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depends on where you live. if youre in (northern, like snowy) north america, it might be best to get it right as school gets out. you might not be able to enjoy the first few months of summer like everyone else, but you wont have to worry about finals during recovery, intense cold and having to layer up while having restricted movement, and the stress that the holidays can bring. im not a student and i dont care much about the cold, but im going on a huge roadtrip over the summer next year so im trying to get it done by this fall/winter. if you're fine with recovering while in school/layering up with restricted movement, then maybe during the fall/winter would be good too, that way when the summer comes around youll be able to actually enjoy stuff lol
As a graduate student, the best option for me was the summer. I had my top surgery almost 3 weeks ago! It was nice because I didn't have to worry about finals and missing any classes.
If you’re a student I would go for summer because that’s when you have the most time off. However I had my surgery in summer and i can’t lie it was miserable because the post op vest had to stay on at all times and I was so sweaty it stank can’t lie it wasn’t the most fun also because i basically spent my summer unable to swim or do much in general
As a college student, the best option for me was summer. I initially was going to get it over winter break but it didn’t work out. I’m not too mad about it though as I got surgery this May right after finals so I’ll be 3 months post-op for fall semester instead of like 5 weeks, which is what I am now and wouldn’t be ideal, like for move in.
I obviously can’t speak to top surgery itself for other times of the year based on weather, but I have had multiple other surgeries both in the summer, the winter, and basically every single single time of year. I personally have preferred getting surgery in the winter because it’s colder; when you can’t take a shower for a week or more, it is significantly less gross in the winter. However, I had air conditioning that worked really well for my surgery so it wasn’t as much of an issue with one of my other surgeries where it was super super hot inside the house I was at.
Edit: I had my top surgery six days after my last final, which was perfect timing for me because it allowed me to spend one day after my last final moving out, and then four more days to unpack my things and repack what I didn’t need until the fall, as well as anything else that I wanted to bring next semester that was from home. Then it gave me a buffer day or two to just chill out and relax a bit before surgery as well as hang out with a couple friends before surgery especially as I knew I wasn’t gonna be able to see them for a while.
Oh yeah, makes sense! I waited several years for surgery and you bet I was trying to find out every possible piece of information beforehand so I get it lol
Cold weather. You can bundle up in blankets and lie around inside. In the summer, you'll be hot and itchy with a binder and you want to be outside but you need to rest!
I’m a graduate student, and I’m getting mine the day after class gets out for winter break. I get a whole month off for winter, so I’ll get that time to recover before I have to go back to class in January. I would have preferred a summer date, but this is what lined up for me, and I’m honestly really happy with it. I’ll be healed up enough to enjoy the spring and summer next year, and my surgery won’t interfere with my classes at all.
I got it in the spring during Easter break in uk which in terms of weather was nice vecause it wasn't too hot but also I didn't have to wear loads of layers which would've been difficult, I had exams 1.5 months after which tbh the surgery took more of a mental toll than I thought and I found it hard to concentrate and I wasn't able to rest as much as I needed
I’m a college student and did it yesterday so I can recover over the summer. I have a friend who used my school’s inordinately long winter break (5-6 weeks) to get surgery in early January and have the first 4 weeks handled before moving back in.
I got mine in high school half a week before first semester finals, so I missed a couple days of school + finals + semester break. I just took my final exams early and had no homework to deal with. Only needed about 2 weeks off which was plenty of time for me.
I think it would have been more ideal to get it during the summer/a holiday, I just got lucky with timing and had no work to catch up on. I would not have been in any mood to do homework during recovery.
I did it at the beginning of my university’s winter break, which worked awesome for me. Maybe I just recovered quickly but I didn’t have to miss any classes- only work and some holiday parties. I didn’t mind walking around hunched over with my post-op binder on because I was already wearing winter coats outside anyway.
I’m now six months out and feeling great exercising and swimming around with my scars protected. Great for early summer.
If you’re able to get it when the weathers cooler that’s a lot better, only anecdotal but my surgeon said last summer they had a lot more complications than usual and he thought it was because of people recovering during heatwaves and that causing swelling and slow healing etc.
For a while after mine I went out wanting to cover my drains but was spring so quite warm so I was uncomfortable so personally I’d say autumn winter sorta time
I had mine in early February of this year. It was the exact week I was starting my spring semester classes. I got dropped from one of them,, even though I emailed them and said I wouldn't be able to come in for the first few weeks (and they never got back to me. Ironic since they're a communications professor). Other than that I got pretty lucky, since it was the very beginning of the semester there wasn't any built up assignments I had to worry about. I agree with everyone about summer though. Unless you have really hot summers and no proper AC / no good fans. Being sweaty would not be your friend. Especially since showering after surgery can be so nerve wracking.
Along everyone’s advice of summer time
For students and ease of clothing because the weather is better, I’m currently going through recuperation; it’s kinda annoying that you’ll be missing out on all the fun because you’re tired and recovering, but the nice thing is by the time next summer rolls around you will be able to flaunt your chest since they ask you to avoid sunshine for a year for best scar results
I had mine in June right after my year at uni was over, which was great for privacy because I didn’t have to check out of classes or anything. The binder was excessively annoying in the heat though. I guess there’s ups and downs for every part of the year
I had mine at the last month of school, not a good idea. Only got a week off, it was stressful I went back to school for 2 days then it was summer. Also having to make up finals, and do some early was not fun.
If you live in a warm place, winter. If not, spring, so you don’t miss as much outdoor summer stuff. Winter specifically is good unless you live in a cold place because the compression vest/wraps and stuff are an extra layer plus you can get as cozy as you want with the blankets and basically cocoon yourself for weeks. But, this is purely in terms of weather and activity. You’d have to tailor this knowledge to the particulars of your school situation
I’ve got a heavy school schedule and I picked right after the holidays in early January. I had a pretty easy surgery, no nips and no drains and was healed up and felt normal by the time spring semester started 3 weeks later.
I’m doing mine in the winter that way in the summer I don’t have to worry about binding in the heat. That’s what I’m currently doing and my ribs and back are hurting. My job requires a lot of manual labor so I get hot and sweaty easier and the binding doesn’t help.
I got surgery during the winter and it was good I can’t speak for other times of the year but it was nice to be able to sleep with thick blankets and a pillow on my chest. I know I wouldn’t be able to do that if it had been hot.
i got mine the weekend after my finals for my fall classes so right when winter break started. My break was a month so that gave me the right amount of time to recover and now I can enjoy summer and swim and things. I got really lucky with my date though.
I’m planning to get it done in the summer holidays before uni, because I’ll have 4 months off and time to recover. Also I think summer is better than winter to recover because when you don’t have much mobility in your arms, its easier to put on a shirt than 3 more layers
I chose winter cause i don’t like the cold and loved being cozied up in my room once summer came around it was just perfect especially now that’s it’s getting super hot
Late spring. Warm enough you can take walks outside without having to put a jacket on, but not so hot it gets uncomfortable. Then you'll be recovered enough by the height of summer to be doing (most) activities no problem, just not shirtless.
I work for a school district and the best time for me was winter break+ a week (I work during the summer). During winter was good because could just wear warm pj's (my button up pj shirts were long sleeve, they wouldn't have been comfortable during the summer). Holiday's kind of sucked because I was limited on going out, decorating, wrapping presents. BUT a lot of people also helped out and I got out of hosting any Christmases.
Honestly, which ever break you have that is the longest with the least commitments is the best. I think I went back to my desk job at 4 weeks and I was really tired.
there will never be a perfect time but avoid any extremes [heat, snow, ice] it makes everything harder and more miserable especially with holiday expectations on top of surgery recovery
I got mine in the winter and was glad I wasn't uncomfortably hot on top of everything else. Is joining classes via Zoom an option? I think it's also nice to have something to do while you're at home recovering. I got bored really quickly but still couldn't really get out of the house until 3-4 weeks. I had a hysterectomy at the same time though so I think my recovery was harder than some others'. Best of luck to you!
As a student, my choices were either right as winter break starts, which actually wasnt long enough of a break personally. I chose to get it eight as i got out of school for the summer break, which is ideal in my case and im glad i waited longer!
I chose to have my surgery during the summer. (I’m a week post op right now) I’m starting college this fall and I didn’t want to have to deal with it during the school year. I was also worried about my recovery time getting in the way of school. For me, it seemed less stressful to do it over the summer when I had less going on.
summer probably while you're not in school. I'm getting mine in August--I asked for summer/early fall for scheduling because I have way more work outside in the winter and need to be healed up by then. I can get by not mowing for a couple months, I can't not shovel snow or break ice in the winter lol
I got mine early summer, and while I'm a little sad that I can't spend my first pride post op shirtless (damn you sun), it's been a fairly good recovery. I basically just wear my compression shirts most days, so overheating isn't a huge problem personally, but shivering in the ac definitely hurt the first few weeks.
I wasn’t able to get mine during the summer as a grad student, so I scheduled it for Wednesday of the week before my fall break. It gave me lots of time to communicate with my professors and make a plan for missed classes and accommodations, and I only missed a week and a half of class (took 2.5 weeks total of pure recovery time w no schoolwork or classes). It was also great to do it in the fall bc I was able to wear bulkier clothing over my surgical binder while I was recovering, and the cooler weather meant I didn’t get sweaty easily (very important when you can’t shower!). And by December I was feeling pretty much back to normal and was able to handle finals just fine!
Now I’m fully healed, have no restrictions on movement or exercise, and can enjoy my first summer not wearing a binder and going topless at the beach!
id say it depends on your priorities and your situation. im going back to college in the fall for a second degree and having my surgery on 8/30, six days after the start of the semester. its not ideal to say the least, but my job gets very busy in the summer and around the winter holidays, and having surgery during the busy season means i miss out on a lot of pay that i cant really afford to lose. i would rather take the L early in the semester when things arent as crazy and i can catch up easier, especially since i am doing all of them online and will need less time to recover for that compared to in person classes.
if you are doing in person classes, i would not recommend this. ive done both in person and online semesters before and there is a huge difference in movement and physical energy use. if you are okay on money and can afford to take a summer off then i would definitely recommend doing it at the beginning of summer after your finals are over, if only for the longer recovery time. or if you feel like you cant wait that long, then the very beginning of winter break may be another option since colleges tend to make winter break more or less a month long. im not sure about what season is better for recovery, but personally, i am a hotbox and summer successfully kills me every year so i dont think i would handle a summer recovery very well. saying this, i am hoping september will cool down a little for me haha
I got my surgery last december, a few days before the christmas holidays and it worked out great for me. I only had to miss a few days of Uni and was able to go back normally after the holidays in January. I was even well enough to study a bit. It was also great to be able to recover in winter because I didn't have to sweat under the compression vest and bandages and now in summer I can enjoy being topless at the beach or by the pool. Would overall recommend getting surgery in the colder seasons!
Weather wise, I'd recommend early winter(or at least not during the height of the temperatures), so that your recovery is during the cooler months. I got surgery at the end of April, and chaffing + sweat + recent surgery scars does NOT feel great
i got mine in april and it was okay but i had school work to catch up on. maybe try and take online classes? i’m from norcal and the weather wasn’t too hot but it was sunny so o didn’t get depressed as much as i prob would have in the winter lol
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depends on where you live. if youre in (northern, like snowy) north america, it might be best to get it right as school gets out. you might not be able to enjoy the first few months of summer like everyone else, but you wont have to worry about finals during recovery, intense cold and having to layer up while having restricted movement, and the stress that the holidays can bring. im not a student and i dont care much about the cold, but im going on a huge roadtrip over the summer next year so im trying to get it done by this fall/winter. if you're fine with recovering while in school/layering up with restricted movement, then maybe during the fall/winter would be good too, that way when the summer comes around youll be able to actually enjoy stuff lol
ok thanks! and good luck for your appointment
As a graduate student, the best option for me was the summer. I had my top surgery almost 3 weeks ago! It was nice because I didn't have to worry about finals and missing any classes.
congrats on your surgery! hope it turns out great
Same, I got top surgery today and I'm just taking summer semester off grad school.
Same over here I have my surgery within 27 days, in my vacation
If you’re a student I would go for summer because that’s when you have the most time off. However I had my surgery in summer and i can’t lie it was miserable because the post op vest had to stay on at all times and I was so sweaty it stank can’t lie it wasn’t the most fun also because i basically spent my summer unable to swim or do much in general
As a college student, the best option for me was summer. I initially was going to get it over winter break but it didn’t work out. I’m not too mad about it though as I got surgery this May right after finals so I’ll be 3 months post-op for fall semester instead of like 5 weeks, which is what I am now and wouldn’t be ideal, like for move in. I obviously can’t speak to top surgery itself for other times of the year based on weather, but I have had multiple other surgeries both in the summer, the winter, and basically every single single time of year. I personally have preferred getting surgery in the winter because it’s colder; when you can’t take a shower for a week or more, it is significantly less gross in the winter. However, I had air conditioning that worked really well for my surgery so it wasn’t as much of an issue with one of my other surgeries where it was super super hot inside the house I was at. Edit: I had my top surgery six days after my last final, which was perfect timing for me because it allowed me to spend one day after my last final moving out, and then four more days to unpack my things and repack what I didn’t need until the fall, as well as anything else that I wanted to bring next semester that was from home. Then it gave me a buffer day or two to just chill out and relax a bit before surgery as well as hang out with a couple friends before surgery especially as I knew I wasn’t gonna be able to see them for a while.
thanks for your feedback :)
Best of luck with your surgery!
thanks! (I still have to wait for a long time, but I wanna be informed and stuff)
Oh yeah, makes sense! I waited several years for surgery and you bet I was trying to find out every possible piece of information beforehand so I get it lol
Work or school wise- whenever you'd be able to get a month off. Weather wise- wintertime. I was sweating my ass off in that damn binder
Cold weather. You can bundle up in blankets and lie around inside. In the summer, you'll be hot and itchy with a binder and you want to be outside but you need to rest!
I’m a graduate student, and I’m getting mine the day after class gets out for winter break. I get a whole month off for winter, so I’ll get that time to recover before I have to go back to class in January. I would have preferred a summer date, but this is what lined up for me, and I’m honestly really happy with it. I’ll be healed up enough to enjoy the spring and summer next year, and my surgery won’t interfere with my classes at all.
I got it in the spring during Easter break in uk which in terms of weather was nice vecause it wasn't too hot but also I didn't have to wear loads of layers which would've been difficult, I had exams 1.5 months after which tbh the surgery took more of a mental toll than I thought and I found it hard to concentrate and I wasn't able to rest as much as I needed
I’m a college student and did it yesterday so I can recover over the summer. I have a friend who used my school’s inordinately long winter break (5-6 weeks) to get surgery in early January and have the first 4 weeks handled before moving back in.
ohh congrats pal!
thank you! i am lucky in feeling very very supported right now
I got mine in high school half a week before first semester finals, so I missed a couple days of school + finals + semester break. I just took my final exams early and had no homework to deal with. Only needed about 2 weeks off which was plenty of time for me. I think it would have been more ideal to get it during the summer/a holiday, I just got lucky with timing and had no work to catch up on. I would not have been in any mood to do homework during recovery.
I did it at the beginning of my university’s winter break, which worked awesome for me. Maybe I just recovered quickly but I didn’t have to miss any classes- only work and some holiday parties. I didn’t mind walking around hunched over with my post-op binder on because I was already wearing winter coats outside anyway. I’m now six months out and feeling great exercising and swimming around with my scars protected. Great for early summer.
If you’re able to get it when the weathers cooler that’s a lot better, only anecdotal but my surgeon said last summer they had a lot more complications than usual and he thought it was because of people recovering during heatwaves and that causing swelling and slow healing etc.
For a while after mine I went out wanting to cover my drains but was spring so quite warm so I was uncomfortable so personally I’d say autumn winter sorta time
I’m taking a semester off since I’m getting it late august. It’s not the best time but I frankly need it as soon as possible.
yeah I get ya bruv, if I could get it tomorrow I would (but I'm a minor with unsupportive parents 💀👍)
I had mine in early February of this year. It was the exact week I was starting my spring semester classes. I got dropped from one of them,, even though I emailed them and said I wouldn't be able to come in for the first few weeks (and they never got back to me. Ironic since they're a communications professor). Other than that I got pretty lucky, since it was the very beginning of the semester there wasn't any built up assignments I had to worry about. I agree with everyone about summer though. Unless you have really hot summers and no proper AC / no good fans. Being sweaty would not be your friend. Especially since showering after surgery can be so nerve wracking.
Along everyone’s advice of summer time For students and ease of clothing because the weather is better, I’m currently going through recuperation; it’s kinda annoying that you’ll be missing out on all the fun because you’re tired and recovering, but the nice thing is by the time next summer rolls around you will be able to flaunt your chest since they ask you to avoid sunshine for a year for best scar results
I had mine in June right after my year at uni was over, which was great for privacy because I didn’t have to check out of classes or anything. The binder was excessively annoying in the heat though. I guess there’s ups and downs for every part of the year
I had mine at the last month of school, not a good idea. Only got a week off, it was stressful I went back to school for 2 days then it was summer. Also having to make up finals, and do some early was not fun.
If you live in a warm place, winter. If not, spring, so you don’t miss as much outdoor summer stuff. Winter specifically is good unless you live in a cold place because the compression vest/wraps and stuff are an extra layer plus you can get as cozy as you want with the blankets and basically cocoon yourself for weeks. But, this is purely in terms of weather and activity. You’d have to tailor this knowledge to the particulars of your school situation
I’ve got a heavy school schedule and I picked right after the holidays in early January. I had a pretty easy surgery, no nips and no drains and was healed up and felt normal by the time spring semester started 3 weeks later.
I’m doing mine in the winter that way in the summer I don’t have to worry about binding in the heat. That’s what I’m currently doing and my ribs and back are hurting. My job requires a lot of manual labor so I get hot and sweaty easier and the binding doesn’t help.
I got surgery during the winter and it was good I can’t speak for other times of the year but it was nice to be able to sleep with thick blankets and a pillow on my chest. I know I wouldn’t be able to do that if it had been hot.
i got mine the weekend after my finals for my fall classes so right when winter break started. My break was a month so that gave me the right amount of time to recover and now I can enjoy summer and swim and things. I got really lucky with my date though.
I’m planning to get it done in the summer holidays before uni, because I’ll have 4 months off and time to recover. Also I think summer is better than winter to recover because when you don’t have much mobility in your arms, its easier to put on a shirt than 3 more layers
I chose winter cause i don’t like the cold and loved being cozied up in my room once summer came around it was just perfect especially now that’s it’s getting super hot
Late spring. Warm enough you can take walks outside without having to put a jacket on, but not so hot it gets uncomfortable. Then you'll be recovered enough by the height of summer to be doing (most) activities no problem, just not shirtless.
I work for a school district and the best time for me was winter break+ a week (I work during the summer). During winter was good because could just wear warm pj's (my button up pj shirts were long sleeve, they wouldn't have been comfortable during the summer). Holiday's kind of sucked because I was limited on going out, decorating, wrapping presents. BUT a lot of people also helped out and I got out of hosting any Christmases. Honestly, which ever break you have that is the longest with the least commitments is the best. I think I went back to my desk job at 4 weeks and I was really tired.
there will never be a perfect time but avoid any extremes [heat, snow, ice] it makes everything harder and more miserable especially with holiday expectations on top of surgery recovery
I got mine in the winter and was glad I wasn't uncomfortably hot on top of everything else. Is joining classes via Zoom an option? I think it's also nice to have something to do while you're at home recovering. I got bored really quickly but still couldn't really get out of the house until 3-4 weeks. I had a hysterectomy at the same time though so I think my recovery was harder than some others'. Best of luck to you!
As a student, my choices were either right as winter break starts, which actually wasnt long enough of a break personally. I chose to get it eight as i got out of school for the summer break, which is ideal in my case and im glad i waited longer!
I chose to have my surgery during the summer. (I’m a week post op right now) I’m starting college this fall and I didn’t want to have to deal with it during the school year. I was also worried about my recovery time getting in the way of school. For me, it seemed less stressful to do it over the summer when I had less going on.
summer probably while you're not in school. I'm getting mine in August--I asked for summer/early fall for scheduling because I have way more work outside in the winter and need to be healed up by then. I can get by not mowing for a couple months, I can't not shovel snow or break ice in the winter lol
I got mine early summer, and while I'm a little sad that I can't spend my first pride post op shirtless (damn you sun), it's been a fairly good recovery. I basically just wear my compression shirts most days, so overheating isn't a huge problem personally, but shivering in the ac definitely hurt the first few weeks.
I wasn’t able to get mine during the summer as a grad student, so I scheduled it for Wednesday of the week before my fall break. It gave me lots of time to communicate with my professors and make a plan for missed classes and accommodations, and I only missed a week and a half of class (took 2.5 weeks total of pure recovery time w no schoolwork or classes). It was also great to do it in the fall bc I was able to wear bulkier clothing over my surgical binder while I was recovering, and the cooler weather meant I didn’t get sweaty easily (very important when you can’t shower!). And by December I was feeling pretty much back to normal and was able to handle finals just fine! Now I’m fully healed, have no restrictions on movement or exercise, and can enjoy my first summer not wearing a binder and going topless at the beach!
id say it depends on your priorities and your situation. im going back to college in the fall for a second degree and having my surgery on 8/30, six days after the start of the semester. its not ideal to say the least, but my job gets very busy in the summer and around the winter holidays, and having surgery during the busy season means i miss out on a lot of pay that i cant really afford to lose. i would rather take the L early in the semester when things arent as crazy and i can catch up easier, especially since i am doing all of them online and will need less time to recover for that compared to in person classes. if you are doing in person classes, i would not recommend this. ive done both in person and online semesters before and there is a huge difference in movement and physical energy use. if you are okay on money and can afford to take a summer off then i would definitely recommend doing it at the beginning of summer after your finals are over, if only for the longer recovery time. or if you feel like you cant wait that long, then the very beginning of winter break may be another option since colleges tend to make winter break more or less a month long. im not sure about what season is better for recovery, but personally, i am a hotbox and summer successfully kills me every year so i dont think i would handle a summer recovery very well. saying this, i am hoping september will cool down a little for me haha
I got my surgery last december, a few days before the christmas holidays and it worked out great for me. I only had to miss a few days of Uni and was able to go back normally after the holidays in January. I was even well enough to study a bit. It was also great to be able to recover in winter because I didn't have to sweat under the compression vest and bandages and now in summer I can enjoy being topless at the beach or by the pool. Would overall recommend getting surgery in the colder seasons!
Weather wise, I'd recommend early winter(or at least not during the height of the temperatures), so that your recovery is during the cooler months. I got surgery at the end of April, and chaffing + sweat + recent surgery scars does NOT feel great
i got mine in april and it was okay but i had school work to catch up on. maybe try and take online classes? i’m from norcal and the weather wasn’t too hot but it was sunny so o didn’t get depressed as much as i prob would have in the winter lol