are doing well, keep up the hours.  If you are wearing yourself out or feeling not so good, cut your hours accordingly.

Do what is best for you.

Jan

[JulieW4]

Kelsi,

I really am glad you started this thread because I am very interested in reading everyone's experience.  So far it seems most people went back to desk jobs. Is there anyone out there that had a physically demanding job that they went back to and when?  I do many things, substitute teach, teach childbirth classes, doula (professional labor support person) and wait tables.  During the summer a lot of my income comes from waiting tables.  On Monday it will be 4 weeks since my surgery.  I would really like to go back to my waitress job but I am pretty sure that I won't have the stamina to make it through a shift.  I still have a lot of fatigue.  The only thing I went right back to was teaching my childbirth classes.  They are only two hours long and I teach from my home, so that was easy enough. 

I hope more people will post there going back to work experiences.

Julie

[leapyrtwins]

After multiple complications and an 11 day hospital stay, I returned to work 9 weeks after my surgery.  I went back to my regular 3 day, 10-11 hour schedule with a one hour each way commute.  I am a nurse, so it was back full steam when I returned.  I would have like to have stayed off a few more weeks, but I was highly motivated to go back.  My paid time off had run out and I would have had to pay for my benefits out of pocket along with having no income.  

My co-workers could not believe I came back like I had never been off.  I was tired at the end of the day, but it was good to be back in a routine again.  When I returned to work, I still had some major facial nerve issues (and still do) but I have learned to adapt.  Driving was my biggest barrier to my return.  I did not start driving until the week before I went back, mainly due to eye issues (my eye is sewn most of the way closed so I have no peripheral vision).  

I am now four months post op.  At three months, I went to an amusement park and actually rode a few rides.  Looking back at where I was two weeks post op (pretty much dependent on other people to walk me to the bathroom) and where I am now (the one walking other people to the bathroom), I've come very far in my recovery.  Each day just gets better!

oHIo -

just wanted to say that you have made excellent progress in a relatively short period of time.   And returning to your very fast-paced job and long work days despite your post op issues is IMO amazing!  But then again, most nurses I know are amazing 

You're probably thinking that 4 months isn't a "relatively short period of time" but in relation to the things you've been through, IMO it is.

Despite your complications you have come so far and I'm very glad to see you say that each day you are getting better.

You are to be commended for hanging in there during the tough times.  It sounds like you have a little ways to go before you are 100%, but I'm confident that everything will eventually work out for you.  You should be very proud of yourself 

Keep up the good work,

Jan

[Syl]

Hey, anybody here take public transportation to work?  My big concern post-surgery is having to deal with riding the bus/subway (metro rail) with no left side vestibular nerve.  That should be tons of fun.  Though I can't wait to have someone give me guff when I ask them to let me sit in the handicap seat they're occupying.  Is it wrong if I derive some sort of sick satisfaction by saying to someone, "I had brain surgery. What's your excuse?" 

Hi, pswift00

May I recommend you keep a cane handy for your commute? Not only will help your balance, but it'll reinforce your brain surgery explanation. And, if anyone refuses to give up the handicap seat, you can whack them one.

Syl

[sgerrard]

Hi Syl,

The return of the sense of humor is a good sign that recovery is making progress. 

Steve