Shoulder Surgery

[wrkndply]

I am planning on taking the MCAT August 09 and studying for it during the summer in the months prior to it (May to August). My course load is at the max and i will have no time to do any preparations during the spring semester.
I also have a rotator cuff injury from many shoulder dislocations and subluxations. I need to get surgery to have it fixed but am deeply concerned that it will hinder my ability to fully prepare for the MCAT, (since i would have surgery in may ).
I have been unable to get any straight forward info on the time of recovery since it depends on what needs to be done during the surgery.

Has anyone here had shoulder surgeries and have some feed back on recovery period?
I want to push it off until the following summer, but am also concerned that the injury may get worse over time.
Thanks for any input.
J

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[236116]

1. That's technically medical advice, yes?
2. Ask your surgeon, ffs.

 

[kiyomander]

I had surgery for a SLAP tear in my right shoulder two summers ago. It involved placement of two pins to tack my bicep tendon back down, and from what I understand, the recovery is much less painful than a rotator cuff repair. For me, the pain wasn't terrible, but I was in a sling for several weeks and instructed not to lift anything during that time. This made carrying books extremely difficult. I had to buy one of those rolling backpacks, and use my left hand (I'm right-handed) to do a lot.

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably try to have the surgery several months before or right after your MCAT. Depending on where you are in your rehab, you won't know whether taking a test on a computer for 5 hours will be uncomfortable and/or distracting for you. The MCAT is so important, you really want to maximize your ability to do well. If the surgery is on your non-dominant shoulder, it would be considerably easier for you to manage, but still... do you want to take that chance?

 

[flip26]

I am planning on taking the MCAT August 09 and studying for it during the summer in the months prior to it (May to August). My course load is at the max and i will have no time to do any preparations during the spring semester.
I also have a rotator cuff injury from many shoulder dislocations and subluxations. I need to get surgery to have it fixed but am deeply concerned that it will hinder my ability to fully prepare for the MCAT, (since i would have surgery in may ).
I have been unable to get any straight forward info on the time of recovery since it depends on what needs to be done during the surgery.

Has anyone here had shoulder surgeries and have some feed back on recovery period?
I want to push it off until the following summer, but am also concerned that the injury may get worse over time.
Thanks for any input.
J

I had a severe rotator cuff injury, but recovery from the surgery is not that long...arm in a sling for a month...followed by 3 months of rehab (PT several times a week), during which you aren't supposed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk...but again, my injury was severe, and the repair was extensive, so my case would be considered extreme...

As for studying, etc., I think you would only have to drop off for a day or two...shouldn't affect your ability to prep for the MCAT one bit...did not affect keyboarding at all...

Putting off the surgery risks atrophy of the torn muscle, a more complicated surgery and longer recovery/rehab...

 

[fahimaz7]

I had a posterior labrum tear (bankart repair 6-11 o'clock and a glenoid capsule reduction) that was repaired arthroscopically and I was back to normal in 3 months. Class-wise, I was doing fine once the sling came off (4 weeks).

GL.

PS. Get the surgery over spring break. I did it and it wasn't too bad. Vicodin + handicap parking pass = good stuff.

 

[kiyomander]

Whoops! Sorry I didn't realize you were going to have the surgery in May and take the MCAT in August. I agree with the other posters... that should be plenty of time. Good luck! Speedy recovery!

 

[AugustWinterMan]

I had a Bankhardt repair roughly a month before I took the MCAT. I stayed away from pain meds mostly afterwards and actually got a fair amount of studying done. So, it is possible to take the MCAT pretty soon afterwards.

Good luck with the recovery. Shoulder surgery sucks.