Hey fellow grad student!
It looks like we have similar stories. It really depends on what surgery you're having. I had the OATs procedure during spring break (March 09). I am a physical therapy student, so it was definitely a challenge, as you can imagine. As a student in our professions, studying is your life!
I couldn't wait to have the surgery during summer break, because well, we don't have any. Taking a semester off was not an option because then I'ld have to re-apply into the program. The good thing about my surgery is I was able to schedule it before clinical rotations and all my healing took place before that as well.
So, I had it done over spring break. Had that week to sleep and lie in bed, then missed an additional week of school. My professors were great at working with me. My classmates would record the lectures and bring them to me every afternoon. I was back at school week three of my recovery, but unable to bear weight, in a cast, then eventually a boot. I was on crutches for a total of 9 weeks!!! I couldn't practice a lot of the hands on treatments we learned in class, I had to reschedule practicals because I couldn't weight-bear, but taking tests, studying and practicing *some* treatments on my classmates was ok. It was NOT fun and it was pretty stressful. As far as the drugs go, I was able to get off of them and be pain free by the time I was back in the classroom, so that worked out. I know everyone reacts differently to meds, but I was still able to study on vicodin if I needed to. Of course all my studying was done in bed. I also elevated and iced my foot all of the time. In class, I sat in the back and propped my foot up everyday with pillows on a therapy table. Even when I took my finals, I still had my leg propped up and sometimes just wrote on a clip board!
If I would have had the surgery during this time of year, I think I would have had it over Christmas break and not Thanksgiving. You won't be able to miss class after Thanksgiving cause of finals, and if you're having the OATs procedure along with reconstruction, I would say you need AT LEAST two weeks of complete bed rest, and that's pushing it. Of course, I didn't have clinical rotations I had to be healed for soon after my surgery. I'm actually about to start my first one next week and I'm six months post op, so I lucked out with that. Just remember, there is never going to be an ideal time for surgery, there is always gonna be something going on. Hope this helps with your decision in some sort of way...Good Luck and please write if you have any more questions.
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