Hi Mandy, yep, my PM doc left me with a minimalist lifting approach to life for so many reasons, not the least of which was further aggravation of the back, the SCS, and, well, pretty much all of the hardware from which I am now built. EVEN SO, that does NOT necessarily a termination from employment make, especially if the injury resulting in the surgery was work produced..... reasonable accommodation comes to mind as something to suggest to the employer if they are aware of your physical limitations and employ you nevertheless. Consider whether there are other means to accomplish the work.... whether office work might be a possibility with the employer.... whether lifting smaller quantities of the material at a time within your doctor's purview might be an approach to the solution of the employer's expectations, the doctor's limitations, and your pain threshold issues.

I have real REAL lifting limitations, real stay off of ladder limitations and the like. So, if doc has issued limitations, discuss them with employer under a reasonable accommodation approach perhaps? Human Resources within your employer staff, if this is not a tiny workshop, may have means to assist you in the workplace while you resolve the pain issues with your doc, etc......

Do you think?
Mark56z