I work 50 hours a week as a waitress in a busy breakfest/lunch place. My day starts at 3:30 AM --I have to be at work at 4:30 AM. We run a lot and don't always get a break during our 10 hour shifts. I told my boss I will need three weeks off for my tonsillectomy; is this reasonable? I am getting the "you're just having your tonsils out" line and " I had mine out --it was fine!" (yeah when you were a kid!). I am 41 yrs old; am I out of line asking for three weeks off considering the pace of my job?

I got the same grief from my coworkers. My ENT said I'd need at least two weeks off and wrote a letter to that effect. While you're healing, your throat will have scabs coming off and you run the risk of bleeding... Fortunately MY boss had had his tonsils out when he was in his 30s and new it wasn't pretty.

I didn't have any bleeding issues, but I was really really tired when I went back after two weeks. I was used to having an afternoon nap. :) And I couldn't talk -- I pretty much still had laryngitis for an additional week, and the main phone for my department was located on my desk.

Nah it's not extreme, I work in a Call Center - I take around 80 phone calls a day which means I am pretty much constantly talking - I work from 9-5.30 so the hours arent all that bad. I went back to see my ENT today and he said that I am getting on fine but another week and things should be a lot better by then & he signed me off for another week (we get certificates from the Doctors to say we arent fit to work)...that will be 3 weeks after the op when I do go back.

You are certainly being reasonable. I work in a pharmacy 40-42 hours a week, as a technician, and I told them I'd need 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, when I was still unable to eat anything, I was too weak to go back to work. I needed to call and say I'd be out another week. Fortunately, as I kept having to go in to fill an anti-nausea prescription, and later an antibiotic, they were able to tell by my lack of color and 16 pound weight loss that I was not exaggerating. If you need to, print out the differences between an adult and child tonsillectomy, found in LisaMP's Guide to Adult Tonsillectomy sticky. When I first told my boss, she said, "Oh that's just an in-and-out procedure," but by the time I was fully recovered, nearly 4-5 weeks, she had learned that she wasn't so sure of herself after all.

It is a procedure that needs to be taken very seriously. Try getting a doctor's note - that might help. Best of luck :)

Kelly

You're being perfectly reasonable...

I got grief from some of my coworkers too..."Oh, they do that all the time..." "I had mine out (in 8th grade) and I went back to school the next week..." The doctors don't play when they tell you two weeks or more....you'll need every bit of that time!

Hope things go well!

"I am getting the "you're just having your tonsils out" line and " I had mine out --it was fine!" (yeah when you were a kid!). "

omg i heard the same thing. I am an automotive technician.. 21y/o. when i said i wanted a week off (i thought id be ok in a week. im on day 5 and its not going so smooth!) Everyone was like "???????????" "i dont even see why you need a week off? its not that bad im sure"

No one understands. It sucks ill have to take more work off.. and it sucks i used up my vacation days.

I think 3 weeks would be a good amount of time to heal. You dont want to stress yourself out.

I don't know about recovery time (getting evaluated on Friday for my own possible tonsillectomy). But from a former Human Resource professional (now stay at home mom), you are legally allowed to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave from any job that you've been employed at for at least 12 months (and they have to employ at least 20 people) for medical reasons. If you are given a hard time by your immediate manager, go to your HR rep and discuss with them. They should set everyone straight. It's called FMLA - Family Medical Leave Act. It's unpaid time, but it holds your position for you for your return. So if an ENT says three weeks, then they have to allow you 3 weeks.

Hope that helps!

I am an OR nurse and I had my tonsils out @ 38....I took 2 weeks off...if you are at a busy job you may need 3 weeks off ....good luck. jen in nj

I had mine out 8 jan and this is my 4th week off, I go back on 5th Feb and am doing a week of part time hours before going back to my normal 37 hours a week. if you dont take enough time off to recover you will end up getting ill and having to take extra time off. dont let them bully you!!!

I had my tonsils out a month ago. Im still very tired and getting various colds/stomache flus.....Its the winter ...your immune system is down, and if your like me your still weak.
A 50 hr work week on your feet sounds extreme...someone on this forum asked about excersizing and the consensus was to wait 6 weeks...so if youd wait 6 weeks to work out wouldnt you wait 6 weeks to engross yourself in a physically demanding job?
I think its hard to say what you up to after a few weeks of recovery...people think that you should be 100 percent but you might not be..you might feel mentally ready but not sure about fully physically..and like you mentioned it doesnt help that many people think its a quick recovery because they had it when they were young.

If you feel the least bit weak still listen to your body. you dont want to catch something while your at work straining your body. Is it possible to cut down on your hours for the next month? Just an idea...