Healing Times

[Ray Johnson]

Quick one for blokes in their 30s and 40s: how much time off WORK did the implant necessitate in term of opp and recovery?

I appreciate it may vary from job to job, manual work requiring longer periods off, but I’m trying to get a ball-park idea of such times as, like many of us, I’m still a working Joe with a wife n kid to support.

Fair play to boomers: they’ve worked hard and are now, many of em, drawing pensions and therefore removed from this sort of financial issue. How did you 30 and 40-somethings do it?

Cheers,

RJ

[Nico_from_belgium]

Hi

I'm 46, heal really quick (not swallen at all after penoscrotal surgery). I'll say at least 2 weeks. For a public implant maybe less. Then no weight lifting for another week at least (the reservoir must fix itself). I'm in cyber security, so 2 weeks seem ok.

[Oren8888]

If the surgery goes well, you can return to work in two or three weeks (without lifting heavy things). In my opinion, the fear and apprehension are much greater than the reality.

[NewGuy2025]

41 here.

First two weeks i wasn´t able to walk more than 10 steps.
Short distances became possible within the third week, but only with painkillers.
From the fourth week things started to get better from day to day and with beginning of the fourth week i started work again.
Now at the fifth week and everything is completely fine.

That being said, here are a lot of guys telling they were able to work a few days after surgery or after the second week.
Maybe you are lucky and you have the same luck.. but don´t take it for granted. To be on the safe side better think about 3 weeks at least.

[Ray Johnson]

Gents, many thanks for your informative (and reassuring!) responses.
Much appreciated.
RJ

[Dprimal]

Mid-40’s here. Wife, kids, bills, etc.
The link to my Healing Log is here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26491

From what I understand, the location of your incision site will play a major factor in recovery time. There are other factors involved, but Dr Hakky advised me that infrapubic has a faster recovery time than penoscrotal, and now I understand what he meant.

I work in an environment that requires about 60% of my time doing things such as walking, lifting, & heavy equipment operation. The other 40% is office work, meetings, computers, etc. Im also retired Army and the only breadwinner in my house, so this was something that I was concerned about as well. I also train bjj, teach mma, lift, hike, hunt, fish, and other similar activities. I’m not a watch-tv, sit on my ass kind of person, so recovery was a completely different lifestyle for me.

I used FMLA through my work and was paid a full paycheck each week during my recovery at home. Of course, I didn’t tell anyone what surgery I was actually having, there are ways around exposing your secret to everyone. I work in an all-male workforce and those dudes would have a field day with jokes if they knew what the real story was.

[Nico_from_belgium]

Mid-40’s here. Wife, kids, bills, etc.
The link to my Healing Log is here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26491

You've got a secret weapon

[GoodWood]

I work full time in a job where I am on my feet and active throughout the day. Some periods of sitting in a chair but not a desk job. (I’m in healthcare.) Moving an asleep patient from OR table to stretcher as a group is the heaviest lifting my job requires. So, not bad.

I had peniscrotal approach, which some say is more painful and a longer recovery time. But I had no pain and a super fast recovery.

I had surgery on a Tuesday and was out the next week as well. So I went back to work on day 10. I probably could have gone back on day 7 but there is no way to know that ahead of time.

I just took vacation time. I didn’t say I was having surgery.


Much of this is out of your control. A lot of it depends on your surgeon’s technique and skill and your preexisting conditions you can’t change.

But there ARE some things you have control over. I’m convinced part of the reason my recovery was so quick was that I (per my doc’s instructions) stayed flat on my back in bed virtually all the time for the first 3 days. This reduced swelling and inflammation which can interfere with healing and can cause pain. And (per my doc’s instructions) kept ice on nearly all the time for those first three days. That reduces inflammation and pain. Then, per his instructions I applied heat starting with day three onward which increases blood flow to the area speeding healing.

Even though I had no pain I took ibuprofen regularly as that helps reduce inflammation as well.

I know staying in bed for three days is really hard for guys that have kids but anything that can be done to allow that (have them stay to grandma/grandpa’s house or close friends for two overnights) will make healing quicker and get you back to your regular responsibilities and activities.

[Handyman]

I have a retail business. I had surgery on a Thursday morning and went to work on Saturday. I was on my feet for a few hours at a time. Tenderness from swelling. Really all about how you feel. No heavy lifting and be cautious generally. I had pubic incision.