Surgery right before school

Sour Lemon · Aug 17, 2016

Need advice on nursing school so my tonsillectomy is scheduled for the 25th and school starts the 29th. I have a&p, nr intro, and math. I have the option to either
A. Cancel surgery and continue another miserable year
B. Get the surgery and go to class M,T,W for NR and A&P and math online
C.Get surgery only take a&p and NR
HELP I really want this surgery

D. Ask your health care provider for advice based on your personal circumstances and expected outcome

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Aug 17, 2016

You have had problems for a year.. NOW surgery is scheduled 4 days before classes start? How did that happen?

Ask your doctor what the expected recovery period is. If you are given clearance to attend class.. go to class if not , do it online. :rolleyes:

Pnutlife · Aug 17, 2016

Yeah the way my insurance works I don't get a lot of say in providers. This surgeon has pushed my surgery back three times and it took two years of trying to convince my insurance by doing all kind of test and medications. My surgeons answer is that full recovery is about 10 days. He is kind of a jerk but its what my insurance covers.

Newbie_RN17 · Aug 17, 2016

I agree that talking to your doc about expected outcomes, etc. is best. However, I had to have my gallbladder removed in the middle of a semester (attacks were becoming more and more frequent resulting in missing more classes than having the surgery would cause) and was able to do well. That being said, I kept my teachers informed of the situation as soon as I was aware and had worked out a plan with them for clinical and coursework. Good luck to you!

YoutubeTheNP · Aug 17, 2016

I had my tonsils removed when I was in college. My recovery was rough the first few days. Eating only jello and pudding, which was fine by me at that time. Recovery won't take you out of class for several weeks or anything. I think by post op day 8 ish my pain was limited to swallowing only and was quite minimal.

Pnutlife · Aug 17, 2016

Thanks that's really encouraging

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2016

Moved to the Pre-Nursing Student forum.

VerticalHorizon · Aug 17, 2016

I honestly dont think its that big of a deal, you have a few days to recover from the worst of it. If you are only in lecture you shouldn't even have to do very much talking or any at all. Just email your professors before hand and let them know the situation, you will be fine.

kktl · Aug 17, 2016

I had my tonsils out when i first started college. Recovery wasn't as long as I was told it would be. I loaded up on motrin and went to class a few days later. It's not a great situation but I was more than fine to be there. It really depends on the person and how quickly their body heals. Don't try to do more than your body can handle. Best of luck to you.

livelovelaugh22 · Aug 18, 2016

Last year I was diagnosed with mandibular osteomyelitis. I was hospitalized, got a PICC line, and endured 6 weeks of IV antibiotics as well as frequent doctors' appointments, weekly blood draws, and weekly PICC dressing changes. I also happened to be enrolled in 4 classes. I ended up dropping one of my classes and I kept my professors updated with the details of my situation. They were very understanding and offered me extensions on assignments (heck, I was even allowed to make up a quiz I missed while hospitalized). Nonetheless, if you believe that you will be fairly incapacitated after your tonsillectomy, then you should consider dropping nonessential classes.

Hope everything goes well for you!

YoutubeTheNP · Aug 18, 2016

Last year I was diagnosed with mandibular osteomyelitis. I was hospitalized, got a PICC line, and endured 6 weeks of IV antibiotics as well as frequent doctors' appointments, weekly blood draws, and weekly PICC dressing changes. I also happened to be enrolled in 4 classes. I ended up dropping one of my classes and I kept my professors updated with the details of my situation. They were very understanding and offered me extensions on assignments (heck, I was even allowed to make up a quiz I missed while hospitalized). Nonetheless, if you believe that you will be fairly incapacitated after your tonsillectomy, then you should consider dropping nonessential classes.
Hope everything goes well for you!

Mic Drop!