My ablation is scheduled in late March and was wondering what people's experience was with how long they were out of work assuming a non complicated ablation. I am being told to go on short term disability which means I can be off for 12 weeks at full pay. How much time off do you think is needed? What has been your experience? I am the temperament to want to get back as soon as I can.

John

You can probably forget about disability pay. I doubt you'll even meet the requirements for short-term disability for an ablation.

If you have a physical job involving heavy lifting, you'll be off work for one week because you'll be limited to lifting no more than 10 pounds.

If you have a job that doesn't involve lifting, you'll be off work for two days (one day for the procedure and the next day you probably won't be discharged until the day is half gone).

I've undergone multiple ablations and I never took more than two days off work with the exception of my last ablation because it involved traveling to Austin, TX. They ask you to remain in Austin for two days following the procedure, so I took five days off (day 1 arrive, day 2 procedure, day 3 discharge, days 4 and 5 hang out in Austin and enjoy Tex-Mex food).

That said, everyone is different. I was never particularly uncomfortable or fatigued following the procedure, but some people are.

The first rule of medical procedures, any kind, is that each of us is unique and will have to find his own experience as it unfolds. What unfolds for one will not unfold for all others. Generally, as Carey says, you are cautioned against lifting more than 8kg for one week, after which you can resume 'normal activities'. My instructions said I could resume sexual activity after 48 hours. Anyone with a modicum of sexual experience will know that the heart has to pony up some extra beats and blood. But, they say, go ahead only 48 hours after heart surgery of the ablation kind. Go figure.

The point is, you won't have to be off work for more than about a week, at most, and then only if things go well and you're not an office worker or hair salon worker. All others should be fine to resume their work within about 72 hours. However, sometimes things go a bit sideways and there'll be a need for intervention, possibly hospitalization. You should apprise your employer of the nature of your intervention and get some kind of 'understanding' or an agreement that he/she should prepare to be accommodating if you find that you can't return full-time within a few days at most. Make that person your ally in our recovery, not an impediment.

My last ablation was day surgery, and home in the evening. But since I am retired, no need to deal with work. However, I am and have always been very fit, so if I had an office job, I could have worked the day after the ablation. I felt perfectly fine and did go for a two mile walk the day after.

Unless one has a "heavy" job, one's usually prescribed one week off after an ablation, here in Belgium.