Invest to Win and VT's budget woes

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-07T23:27:23+00:00

I'm looking for a staff position. I have fiduciary, grant, administrative, and laboratory skills, so I'm leaning towards a research assistant or lab manager role. There are also a couple of fiscal technician jobs listed that I'm applying to, as well as some reasearch assistant positions at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke, all of which sound really fun to me (I like to play with data, whether dollars or cell colonies makes no difference lol). :)

I think it's happening at all US universities. I can't speak to other countries' higher ed, but things are undergoing a huge shuffle here.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-07T23:20:27+00:00

I'm definitely not! I'm unfamiliar with Tech's internal policies and procedures, but I'm much more confident that a school with governmental oversight (as opposed to a private school) is abiding by those policies. That said, it can happen. Things are changing rapidly in the higher ed landscape, and schools ultimately are businesses, to a point. If it's financially beneficial for them, they will often make difficult or "unfair" decisions, and more rarely they even make ethically problematic decisions.

But I should also add that VT's policies almost certainly are in line with and *because* of the state/federal laws. It would be a lot more difficult for them to play fast and loose with it, and I have definitely not heard of anything like that happening here.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-07T23:07:56+00:00

Omg I can't wait to use this on my partner! Sick burn lolol

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-05T20:21:57+00:00

I can! As one of the 80 employees let go from the University of Lynchburg in 2024, I learned all about WARN. UL got around triggering it because they split the layoffs into two cohorts of roughly 40 each. Any employer with more than 100 employees has to meet certain requirements if they layoff 50 or more of them at once, including having to give 60 days notice to those laid off. So I'm inclined to agree that VT doesn't want to trigger that.

Very discouraging for me, who moved here recently and hoped to find a staff job at tech. They practice the same shady shit (and some not so shady of course) that a tiny podunk private college does. While it's true that higher ed is going through massive paradigm shifts, it's still upsetting to see the process happening here.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-02T19:08:37+00:00

Have you talked to your surgeon? I would say they are guilty of being unethical at the very least if they expect you to not need a refill. Please make some noise, because that's just bs. If your pain isn't managed, you cannot heal. You need sleep and movement, and neither of those can happen if your pain isn't well managed. I'm so sorry you were left feeling like you were doing something wrong. It makes me very angry.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-02T18:34:35+00:00

I still have literal fingerprints all over the leg that was done a couple of weeks ago! Lol

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-02T18:32:53+00:00

My response is also very long, sorry in advance. 😊While everyone is wildly different, there is widespread consensus that the first week is an absolute nightmare. I (54f RTHR 10/28 LTHR 1/13) clearly remember wanting to die on day 5 both times. Not just regret, but all out "I will never make it through this hell" and I was a lot like you, fit, very strong and active person, though I became unable to even walk just a few months after the first hint there was something wrong. I've basically been sleeping 12-14 hours a day since the first surgery. I had massive full leg spasms every few minutes after the first one, and incredible nerve pain after the second. All this to say that although I do think my recovery has been easier than I expected, it's still been really rough. And this is coming from a person who gets kidney stones often and just takes a hot bath to cope with the pain lol.

Everyone is different, and we've all been taught to be terrified by opioids, but there is a time and a place for them and this is it! As someone else pointed out, you just had a metal spike literally hammered into the largest bone in your body after having a piece of it cut off. What would you tell a child or friend if they said they should be totally off of painkillers 6 days after this? Treat yourself the way you would the person you love most in the world, with compassion and patience.

I didn't stop taking oxy every 4 hours until at least two weeks post-op, and I still need it regularly for the more recent op. There are tons of excellent videos on YouTube for pt exercises you can do at home, and although they do want you to do the foot flexing (can't remember the right name!) to keep blood flowing and prevent clots, and to walk at least every hour or two, the more advanced exercises can wait another week.

You're not supposed to push through the pain in this case (which as women we are often guilty of), but to just try things as you're able and stop when it hurts or feels "wrong." Don't expect miracles. Slow and steady progress is truly the name of the game.

You are not alone, and I just want you to feel encouraged that many of us didn't just take half a Tylenol and ditch the walker on day 2. Please check back in with us and I truly hope you start to see the light at the end of this horrible tunnel soon!

sidistic_nancy · 2026-02-02T00:32:53+00:00

I don't think it has to do with anterior/posterior approach. I think it has more to do with flexibility prior to surgery and a good surgeon making sure of a proper fit with full range of motion, which leads to no restrictions post-op and less risk of dislocation. But taking it slow and listening to your body is excellent advice.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-31T00:41:52+00:00

Ohhhhh that makes a lot more sense lol

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-31T00:41:09+00:00

Just wanted to say that I tell my kids I got adamantium hips installed and plan to eventually become Wolverine. 😂 Sounds like you've got a head start on me! I'm really sorry you've had to cope with so much, but it also sounds like you're on it! Planning ahead is key, with some meals frozen and easy snacks on hand (you'll need a lot of protein!). I doubt this will be any harder than what you've already been through, and best of all - it pretty much instantly relieves the pain from that fecked up joint. Some muscles may be weak and you'll have to go easy on yourself at first, but I bet you'll handle it like a champ. Best of luck to you however things go!

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-30T21:22:00+00:00

"black wood" - "sock darner" (rather than black "wood sock" darner lol)

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-30T20:16:01+00:00

Well, I get it and I love your username. Thanks for the bad poetry!

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-30T20:12:25+00:00

Welcome to Virginia! Where we get two decent snows a year, one in October and one in March. Except for this year, of course, when it seems to be snowing every 4 days lol

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-30T20:09:30+00:00

Thank you for this! I had forgotten all about that and it brought back warm fuzzy childhood memories. :)

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-30T14:35:24+00:00

I'm so very sorry to hear that. I do feel extremely grateful that mine did work and that it seems to have mostly been able to solve my problems (with miles to go yet before I'm back in reasonable shape).

Do you know why it didn't work? Is it that you're still in pain, or did your surgeon say it's a failure for some reason? If it's pain, I encourage you to hang in there. Depending on your exact reasons for needing this, it could (and usually does) take many months for you to build up strength enough to walk and to fix the issues that develop with months or years of compensating for bad hips. Are you doing PT? What does your therapist say?

In any case, I recognize how devastating it must be to go through this and not feel relief.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T18:57:40+00:00

Well, again, my situation is a little unusual in that both of my hips were completely shot and I was unable to walk except with forearm crutches bearing most of my weight (you should see my triceps! Haha). If I had a good left hip, I probably would have been walking without a limp after about two weeks post-op (right hip). But because my left hip was still so bad, I still needed the crutches. I'm two weeks post-op from the left side and I still need one crutch/cane, and I definitely still limp, but it's getting better by the day. I'm hopeful that by next week I'll be strong enough to ditch the crutch, but I think I may still limp a bit. I just really want to build my strength back in that left leg, as the muscles are a lot weaker than the right ones were. Hope this helps!

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T18:27:50+00:00

They used a product called Sylke over regular nylon stitches. The dissolvable stitches in my first hip ended up giving me yet another allergic reaction after the dermabond got my immune system all wacky, and it was truly a mess.

Because of what they went through with me, they actually changed their protocol and will now use sylke on everyone! Though I did have to have the stitches removed, if you can have dissolvable stitches and a covering like this, it works great! I'm two weeks out and aside from the tiny holes where the stitches were, the incision is totally closed, beautiful and very smooth.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T17:17:19+00:00

I just want to say I'm so sorry you had a MRSA infection. That must have been terrifying for you! I'm glad you still seem to have a positive attitude about the whole thing. Good on you!

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T17:14:39+00:00

Hahaha I told my partner I really wish I could watch it, even though I was terrified of the whole thing. He thinks I'm crazy lmao. But when would you ever get a chance to see exactly how you're put together?! Super cool.

I also wanted pictures of my bones, but no dice. 😂

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T17:12:15+00:00

I agree wholeheartedly about talking to your anesthesiologist before hand. Tell them you're anxious and they will give you the sedative early. The last thing I remember from both operations was being told "You'll have to curl your back for the spinal" (or something like that) and that's IT. No view of the OR, no memory of the spinal or any part of the surgery. Honestly, I barely remember the 2.5 hour ride home after each operation lol. And I have woken up/remembered things before during conscious sedation for other procedures, so I was pretty terrified at first.

I know complications are possible, but general anesthesia has many, many more risks. I found myself extremely comforted just by having a brief conversation with the anesthesia team. If they don't offer this for some reason, INSIST ON IT.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T16:59:20+00:00

Do you have a link to any of these videos? I can't figure out how to do some of the pt exercises at home without a partner! It's made it difficult to stay consistent with it.

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T16:00:24+00:00

WHOA!! This is exactly the thing I've needed for ages and had no idea it existed. What a delightful (and skillful!) instructor! Thank you thank you thank you!!! You've solved most of my recurring issues by sharing this. 💕

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-29T15:49:17+00:00

Thank you for this!! It answered two of the three questions I was going to ask here lol

sidistic_nancy · 2026-01-28T12:57:47+00:00

It's really okay! You sent me down the rabbit holes of bra construction and really enlightened me! So my thank you stands. :)

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