to think it's ludicrous to get offered christmas eve as a date for a grommet operation

[emkana]

apparently ds would be "fine" for Christmas Day

Well, Christmas Eve is not a public holiday, so the hospital staff will be working that day and it would be unreasonable for them to be sitting around all day doing nothing. You have the option of refusing the date, but your DS may have to wait a while for an alternative appointment.

er, not really. you could always refuse the daye, but then your ds would be back on the waiting list.

It is a day, just like any other, after all

Sorry, yabu.
If you don't want it, others will.

either the opereation is important or it's not - surely there will be plenty more Christmas's with a happier healthier ds...

they offer, you refuse if you don't want it.
presumably the reason it was offered is that lots of people are refusing this date and you could have been fast-tracked.
so now if you refuse don't go complaining about the long waiting list as you were offered the opportunity to get it done.

sorry darling, i have to disagree with you if its important ( which is is) whilst its not convenient, he really should have it.

nice to know this kind of thing is going on on xmas eve actually, i thought all the docs would be off on their jollies.

I would have thought it was inconvenient rather than ludicrous. I hope it goes well for him and perhaps all the loveliness of Christmas will provide a nice distraction both before and after the op.

yabu. Just get it over with!

I can see that it may not be at all convenient, given the rush, etc, but I suspect that he would indeed be 'fine'. I think children are discharged fom grommet operations pretty much by lunchtime and bounce back straight away. Christmas excitement might help as a great distraction, too.

But your choice, obviously - do you go back to the back of the queue if you turn it down?

agree with swedes - just think how nice a recovery your ds will have - lots of presents, nice food, all family around etc.

I would jump at Christmas eve for all these reasons.

and I agree with custardo too - think it's great that Christmas eve hasn't been consigned to a day of no action due to merging in generally with christmas.

He will be 100% OK for Christmas Day, honest.

If you just budge your personal calendar up a day & have everything done by the 23rd it will be fine

I would have thought it might be very convenient for many people - children are off school, many parents are off work, so fitting in an operation should be fairly simple.

Crikey - used to work in hospitals and they always did used to close down operating theatres a few days before Xmas - must be running a tighter ship these days. YANBU I don't think, just dismayed at thought of DSs Christmas being disrupted. Look at it this way - he will be fighting fit and ready to go back to school in Jan without having missed any term time and kids do bounce back from ops and anaesthetics amazingly quickly. If he is still in hosp on Xmas Day you will all be spoilt rotten - they make such an effort with patients who are still in.

I would get it done but I understand why you would be a bit about it. I would too.

Grab it with both hands and it's done then for the New Year.

DS was fine within hours of having his grommets in ... it really is a tiny simply and short op.

dd has had grommets twice
both times she is back to her self about 1 hr after the op

it is not ludicrous

YABU

we had an eye hosp appt last year on christmas eve. it was lovely, no parking problems at the hospital, cheery staff. a real pleasure. he'll be fine! for me it was lovely to hand a huge 'things to do list' to dh and the other two dcs and trot off for a nice sit down in a calm serene hospital.
not got one this year, so i've no excuse...
sorry, YABU
i'd be thrilled to get it done.

To confirm what everyone else is saying, ds was out of hospital by lunch, and playing in the garden by afternoon after his first grommet op. (he was about 3), and subsequent ones have caused no probs.

Can understand that it would be another thing to think about around Christmas, but probably worth getting it out of the way!

I got offered an appoinment to have 3 wisdom teeth out under GA 2 days beore xmas - thet were told where to stick that one

I guess if its urgent then you can have it done on xmas eve, if not then there is no problem waiting - 18 weeks is the guideline now isnt it?

If you cancel then the waiting time guidelines no longer apply.

I'd give anything to have my DS sedated on Xmas Eve!

Seriously though, my Mum was in hospital for a few weeks over Christmas last year and the atmosphere in the hospital was much more pleasant and upbeat than usuual. He'll be totally spoilt! It'll be fine.

I know you're right really I just find myself terribly torn between wanting to get it done and thinking about my lovely dd's who enjoy Christmas Eve very much, and we always do special things. Also worrying about complications - there always could be some with a GA couldnt' there?

And, in my defence, in Germany where I come from, Christmas Eve is the day on which Christmas is celebrated.