how long before return to work after surgery?

[janetm2]

Violet,
Sorry you had such a long haul of inability to sit, I am avoiding most places and doing a 5-10 sit and stand but that does not last long. The hour today meant pain pill and it will still be a long night. Thanks for the tip and luck, I may need all I can get. First I have to get through for an appointment - tomorrow is another round of phone calls. I should call my sister in law since she coordinated my brother's disability. For the curiousity seekers he had open heart surgery age 43 then a minor stroke right side, follicular lymphoma (end of work) then a few years later major stroke left side and filed for disability a year or 2 later and got a lump sum 1 year payment followed by monthly pays. He turns 55 this year. His wife can now cut back on her second PT job.
Janet

[Karyn]

Hi Janet,
Thanks very much for the clarification and information. I didn't know it was the PM Doc who handled Disability.

I just found out from work it needs to be permanent (at least until I turn 55 when I would have been able to just retire regularly).

How come? Because they can't hold your job indefinitely?

FYI my PT session was mostly just an eval and a bit of leg stretching she said we should take it ssslllooowww!

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. I'm sorry you had a rough time of it afterwards.

No internal eval or nerve glides but the dr. said both were okay now.

How do you feel about the internal work? Have you had it before?

I could not sit very long for at least 18 months after surgery and I had to lie down most places I went.

Violet - I'm so very sorry sitting was difficult for you for such a long time. However, I did find a measure of comfort in your statement. I know everyone is different, but I was starting to wonder if I was progressing too slowly with not being able to sit for more than a couple of minutes after 11 weeks, bilateral TG surgery.

Janet - I wish you the very best with your evaluations and disability. When are you seeing the PM doc? Please keep us updated as to what's going on with you! That's wonderful that your S-I-L has some experience with it. Every little bit helps!
Warm regards,
Karyn

[janetm2]

Karyn,
How I wish you were progressing quicker, guess we know with Violet's post we are not alone, maybe you won't have the same 18 months. This is such a long and difficult road for everyone, glad we can lean on each other and get all the info and help from this site. I will try to get all the answers in to your questions.
The PM doing disability review was new to me I thought the surgeon or whomever was treating you did it but maybe it makes more sense for the PM/rehab as the be your last group to try and get you better before saying there isn't a way to put the pain under control enough for you? The PM I have already been working with for my chronic foot pain doesn't have the detailed knowledge of PN & PNE, so the other group looks like the ones to see since this is the major reason for disability. I will have my PM fill out the info on my feet in case they can do a combination of the two health problems.
The disability retirement means I have retired from my job because of disability before I am eligible for retirement. So since I am in effect getting an 'early' for disability they expect me to be disabled at least until my allowed retirement age of 55. There is no short term disability, however disabity affairs rep said the leave sharing program is partly there as a short term disability in a way to pay you for up to 6 months while working through the disability process. The thing is trying to understand what they need from the doctor with the change from going back to work June 20 no limitations to disabled (5 weeks post-op). I think I can also get 3 months family leave act leave without pay to hold my job while we sort things out. that is a three page form
but it seems easier to get approval than the leave sharing. Turns out my brother said his disability review is by doctors set up to do these for state/government or whatever and his review was a few tests and based on his problems the guy said he should hear back in 3 weeks, quick and easy. That type of application is different than some of the rules on my retirement but he had normal known problems. He limps using a cane, limited stregth, stamina -looks disabled, too. I haven't heard from the other PM yet for an appointment, have to leave a voice message, the doctor has email so maybe I can fill out his new patient form an email with my plea for help.
PT #2 with internal eval (okay), then nerve glides (new pain) and connective tissue (had this before and it was as painful as
before). I was okay with doing these after she told me it was needed to prevent scar tissue, also I thought I would only have a few sessions this month then pick up in August. Afterwards when I asked to be on cancellation list there were more openings since I called this morning and now I can see if/how this helps me. The interesting thing is they wanted me to do the nerve glides to myself but when we tried the after my treatment I didn't feel it, maybe I was all limbered up! So I get to try tomorrow on my own, if nothing else my thighs will get some stretches (more exercise than I have had most of my life or at least since the foot pain kicked in).
Thanks for the wishes and questions, we need to learn from one another.
Janet

[pianogal]

that's nice that they offered to get you a recliner. it means they are being considerate. what you will need to tell them is that you'll need a sofa and space for it, as ultimately, a recliner will flare you up. You need to be mostly flat. With a laptop and a couch, you can work, and keep repositioning yourself... and use ice and pain meds etc. It's not preferential, it will be hard, but if you've gotta do it, you've gotta do it! I had to take care of a toddler after surgery! It takes about (sorry but this is true) 18 month to recover from this surgery. It took me 18 months to return to my pre-surgery levels of pain. Now I had a surgery which did not work... perhaps with surgeries which work the improvement rate is faster, but I have still heard it's slow. You have to be patient, pace yourself, and take pain meds so you don't go crazy but also take stool softeners/miralax so you don't flare your nerve via constipation. unless you can go med free. I will keep you in prayer.

[janetm2]

Hello Pianogal,
oh my but you have had problems (or as my boss says challenges) your whole life and still not out of the woods! So sorry to hear the surgery did not work especially with this ailment and you are stronger than me to handle a toddler. I was told that it was slow and be patient but did not realize it would be 18 months to get back to pre-surgery. I thought maybe 3-6 months especially with the paperwork saying I would return to work in 4-6 weeks. Very confusing but it turns out the return to work was just the incision healing time not that I would actually be otherwise healed to work. I may have to do the disibility retirement if what you turns out to be true. As for the recliner that seemed to be something they have for another ailment and the doctor said the said it would not work as you said. Although they strive to accommodate the disabled, the double ailment for me seems to be beyond 'reasonable accommodation' which is the rule. Particularly when we get to sofas and bed was another idea my cousin tossed into the mix, this is the government afterall. Also, given my job description as a project manager I am supposed to go to the customer to gather requirements from their desk, etc. They may workaround some things short term (a year or so) but not for the next 4.5 years. There are sofas in some upper management offices and they were working the laptop idea for the recliner so I could ask.
I am taking the stool softeners, miralax and then some. Only possible issue is my diet that has changed since I stopped cooking, so far nothing drastic and I am eating more fruit to balance the pounds of bacon (hubby specialty).
Very best to you and thanks for the prayer
Janet

[janetm2]

All,
The update for now is my appointment with the Rosen-Hoffberg Pain management rehab place is July 13 (4 weeks from now) I am struggling now to keep my job trying to understand work requirements to cover things when no doctor can combine ailments to support my inability to work. It seems I am back to "just figure it out". Well I am not able to work and can only hope I magically get better enough to work (with PT) before the limited time runs out of advancing leave (5 weeks), new PM group can fill out FMLA LWOP(12 weeks) or I can get disability (with leave sharing getting whatever it is they need and approve leave to cover me while I file 4-5 months). Worse case scenario is I will be in good company with all those on this site that have lost their pension/retirement, health benefits, etc. Such as shame as we strive so hard to keep going and working even if just at a home life with this horribly painful problem, as evidenced by the many posts I have read. On tomorrow to try and fill out paperwork for all the above I may need a timer to make sure I don't sit too long! Take Care andcI will update with Dr. Hoffberg's eval info after I see him, maybe he will be able to get me going on track again.
Janet

[Karyn]

Hi Janet,
My heart goes out to you! I still find your situation kinda baffling. I don't understand why Dr. Marvel won't write you a letter of medical leave. He just performed a major, invasive surgery on you, and feels you should be ready to go back to work in 6 weeks? And because you're not, he's passing you off to a PM doctor? Please correct me if I've got this wrong.

There is no short term disability, however disabity affairs rep said the leave sharing program is partly there as a short term disability in a way to pay you for up to 6 months while working through the disability process. The thing is trying to understand what they need from the doctor with the change from going back to work June 20 no limitations to disabled (5 weeks post-op). I think I can also get 3 months family leave act leave without pay to hold my job while we sort things out. that is a three page form

You have a disability rep through work, but no STD or LTD plan?
I wonder if that's the difference between our situations? I had my 12 week follow up with Dr. Conway last week and have been out of work on STD. This week, I'll be transitioning into LTD, as I'm not ready to return back to work. Dr. Conway completed the forms FAX'd to him by my disability company and I requested his office to mail me a copy. After all, he's the surgeon who performed the surgery (My reason for being out of work in the first place!). They wanted a return to work date, but who knows exactly when I'm going to be able to sit? He left that "TBD" pending a reval in 8 weeks. I asked him about having a PT come to my home but he would like me to try some excersises first, before we go there. The excersises are nerve glides (which I've been doing all along) and some gentle butt stretching exercises. I could be wrong, but I got the impression he doesn't think PT is very helpful for people with our condition pre-op OR post-op. He wasn't the least bit surprised that I still couldn't sit for more than a few minutes at 12 weeks post-op. Healing takes a very long time (more than 6 weeks!) and he seems to realize that it has to happen in it's own time. No rushing, pushing or magic solutions.
I'm so sorry about your foot pain, too. I also have that, although it's different from yours. The bottoms of my heals feel like I have glass embedded in them, I get electric shocks and they constantly burn. This is from not being able to sit, so I'm on my feet for a good 8 - 10 hours a day. I think the simple solution to this would be to stay off my damn feet so much, but I just can't. Lying down for hours on end is very uncomfortable/painful for me and I feel like I'm always having to choose between the lesser evils of pain.
Best of wishes with your upcoming PM appointment and all the daunting forms, Janet. My thoughts will be with you.
Hugs,
Karyn

[janetm2]

Hello Karyn,
I am refueled by your email of concern and support. You are wonderful as the others for reaching out and helping. Your foot pain is awful and yet you rise above it to go on. Each of us must daily decide which and what pain to endure to get through the day and possibly get something done whether it be a small item of pleasure (we deserve that) or taking care of ourselves, others in our lives, or work. I admire all as the move forward. I did lean on my feet pre-op and just went back and forth between the pains to stretch my leave until surgery. This started to cause too much stress on the athritis which once agravated left me in too much pain to walk and fortunately subsided on its own, however it can require draining in the future so I want to avoid that. I plan to stay home as long as I can because I also do not want to undue the surgery I just had. Bringing me back to the paperwork. I requested FMLA paperwork to be filled out to keep my job and as with your doctor mine did not put a return date on that but rather that I would not be out a continuous time (I would require reduced schedule and unable to work during flare-ups). Given that info and only portions of the form filled in who knows if this will get me anywhere. I considered going in for 15 min the leaving for the flare-up but I would probably have to do that daily and I don't want to aggravate the problems. Maybe in the long run this wiil prove out. On the bright side my boss is doing everything she can and I can get advanced annual leave to get me through to the PM appointment. As for disability affairs just works to accommodate you with your disabilities, the unable to sit &stand is too much. The only disiability from work is a disibility retirement per my federal agency and requires OPM
approval. I was warned not to put a doctor on the form that cannot attest to my disability so guess how hard that will be to eliminate the surgeon for the disabling condition (I am hoping it is just the section where I enter Doctor names, so I can just put the new PM and not the medical documentation where the surgeon name appears). Not so lucky with the state farm form which I have to list who treated me but there is a space for comments so I may put that the PM is doing the eval for disability (state farm has the foot pain as pre-existing so the disability cannot include that just the PN/PNE). Again I cannot readthe doctor's mind and why this is happening and we are as they say beating a dead horse so trying to move on to the PM and hope he can handle the paperwork. Everyone said things will work out and I know at least that something will happen just not what. I am so glad you are getting support you need and wish you luck with PT, etc. In any case for me if the surgery does eventually help I know I will be grateful, only time will tell. Take care,
Janet

[janetm2]

Violet and others,
Thanks for the lying down tip for my disability evaluation (they put that off for two weeks) even though I was lying down. I got the earlier appointment today but they said they think they can get me back to work with a full force of PT etc. My pelvic is so out of whack and everything is tight and pulling on the nerve so that all needs to be fixed before internal work (some of which my regular PT person said). Of course I only have one PT a week after this week until August so the full force won't be going well if some folks don't start cancelling. With what others say about how long they were unable to sit. I am still not sure of being able to work fuul time before whatever time I can get runs out. I have to remind them I need to be able to sit 1-2hours at a time and 7.5-8 hrs of my 8.5 hr day and be able to drive 20 to and from work to be full time 5 days a week. They were clearly apalled by the push for going back to work and even the disability evaluation at this point. They gave me a note for work which won't buy me much but as I was reading the disability form would cover my boss for advancing me leave and gives credence to what I was saying. They will fill out family leave in 2 weeks if we don't swap over to disability and I follow all their rules. Not sure I even understood everything and no handouts for the exercises and not sure my feet will handle sneakers and a lift so I may fix one thing and sacrifice the other with increased pain. I am bringing what I can to discuss with my PT tomorrow and then regular pain guy and Friday and maybe they can fill in any gaps. The hour wait that I sat and stood until I asked to lie down did me in and I haven't recovered from Monday's PT. I do hope others are having a good week or at least some fun this week. It would be easier if I could get better enough to finish my career and certainly at least sit for some time, the disability paperwork is a bit daunting and I could lose everything anyway, we will see. Thank you for listening and supporting me.
Janet

[Violet M]

Janet, I have a friend who has gone through this disability maze and she said that if you are told to do something painful that you should tell them it's too painful. I strongly encourage you not to do the exercises they are recommending if they cause you additional pain because you could really set yourself back. You can just say you tried them but they were causing you too much additional pain. Personally, I was in too much pain to do PT for almost a year after surgery so I am a big believer in letting your body heal before pushing too hard. Of course, exercise is what got me into this mess in the first place so I guess you could say, I learned my lesson before surgery!

Anyway, best wishes and I hope it all works out for you for the best.

Violet