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Returning to work after weight loss surgery
Some return to work on a part time basis in as little as two weeks after surgery, most return to work after three weeks. If you do a lot of lifting and cannot get a light duty status you may need to be out of work for as long as six weeks after surgery. Your workplace probably has forms for your surgeon to fill out for you to return to work. There is a lot on those forms for you to fill out and it is always helpful to do that—for example, your name, your address, the date you had your surgery. One time a patient faxed us five pages of these government-issued blank forms. The patient didn’t fill out his name or any information, nor did his fax have a return number on it. The patient became irate that we had not filled them out until he realized that we had no idea who had faxed them to us. Please fill out as much as possible before your surgeon’s office staff sees them. Also, ask for an extra copy—things do get lost.
Driving...no, you cannot drive home from the hospital
There are a few simple rules about when you can drive. First, if you are taking narcotics, pain pills such as Vicodin, Percocet, Davocet, you should not drive a car. If you drive under the influence of these drugs you can be arrested, put in jail, have your license suspended, and may injure yourself or someone else. Second, you shouldn’t drive until your reaction time has returned to normal. Have you ever been driving along and suddenly notice the person in front of you has stopped? You have to slam on your brakes and just avoid rear-ending them. Well, imagine if your reaction time is one second off—instead of just "missing" the car in front of you, you now have your engine in your lap. If the thought of slamming on your brakes makes your incision hurt, then you shouldn’t be driving. Some surgeons want patients to wait two or three weeks, but there are clearly some patients who should wait even longer. I had knee surgery in 1989, and my friends tell me it is still too early for me to drive.
What about bathing, swimming, Jacuzzi???
These are best left up to the surgeon. Most surgeons want patients to wait for three weeks before baptism.
When to Call Your Surgeon
Call your surgeon when any of the following happens:
- Pus comes out of the wound
- The wound becomes progressively more red
- Red streaking from the wound
- The wound becomes unusually tender
- Your temperature is greater than 101
- You have yellow or green FOUL smelling drainage
Some clear yellow drainage is normal from your wound. This liquid is generally liquefied fat cells that were destroyed when we made our grand entrance into your body.
Things you can and can’t do to the wound
- It is okay to allow soap and water to run over the wound
- Do not use Neosporin® or other ointments on the wound
- Do not bathe or swim for three weeks
- If you are outside in the sun, the wound will burn easily, so keep it covered
- After several weeks it is okay to use sunblock on the wound
