How quickly were you up and about?

[brookster 0]

My daughter is having surgery June 4 - that is a Sat. and she has to be back to her college classes by Tues. June 7. Does that seem reasonable? Expect she will still have discomfort but could she sit in a class for a couple of hours?

[Rachel412 116]

She'll probably be ok. Sore, tired, mind wandering... but if all she needs to do is sit, ok.

[Auroraishere 1]

Hard tonsay, everyone is so different. For me it's been over a week, and I plan on asking for more time. I still do notn feel up to par enough to go back to my high stress, moderately active job.

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

I had my surgery on a Thursday. Slept all day on Friday. Felt GREAT on Saturday. Sunday was exausted and sore but never had any major pain...in fact I never took the pain meds the Dr gave me. I had horrible gas so I lived on Maalox that first week.

Worked a little from home on Monday.... wouldnt have felt like driving anywhere. Hubby drove me to post op visit on Tuesday and I returned to work on Wednesday. I felt tired at the end of the day and had trouble standing straight but otherwise ok.

For me I felt back to normal after that first week. Of course I am older than she so her recovery could be completly different.

All the best to her!

[Jess55 97]

I went out shopping on day 3 but after being out for a couple hours I started to feel s bit nauseous. So I went back home and took a nap. The following day I was fine.

[B-52 7,113]

My daughter is having surgery June 4 - that is a Sat. and she has to be back to her college classes by Tues. June 7. Does that seem reasonable? Expect she will still have discomfort but could she sit in a class for a couple of hours?

Although I took the entire week off from work, by day 3 I was climbing the walls so I went out and ran a bunch of errands, etc. I did get tired faster, but I was also taking codeine. Day 4 was better, and day 5 I went into the office for a bit. (also p/u my paycheck) day 7 I was back in the gym.

[honk 780]

I went shopping on day 2 but my mother did the driving. We would go in a store for 10 minutes or so then drive to another. Day four I started back at the gym (treadmill slow no incline.). How many hours of class does she have a day. If she is full time and will have 4-5 hours a day she will be very fatigued the first couple days. That being said as a freshman in college I had my gall bladder removed (regular surgery not laproscopic); and I was back to classes in a week.

[slauren14 0]

I would think she should be fine! I was up walking just a couple of hours after surgery! My doctor keeps all of his patients over night, but the day after I got out of the hospital I went "out to eat" with my family (I ate 2 oz of soup) and did fine! I was a little tired, so I went home and rested. But by the fourth day or so I was out and about and feeling great! If all she is doing is going to sit through a few classes, I think it will be fine! Just tell her to take it slow and try not to lift a lot (I know all those books get heavy!). But good luck to your daughter! Hope everything goes well! And just let her know it will all be worth it!

[hah131 7]

i had surgery on tuesday and was back at work by friday. i was very tired by the end of the day, but it was doable. if her experience is like mine, she should be fine to sit in class for a few hours by tuesday.

[mattie7632 24]

That does not sound reasonable to me. While she probably won't have to be popping pain meds at that point, I was too sore to even drive for about a week.

[readytoroll 1]

Interesting - I have been in a lot of discomfort and pain - my incisions (5 of them) have been pulling on me when moving around, and I took my pain meds, but that also helped me go back to work on the Wednesday after the Monday of surgery. I drove for the first time on Saturday, and driving with my incisions has been difficult. She should take extra time for everything and not rush herself. I personally think it is a little quick, but it is doable with time and planning.

[vickyd 24]

My biggest concerns would be how far does she have to walk to class, does she have to walk up stairs, how heavy is her backpack? I probably would have been able to sit through a class (I had surgery on Thursday and was working on Monday and had very little pain), but I don't think I would have been able to carry a heavy backpack and walk across campus to attend classes. I would think that if she explains that she had surgery (she doesn't have to be specific about the type of surgery if she wants to keep it private) then her professors will be understanding about missing a class or two. She could also contact another student in her classes to get copies of notes from so she doesn't miss anything.

[brookster 0]

thanks to everyone on their input on getting back to normal after surgery. of course, we'll play it by ear but my daugher is hoping to make her class (one for about 3 hours) on Tues. following Sat. surgery. I will drive her and pick her up and she doesn't really have anything to carry. School has elevator too. She may even struggle in for a quiz on Monday and leave right after if she doesn't feel up to staying.

Did anyone take "Gax-X" before gas pains started as a precaution? Bought a large supply, based upon recommendations on this site, to have on hand.

[MissMelo 2]

Everybody is different, but I think she may still be pretty uncomfortable to sit through a class for a day. It took me a little over a week to even be able to drive.

[lizzy2150 3]

Hi! I'm a college professor, and I suggest that your daughter should wait to see how she feels that day. She can always contact her professors beforehand and let them know that she's having surgery (it's none of their business what kind, so I would suggest she not even tell them) and isn't sure if she will make it to the first day, but that she will try. She should be prepared to show them some written evidence of the surgery just in case they need it for their records, but I think most professors would excuse a day or two at the beginning of the semester for a student who is in pain from surgery. Most of us aren't all that sadistic.

Also, she probably won't need to take anything but a pen and some paper (and maybe an empty bag to drop syllabi into), so the backpack shouldn't be an issue for the first day or so.

Tell her good luck from me both on her surgery and in her classes!