Brain Surgery Forum

[stanhope]

Hey Everyone,

I am a long-time poster, but this is an old name I used (before I gave up on Stanford). I was planning to attend a T20 this fall with a large scholarship.

A few weeks ago, I found out that I needed to have brain surgery.
I had the surgery on Monday 6/28/2010, and I was released from the hospital on Thursday 7/1/2010, which means there were no complications. I haven't left my bed to do more than go to the bathroom, and the pain and nausea is pretty bad.

Anyway, my neurosurgeon said that I should have a lot less pain and be able to drive in 4-6 weeks (in time for school). He said that I will be really sore for a few months.

I think the obvious answer is to defer, but I have already put off school for 4 years doing other things.

Does anyone have experience with having surgery before school and then doing really well during school?
Other things:
I already quit my job, so I have nothing lined up to do if I don't go to school.

[daesonesb]

Hey Everyone,

I am a long-time poster, but this is an old name I used (before I gave up on Stanford). I was planning to attend a T20 this fall with a large scholarship.

A few weeks ago, I found out that I needed to have brain surgery.
I had the surgery on Monday 6/28/2010, and I was released from the hospital on Thursday 7/1/2010, which means there were no complications. I haven't left my bed to do more than go to the bathroom, and the pain and nausea is pretty bad.

Anyway, my neurosurgeon said that I should have a lot less pain and be able to drive in 4-6 weeks (in time for school). He said that I will be really sore for a few months.

I think the obvious answer is to defer, but I have already put off school for 4 years doing other things.

Does anyone have experience with having surgery before school and then doing really well during school?
Other things:
I already quit my job, so I have nothing lined up to do if I don't go to school.

Are you going to get disability from your job? Specifically: are finances an issue for you? If you are going to be financially OK, I'd say defer. You don't want any kind of physical condition holding you back 1L first semester.

[stanhope]

I don't think I'll get anything from my job. My problem had nothing to do with them, and I had resigned before I found out I needed my surgery-I was very lucky to still be covered by health insurance until the end of July, though.
But it will be hard financially. I'll need health insurance, and I'm not sure how marketable someone who just had brain surgery is, especially in this economy. Oh, and the whole back of my head was shaved off, but I bought a wig, in case any of that matters.

[northwood]

defer for the year... your school should be understanding, and you want to make sure that there are no long term consequences of your surgery, and you have teh mental staminia for school... dont rush your rehab.. and im glad that surgery went well!

[Mr. Matlock]

I'm not sure how marketable someone who just had brain surgery is, especially in this economy.

I certainly hope your recovery goes well. I do suggest discussing this with your doctor as he/she is well aware of the rigors of tough graduate work and the stamina it will take to get through.

That being said, I couldn't help laughing at that line you wrote, so I offer you this:

--ImageRemoved--

[doppelganger]

Hey Everyone,

I am a long-time poster, but this is an old name I used (before I gave up on Stanford). I was planning to attend a T20 this fall with a large scholarship.

A few weeks ago, I found out that I needed to have brain surgery.
I had the surgery on Monday 6/28/2010, and I was released from the hospital on Thursday 7/1/2010, which means there were no complications. I haven't left my bed to do more than go to the bathroom, and the pain and nausea is pretty bad.

Anyway, my neurosurgeon said that I should have a lot less pain and be able to drive in 4-6 weeks (in time for school). He said that I will be really sore for a few months.

I think the obvious answer is to defer, but I have already put off school for 4 years doing other things.

Does anyone have experience with having surgery before school and then doing really well during school?
Other things:
I already quit my job, so I have nothing lined up to do if I don't go to school.

I don't know what your current situation is, but you may want to get cognitive testing to figure out your exact areas of deficiency. The person who performs this is a neuropsychologist.

It may mean some things are more difficult for you than before, but with a lot of work you may be able to still have the life you want. I can't stress enough how much it helped me to know about which areas I needed to address.