Finally I knew I couldn't put it off for any longer, I knew I needed surgery and if I wanted to be able to not only do my job as an active duty sailor but also just as a nurse I had to have surgery. I can't perform my job if I'm not healthy. So I called my program manager and told her what was going on. She then told me to talk to the head of student accounts which is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and happens to be a doctors as well. I expressed my fears to him and told him this was my dream, my career, my plan, pretty much my everything. I was terrified he was going to tell me that the Navy would process me out, especially since I now knew that it would take 4-6 months to heal from my surgery.
But in the end, it seems everything is going to be just fine. The student accounts board met to talk about all the students that would need to be put on hold on Monday and the LCDR called me and told me that everyone agreed with the plan to go forward with the surgery so I can be healthy. He said that I will just be put on a hold until I am fit for active duty and then I will continue on with ODS and my assigned orders. He said the only reason my waiver would be denied is if I could not perform my duties, had limited range of motion, or was not within the weight requirements. Other than that as long as I heal and am back where I used to be I will be perfectly fine.
So I guess the moral of all this is that I am still terrified for my future but if everything goes as plans it seems that future will still be with the Navy. I wanted to post this in order to help someone like myself who was in the dark about what would happen to them. I considered even jeopardizing my own health in order to make it to active duty and into the Navy before I said anything about my injury. But I knew I wouldn't be able to do my job and I would end up needing the surgery anyways. I need to be healthy in order to be the best team member I can be for Navy medicine and I do not want to be dead weight before I even begin. So my focus now is finishing school and healing from my surgery. I will still be updating however it seems it will be even longer before I have more Navy related experiences to share but I'm just happy that it seems I will still be able to share them.
Like I've said throughout this website, don't give up! If the Navy and NCP is what you want go for it! Don't let anyone stop you. I know I won't, even with this bump in the road I will continue to do whatever I can to become a part of the superior medical team that is Navy medicine! Wish me luck in surgery tomorrow!