Hi Anonymous,
Before you do any testing... I would make sure you have as much life insurance as you expect to need in your lifetime. Once you've started the testing, you may not be able to get life insurance until after the surgery. And, once you've had the surgery, you may not be able to get the lowest rate anymore, due to your increased creatinine.
I took 1 month off from work to recover. I think that is probably an average recovery period. I wouldn't want to be gone for a month from a job I just started. On the other hand, if your job gives you short term disability, that could be a real plus.
Good Luck!
kdub