How do I know when I'm well enough to go back to work after hysterectomy?

How much pain is considered normal? I am having anxiety about returning to work because I am still experiencing incision pain after abdominal hysterectomy on 1/25/16?

I'm only 10 days post-op, so I have a ways to go before I return to work. I'm a massage therapist, so my job means physical activity, on my feet, using those core muscles. Needless to say, I worry about going back to work, just to struggle to get through a day. I'm self-employed, so I can make my return easy and build up as I go. Still, I worry that if I go back soon, I not only risk my health but can't give my clients what they need.

My plan is to be able to function normally with everyday tasks before adding back in work. Then to just see one client, then two, and increase as I feel I can.

To a great degree this depends on what kinds of activities you do at work - and for some of us, on how we get to work. At the time of my hysterectomy, I was working at a part-time desk job. To get there, I walked a mile and a half, including a steep hill.

To return to work I needed to be able to:
- Do the walk and still have enough energy to get work done once I arrived;
- Sit upright at a desktop computer for a few hours; and
- Use my brain without brain fog.

The second two things I could - and did - do two weeks after surgery, but the first one took about four weeks.

Think about what you do at work. What happens when you attempt similar activities at home?