Returning to work after gallbladder surgery ?

[lotteloo]

What is the norm? From others that have had this surgery?
So far I've taken 6 weeks off sick after gallbladder surgery.
I still have really sore ribs and stomach pains every few days but not every day. My digestive system is all messed up (diarrhoea after eating at least once a day).
I am due back to work Thursday but not sure whether to have longer off but I just feel bad because feel like I should be fully better by now.

I was signed off for around 8-9 weeks. I had pancreatitis and spent nearly 2 weeks in hospital before having my gall bladder removed and then a few more days in hospital post-op as my BP was so low I couldn't get out of bed.

Listen to your body, don't use other people's post op experiences as a benchmark for your own recovery. We are all different. I expected to bounce back post gall bladder surgery, but that wasn't the case. I felt so unwell before and after.

I hope you are feeling better soon 🌻🌻🌻

I wouldn't go back sooner than you absolutely have to.
With keyhole surgery there is a risk of a hernia developing, and although I think this is currently quoted as a risk of 2-5%, it is much more likely to happen if you lift anything heavier than a cup of tea for for the first several weeks.
This happened to Dh and his health was affected for years afterwards, 2 hernia repair ops, he spent almost a decade in pain/unable to do basic house/child stuff, it was a nightmare. He was told it was OK to do just about everything within a few weeks, and it so wasn't!
Please take all the time you need.

I had two weeks off work. But I had it keyhole, I was young (early 20s), very fit and don’t have a manual job. Having said that, I moved house very soon after and was fine lifting heavy boxes etc.

I had two weeks off but have an office job so no heavy lifts or on feet etc.
You will have been particularly ill to get your gallbladder removed, your body needs time to heal. It sounds like your body isn’t fully healed yet, I recommend listening to it.
I recall being back at work but many weeks before I was even able to do things like hiking etc, so give yourself time.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences.
I'm definitely not fully healed hence the pain and bowel problems. I think recovery has been difficult because of having a baby to care for, never really been able to rest (or sleep well at night).
Will take another 2 weeks off.
Did anyone else experience sore ribs?

I was signed off for 10 days and I found that was enough for me to feel up to going back up work (desk job). I do seem to remember having a bit of aching in and around the ribs and back etc but nothing I couldn’t cope with and certainly not enough to warrant painkillers. It passed off eventually. My digestive system was completely back to normal though well within the 10 days of sickness leave.

I was signed off for two weeks but went back early, I healed very quickly.

I went back after seven weeks. I was cabin crew so def couldn't fly for a few weeks

I was mid 50s when I had mine out. I was working (non manual but real estate agent so fairly active) within 1 week, and playing tennis again within 3 weeks. But I felt fine and no pain.