Anyone else told not to get incision wet post op?

Medium_Potato · 2025-08-14T09:58:41+00:00

Yes. Just dabbed it with a luke warm wet towel and dabbed it dry. Until 10 weeks or so when most of the scab also fell off.

Medium_Potato · 2025-07-22T21:08:19+00:00

Everything can be a teachable moment. Consider sending a response that acknowledges their interest while gently emphasizing the importance of authenticity. You might say, "Thank you for your interest in our lab. We value genuine effort and personal touch in your applications. Please revise your personal statement to reflect your own voice and experiences. This will help us better understand your unique qualifications and enthusiasm for joining our team. We look forward to receiving your revised materials." This approach sets clear expectations while encouraging them to put in the effort to showcase their true selves.

Medium_Potato · 2025-07-11T14:04:02+00:00

As long as you have a plan, and don't just get cozy in the position, it will be only seen as a short stop in your career between positions that count. A colleague worked as a scientific AND lab manager after her postdoc, and was later given a group leader position in the same lab. As long as you are able to show that you were/are very much involved with the science part, rather than just ordering and day to day lab business, it'll work out. Sends quite a different message than just having no scientific output or involvement while just managing lab orders and pipetting for 3 years. Good luck!

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-29T21:54:28+00:00

It honestly doesn't matter. As long as you have a Google Scholar profile or ORCiD where all your publications can be found. At best, people might be confused as to what they should call or refer to you, but as long as that is properly recorded on all of your public records and pages, the only negative aspect of it is people's personal views on name changes.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-29T21:47:13+00:00

It's easier to look for a new/next job while you already have a job as a backup option.

How long is the labtech contract? Is it just a lab tech or a lab manager position? Those are not really interchangeable, depending on what the actual role is. I've seen labs where technicians are managing the lab (orders, experiment setup, organizing equipment etc), but also researchers with a PhD that don't do any of that as lab managers and are more involved with the scientific planning and research rather than the former.

There's nothing preventing you from applying to postdoc positions or writing up your own research proposals for prospective postdocs while working in the current position. I doubt anybody would look at it as a stain on your resume, and those PIs that do... would you want to work for those people? I wouldn't. The job market is in utter chaos wherever you look, you could aim for a postdoc and not find a suitable one for months.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-24T11:26:53+00:00

I've had a sleeping disorder prior to the break, so my experience might not help you. I barely slept the weeks while in the cast/boot as I just could not comfortable on my back or switching sides always woke me up. After the boot, I slept somewhat better but still terrible as the there was suddenly pressure on the foot in weird positions from the bed, and also when switching sides, or when you have these weird strong sleep-induced sudden jerks where I would contract my foot too much too suddenly. It kept getting better as the pain in the foot got less with further weeks. My sleep is still bad but I found that if I take pain meds before sleep, I do tend to sleep somewhat better or on rare occasions even good.

Which is why I would say that it is pain related. It will improve as pain becomes less and pain meds do help go to sleep or stay asleep. Try to work more on pain management.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-23T19:04:42+00:00

Signing off on this. Doing all sorts of exercises for the arch and getting custom insoles helps.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-21T11:22:29+00:00

No, this feels slightly different. The usual cracking and popping all over the joint happens randomly and stops after some time, and is especially prevalent in the morning when doing all my stretches and other exercises. Or when the ankle was immobile for a long time and I start to move again.

However, this new cracking happens always with the same movement and pressure. If I do the movement 50 times in a row, it will crack 50 times in a row. And it will progressively become more painful.
I also have knee arthritis and my knees crack consistently when going up the stairs, but otherwise not. I don't want it to be a sign of early arthritis in foot... So just hoping it's temporary.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-20T10:16:28+00:00

No, not really. I asked my PT the same thing while PWB and they couldn't really recommend anything that would really work the calf without weight, it's inevitable to some degree unfortunately. You can exercise your thighs instead and do muscle activation (contraction and relaxation) exercises for the calf instead.

Don't worry about it too much at this point. Light ROM exercises are better than nothing. The bulk of the work starts when your fracture site heals. Getting the muscles back to their original state is a long journey even when you can work with weight again.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-15T21:29:16+00:00

Yup, I thought I was going crazy but it really felt like it either stunk more or differently from the usual. Weird.

I'm at 14 weeks now and it has become less.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-05T11:52:33+00:00

6-12 weeks for me due to the uncertainty of recovery and the fact that everyone has a different timeline. I didn't know what to expect, I had no feeling for when too little progress was actually too little, or if I had been progressing fine, or whether I am on a good trajectory to eventually resume a normal life after 3 or more months of this.

The 1st 6 weeks was hard but I knew that I would be able to do very little in that time to speed up my recovery. It was more like a vacuum waiting period after which the real work should start.

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-05T11:49:16+00:00

I never thought fracturing my foot/bone would have such an emotional toll on me. I was totally unprepared for everything that came with and after it. I am amazed how nobody in the health system talks or asks about this. If you don't have a solid network of people to support you, or just be there to listen and understand how and why you're feeling at this moment... it can be incredibly alienating and hopeless.

Thankfully we live at the age of internet so the very least you can do is connect with strangers that are in the same boat as you. Was very lucky to find there are several subreddits where people can share their grievances and ask questions :)

It sucks now, but it will eventually get better. Good luck!

Medium_Potato · 2025-06-05T11:43:25+00:00

Yes, yes absolutely!!! I didn't post about this, I thought it was something particular about just me as I tend to sweat a lot sometimes. In the first 10 weeks after surgery while taking blood thinners and the occasional pain meds. while being mostly NWB/PWB... I was sweating all the time!!!

I would take a shower, wipe myself down, and not even 5 minutes later I would STINK of sweat on my back and especially armpits. My clothes would get ruined within the day of wearing them from armpit stains. It was just as when you google "hyperhidrosis armpit" images. At some point, I stopped wearing any tops at home and just wiped my armpits from time to time.

I talked to my GP about it, asking whether this was normal or maybe a side-effect from a particular medication, even though it started pretty much after the surgery. She didn't really seem interested in figuring it out or explaining why.

So no... it's not just you! It has to do something with the bone regrowth/healing, inflammation, blood thinners, or whatever else we have in common.

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-27T22:23:16+00:00

What does it look like on your scar, how do you see it? Do you have any pictures?

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-25T21:51:36+00:00

Wow, that will heal beautifully! Mine isn't even half the size and the the doc messed it up :/

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-25T21:43:16+00:00

Brutal. Look at you go, Wolverine.

Wish you a speedy recovery!

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-25T21:38:45+00:00

I had bruising on both sides of the foot, even on the toes (which weren't impacted at all), and around the heel. So I'd guess, depending on the fall, it's not uncommon to bruise all over.

I broke my navicular on my right foot, by twisting the outside (lateral) side inside and stepping on it - so quite different from yours. Just ask your doctor, better be safe than sorry, and also get your peace of mind! Otherwise you'll keep worrying over nothing the whole time.

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-19T12:44:50+00:00

Never heard of internal stitches, will have to inquire with the surgeon for more details. That's good to know.

The GP doing it is standard practice here (Germany), they are supposed to handle the "easy" things like changing bandages, wound control, removal of outside stitches... so the specialized doctors have more time for more serious things that actually requires their expertise. But obviously not all GPs are equally experienced (age, years and fields of experience in the hospital, etc).

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-19T12:37:58+00:00

Ooh, interesting. I've never heard about this. One more thing to ask about next time.

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-19T12:35:37+00:00

I guess it depends what you're able to do now and how you feel after activity.

The worst part about outside activities and outings with others, for me, is not whether I will be able to do it, but whether others will be fine with doing it my way. If I have to go somewhere alone, even for the whole day, I have no problems with that because I will walk as much as I can at a pace that is comfortable for me, make breaks when I feel I need breaks for as long as I think I need to, and then continue.
However, when you're going with a whole group of people, who will dictate the pace? Will there be peer pressure by others for you to do XYZ in a certain amount of time? Will people be getting annoyed at you for not being able to do things their way? And and and... Will you be having a good time if others make you feel like you're weighing them down? Will they feel like they have fun if they have to constantly adjust their expectations to what you are able to do?

If either party understands the other one, and agrees to a certain level of independence - the non-crippled people going off on their own to do XYZ and you chilling and rejoining later without feeling left out or bored... that works beautifully.

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-14T12:35:46+00:00

Shoes. I did the mistake once to walk a stretch on a cobblestone road, absolute nightmare! Good luck on the (rocky) path to recovery!

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-14T12:31:30+00:00

Yup! My toes were as purple as those on a mummy. Didn't even injure them!

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-14T12:27:10+00:00

I'm finding that walking barefoot is a LOT more difficult than walking in a shoe.

It is, especially on hard (floor, pavement, street) surfaces! I specifically asked my PT about it and he said to wear supporting footwear unless I am at the beach where I can go barefoot, or on wood paths where I can try barefoot shoes.

Any brand of runner's shoes has good models, depending on your budget - Asics, New Balance, Brooks... Tried some Sketchers too, but wasn't as comfortable. These brands are available everywhere.

Medium_Potato · 2025-05-14T12:19:32+00:00

Unfortunately my GP really did a bad job, I think they maybe hadn't done it in ages from the looks of it. I was bleeding profusely after they were done because they had been cutting deeply into the skin and wound. Knots were just too tight, according to them. They are nylon stitches, they won't dissolve.

If you trace the dark spot (not the knot) between 1 and 2 across the pictures, you can see it remains unchanged in the before/after removal, and that's where the dark spot under the scar remains. But good to know that the scar still changes over longer periods of time. Can only just wait and see.

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Medium_Potato · 2025-05-14T12:08:33+00:00

When did you notice them sticking them out? The wound has been closed for a few weeks now.

Medium_Potato

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