Studying or Reading post Surgery

[DaisyAndSunshine 301]

So I am upgrading my degree and have lectures and readings daily.

Unfortunately my surgery got cancelled twice (Covid) and now it is finally happening on Sept 7th while my school work is on (Program started in August).

I am aware it takes 1 to 2 weeks at the least to ease into your normal schedule. But my question is, day of the surgery or the next day or the very first week, did you have the stamina to sit and read something? Will I be able to sit down and listen to my lectures online, take notes or study with painkillers the very first week?!

I have read how sleeping does cuz issues but how about just sitting in a chair and studying?! Will it be doable? I have deadlines coming for assignments and one midterm. I have informed my instructions of the surgery but I'll have a lot to catch up on if I let it pile up even for a week. So please let me know how manageable was the pain and comfort the very first week.

I appreciate everyone's feedback and replies last few days I have had some concerns 🤗🤗🤗

Edited September 1, 2021 by DaisyAndSunshine

[Tomo 1,135]

I slept till afternoon the next day, then went home. I was fine to do deskwork that evening and the rest of the week. I took chewable kids Tylenol and Mylanta gas chews. I had an easy recovery though compared to many. No nausea, very little gas pains, or anything else. I'm sure you'll get mixed results here though. My surgeon said older patients tend to either deal with pain better or don't have as much recovery pain. I'll be 61 in a few months, and maybe that is a factor. Good luck on your surgery and congratulations on upgrading your degree. 😀😀

[FutureSkyDiver 76]

I'm a University professor. While our roles are different, there is a lot of overlap in terms of the sitting quietly and ingesting information over long periods of time component. I'm seven weeks out and I'm still having difficulty concentrating for periods over about 20 minutes. I'm no longer in pain, although for about 3 weeks it was extremely uncomfortable for me to sit completely upright (as in, at a desk), but I think it is the super-low calorie consumption. There was absolutely no way I was going back to work during the first at least two weeks either. The first several days are completely consumed with focusing on getting Protein and fluids in--as in, you have to actually concentrate and force yourself to drink on a very regimented schedule. And then there is the sleeping...12 hours a night, multiple naps throughout the day.

The mental energy of keeping up with school work would have been too much for me. If you care about your grades in these classes and/or they are foundational to future coursework, I'd seriously consider rescheduling to fit into the academic schedule. If you got wls right after the semester was over, you'd be ready to start again in January.

[lizonaplane 1,604]

I haven't had surgery yet, so I'm not sure how I'll feel after, but can you see how it goes and take an incomplete if you have to, and make up the work at the semester break? I am taking 2 weeks off and then I will be working from home for another 3 weeks to ensure I will be able to take naps as I need to.

I think the amount of difficulty you have with recovery is very variable.

I would think about not doing school this semester and just focusing on your recovery and developing good habits, but that's just me. School is not a race.

[LaoDaBeirut 158]

I'm a university professor. I would have had the physical stamina to read or watch a lecture but for a couple weeks after surgery I felt like I was in a brain fog and couldn't focus. I also had an easy recovery with no pain.

I did my surgery over winter break when I was off work and glad I did. However, I could have handled had I done it during the semester I just would not have been giving it my all.

[njlimmer 338]

I'm a teacher and was back to work after 2.5 weeks. I was tired, but if I could have just sat and read, I'd have been okay. It really depends on the individual. I will say that I noticed my eyes were really dry after surgery so I bought lubricating drops and that helped a lot. I would say go for it but have a contingency plan just in case.

[learn2cook 485]

I’m a teacher too. I didn’t feel really able to concentrate until the two weeks mark. I noticed it was when I could get a full night sleep. Spanx at night helped with that. I could read and take online classes but I was scoring 60-70% when I’m usually 90-100%, but everyone is different.

[DaisyAndSunshine 301]

Thank you all for replying.

Let's see how it goes. So far I am trying to finish all my readings and assignments that have deadline around my surgery date.

I have also notified my professors, so even if I do fall behind, they are already aware and accommodate my circumstances to make it up later on.

Only thing I am concerned is about the group work. I don't wanna be the person who falls behind with her contribution. 😂

I'll prioritize group work before individual work since individual work can be managed by getting extensions from the respective professor.

[Summermoose 193]

I admire your dedication!! With a mindset like this I have no doubt that you’ll get there 😁

[DaisyAndSunshine 301]

11 hours ago, Summermoose said:

I admire your dedication!! With a mindset like this I have no doubt that you’ll get there 😁

And I got chickened out and got my surgery moved to November.

All this happened cuz of Covid. I was booked initially way before my school work started in May. But unfortunately it got cancelled twice and I landed in Sept, 2 weeks into my program.

My school work has numerous assignments and every course has group work submissions (full time 5 courses), so tons of zoom meetings back and forth.

Ater contemplating, I finally spoke to the clinic and they were able to move me in November when my semester ends. My new semester starts in January. New surgery date is 16th of Nov. So I'll have ample of time to focus on the recovery.

If I hadn't done this, I wouldn't have been able to give my 100% to either of the side. So thank you all of you for responding here so I could the grasp my post Op recovery and what entails. Now I am way less stressed. I was literally freaking out last few days. So thank you again for helping me take this decision. 🤗🤗

[lizonaplane 1,604]

30 minutes ago, DaisyAndSunshine said:

And I got chickened out and got my surgery moved to November.

All this happened cuz of Covid. I was booked initially way before my school work started in May. But unfortunately it got cancelled twice and I landed in Sept, 2 weeks into my program.

My school work has numerous assignments and every course has group work submissions (full time 5 courses), so tons of zoom meetings back and forth.

Ater contemplating, I finally spoke to the clinic and they were able to move me in November when my semester ends. My new semester starts in January. New surgery date is 16th of Nov. So I'll have ample of time to focus on the recovery.

If I hadn't done this, I wouldn't have been able to give my 100% to either of the side. So thank you all of you for responding here so I could the grasp my post Op recovery and what entails. Now I am way less stressed. I was literally freaking out last few days. So thank you again for helping me take this decision. 🤗🤗

I personally think you made the right decision. I also think you should use this time to practice the post-surgery mindset - see a bariatric therapist to work on good eating behaviors and change to a high Protein low carb diet. Make sure you try not to use food as a way to cope with stress or other emotions - I always used to eat a lot when doing mental work like school.

[DaisyAndSunshine 301]

7 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

I personally think you made the right decision. I also think you should use this time to practice the post-surgery mindset - see a bariatric therapist to work on good eating behaviors and change to a high Protein low carb diet. Make sure you try not to use food as a way to cope with stress or other emotions - I always used to eat a lot when doing mental work like school.

I was hesitant because I felt bad booking the slot of surgery and cancelling it almost a week before. But my Surgeon's secretary was very understanding when I spoke to her. She suggested same how it'll be difficult to manage both and if anything happens Post Op, it'll be a nightmare managing school and corresponding to professors and fellow colleagues. Plus they have a cancellation list for other surgeries my Surgeon performs so they'll be able to book someone else in my slot. So I am glad I at least spoke to her and took my chance. It all worked out fine.

As for diet, I was already on the pre-Op diet. Finished 8 days on it already. Initial few days were difficult. After day 3 or 4, it got easier. I used to get bad cravings in first 3-4 days but now they have subsided. So I am planning to continue on the same rhythm and stick to *high Protein low carb* diet till the surgery. I am hoping I'll be little lighter by then. What I was gonna lose after surgery, I am hoping I'll lose without it till my surgery date in Nov.

Ad yes stress eating can be challenging. But I was managing fine last few days when I was head down in my readings and liquid diet. So I am hoping the busy lifestyle will help ease the stress eating with the cravings that have subsided.

Thank you for your advise, I'll definitely keep it in mind if I stumble. 🤗🤗

[Summermoose 193]

Well done DaisyAndSunshine! You made a difficult choice but you weighed each option and chose the one that best suits you. That’s the kind of reasoning and thinking that will get you to all your goals. No matter how hard, we all get there just one step at a time!

[GabriellaRose 2]

For me, it was okay to listen to online lectures. I managed to be focused and was pretty comfortable. But it was a little bit complicated to do homework, especially writing something. Such a process takes time, and to be honest, I had no wish to sit and write something and had no ideas at all. I thought that maybe it would be okay to write a professor and ask to extend the deadline, but after all, I managed everything.

Edited June 20, 2022 by GabriellaRose

[GabriellaRose 2]

3 hours ago, GabriellaRose said:

For me, it was okay to listen to online lectures. I managed to be focused and was pretty comfortable. But it was a little bit complicated to do homework, especially writing something. Such a process takes time, and to be honest, I had no wish to sit and write something and had no ideas at all. I thought that maybe it would be okay to write a professor and ask to extend the deadline, but after all, I managed everything.

Forgot to add something, which was also very helpful for me during that period. As I wrote, for me the hardest was to complete writing tasks because it was pretty complicated to think about what to write, and I couldn't concentrate. But I found some articles examples on https://envrexperts.com/free-essays/atmosphere, which helped me a lot because writing on such themes as atmosphere and pollution is interesting but time-consuming. And I think that it was the only challenge I faced, but it was solved very quickly.

Edited June 20, 2022 by GabriellaRose