Can my employer deny me time off for surgery?

[bam_bam]

I am planning on having gastric bypass in the fall. First off my NM is one of my best friends (she was my matron of honor). A lot of times I wish she wasn't my NM because of that. Anyway, she has known that I want to have this done and has made some comments that it has to be approved and we are short so it probably wouldn't be approved. A little history here....I had a tonsilectomy last October and she gave me a lot of grief about that one also but I did get the time off. Both times she said these are elective surgeries that have to have approval from management. For the record, I could have been scheduled for surgery this month or next but I told my surgeon I want to wait until the fall. That way the summer vacations would be over and hopefully she won't give me a problem. Do you see now why I don't like my friend being my NM??? Since she initially made those comments, I don't talk to her about my surgery plans. I am waiting for it to be approved through my insurance (which it will be) and scheduled before I say anything to her again. I figure why go through the HA until I have to! I talked with my union rep and she said she didn't think that she deny a surgery, especially if it was covered by insurance. The NP in the surgeon's office says I don't even have to tell her the nature of my surgery because of privacy. Like I said she is one of my best friends and she already knows. I really don't want this delayed any more than it has to be. I already am resentful (even though it was my own doing) that I am delaying it until the fall. I am willing to quit my job over this. Any advice???

Beth

[hellerd2003, RN]

Apologies for getting a little sidetracked, and I hope you don't take offense to this question: But are you sure you want to have this surgery? We just discussed this at my school and a couple of students really regretted having this surgery. They said it caused many medical problems, and other people in the class had friends who suffered the same.

You may want to look into this since the operation, and potential associated effects, are apparently irreversible.

The effects of morbid obesity are far, far more of a risk than surgery. A study was done in Denmark which followed a large pool of subjects for 7 years. Half had gastric bypass, half tried to lose weight via diet and exercise. At the end of 7 years, the mortality rate in the group that modified diet and exercise was HIGHER than the mortality rate in the bypass group . . . because they could not maintain a weight loss and succumbed to complications of morbid obesity.

Everyone has anecdotal evidence of "complications" . . . a friend heard from a friend of a friend, etc. But I can tell you that as a person who was involved in a 1500+ member support group, and has had gastric bypass, I've seen less than 1% of people with life-altering complications. And some people who have "complications" (like vomiting after meals and vitamin/ mineral deficiencies) have those complications because they aren't chewing properly, and/ or don't follow their daily vitamin regimin. And, every surgeon has different skills levels-- some have patients with a higher rate of complications than others. It's important to check up on your surgeon's success/ complication rate. Not all surgeons are equal.

When surgery is performed competently, one can have few side effects (I have GERD and take anti-acid meds, and have to supplement my iron-- both quite easy to deal with and certainly don't hinder my function as much as being 350+ lbs did!) and lose weight where they couldn't before (I've lost 190). My husband has NO complications whatsoever, and has lost 160 lbs. HIS mother had surgery over 20 years ago, lost 150 lbs, and has no surgery complications. This surgery is a lifesaver for many, and I hope the experiences of a few don't result in nurses warning folks off from having the procedure done.

As to the regular poster-- as others have said, you should be covered under FMLA. If a doctor deems it medically necessary, they can't prevent you from treatment. Would they prevent you from having a cancerous tumor removed if it interfered with scheduling????

Good luck to you!

--Heather