A few months ago, I broke my leg. A clean break of my fibula (around halfway point) and a fracture of my tibia at the ankle. Had surgery, a plate put in on the anterior side of my ankle/fibula with pins going into the interior side of my ankle/ tibia, as the fracture in my tibia was “unstable.” It has been about 12 weeks since my surgery and I still have significant swelling around the entirety of my ankle going up into my calf. Is this normal or should I be worried and/or further consult with my DR.? I live in America and don’t have the best healthcare. 2 weeks after my surgery I had a follow up apt with the DR to get my splint removed (put into an aircast) and was told to keep all weight off of it for another 6 weeks. No follow up beyond that.

Is it possible to ask your surgeon for photos from a surgery and the tissue removed? I'd prefer to take the tissue (Top surgery) home and burn it ritually, but that's not possible here. Dry stuff like gallstones or metal is possible. Soft tissue not. Thus I'm looking for something else, and a photo is the only thing that comes to mind. But yeah, I guess a camera needs to be sterile.

Hey everyone!

I’m a gen surg PGY-1, noticing a lot of institutional problems within my program. I want to transfer out and I’m looking for open spots around the country but preferably in a bigger city.

If anyone knows of any open spots or is thinking about a swap, comment or DM me please!

how many digital rectal examinations were you all doing in your year 1 residency

Has anyone here done a Flexor tendon rupture surgery? If so can you tell me about your surgery! For example your recovery, post-surgery pain etc. I completed the surgery 2 days ago and I’m experiencing one of the worst pains I’ve ever endured. It’s constant pain:(

Can someone let me know what kind of surgery or part of the knee this is?

I was looking into the case of Ciaran Finn Lynch, age 10 or so, who received a stem cell lined donor tracheal transplant done by Burchell at UCL with an assist from Macchiarini. He's still alive that I can see and had a stent put in for a while to allow the tissue to grow. They did the stem cell bath essentially in vivo during the transplant instead of using the bioreactor, in addition to G-CSF for the tissue (which I can't remember if that's the same growth hormone mentioned that is carcinogenic and not used any longer). I'm not sure why this case was not mentioned in any of the documentaries ? He is the only survivor aside from Castillo (but hers was just a bronchus so it's not even in the same category, yet her case was used).

Source for reference -- “Endoscopy demonstrated a complete mucosal lining at 15 months, despite retention of a stent. Histocytology indicates a differentiated respiratory layer and no abnormal immune activity.” (Hamilton NJ, et al. Tissue-Engineered Tracheal Replacement in a Child: A 4-Year Follow-Up Study. Am J Transplant. 2015 Jun 2. )

This is my third surgery. First time was a clean out of old crystallized infection and fix my deviated septum. Second was to remove a large fungal ball from left maxillary cavity. I got another sinus infection in December that carried over into February when I got Covid for the 3rd time and made it worse and I stared having severe facial pain on the left side. Three rounds of antibiotics and steroids later, I had to have surgery, again. This time they removed a large mucous plug from the area.

Layperson here - hope this post is ok. Two years ago I had the TIF procedure (transoral incisionless fundoplication).

For me - the procedure was a huge deal.

I had to spend two nights in hospital, I was on strong painkillers for a week, a liquid diet for two weeks, soft diet for another two, and then semi-solid for the last two weeks. I had weight lifting restrictions of different levels for over a month.

I had to take two weeks off work because I was so weak, despite being fit and in my 20s, and then had to do two weeks part time WFH because I was still weak.

During that whole period I lost over 10% of my body weight.

However ironically - it doesn’t even count as surgery because I wasn’t cut open! But no part of that doesn’t sound major?

When friends and family ask me about it I always just say I had major surgery because in my mind that’s what it is, but I know my consultant would disagree on my term.

However, had I had the traditional Nissen, that would have been classed as major surgery.

My question is - as more surgeries become minimally invasive or endoscopic, should we make our definition more flexible?

Hey guys I’m switching institutions and starting my prelim pgy2 and a great but new institution. I was wondering how to approach the match this year. I scrambled into this spot. I know people who haven’t matched yet after their prelim 2 year into a categorical spot so I want to know if you have any recs for a plan on how to go about the match! I don’t want to go unmatched and my first first preference is surgery. I can’t apply for a pgy1 again due to me being an img. Any list of programs which always have a pgy3 spot open? Maybe I can reach out to them in advance. Please let me know!! Thankss

Do you have common issues that need improvement? Ex. Dull scissors too often. Do you like sets organized certain ways? I’m looking for any suggestions, anecdotes, information, whatever.

Need suggestions, what would be the estimated cost of this procedure with Titanium Implants at hip femur ball.

SURGERY: CLOSED REDUCTION-INTERNAL FIXATION OF COMMINUTED CERVICO TROCHANTERIC FRACTURE

Hi, I’m a med student. I was wondering if you guys could critique the suturing I did. Want to get better at this

Can I drink 6 weeks after blowout fracture surgery?

currently in preop waiting to be taken to the OR to say the least i am MORTIFIED right now if i could run out and go home i would i’ve never had surgery or been in a hospital setting like this and its all so new and loud and anxiety provoking

However, one thing I remember is sudden sharp pain in my left testicle while showering, and we rushed to the hospital. Now, I have a 4-inch scar around my genital area (please see the attached photo). What surgery do you think this scar might be from?

My husband recently wrote about what led up to his pulmonary embolism & subsequent hospitalization. It’s a good reminder that sometimes patients just know something is off.

https://medium.com/@wrenanthony/on-the-brink-my-routine-surgerys-near-fatal-turn-c84692e020f7

Do I need loupes as a PGY-2?

Hello fellow surgery enthusiast's!

I am a recent medical school graduate, Non-US IMG (about to be married next week to a US citizen however).

I have no other desires but to pursue surgery. I am looking for any and all advice on getting into a surgical program. Not picky, but would prefer the South, but again I just want to get in to a program, and become a surgeon.

I am extremely hardworking and have a crazy work ethic (I grew up on a farm which I greatly think carved out my continued drive to keep working and get everything done). Knowledge and scores I am probably an average or potentially sub-par applicant on paper I guess. 🤷 . Regardless, I know I can definitely surprise and wow some program directors with my drive, work ethics, skills and just showing how badly I truly want this pathway in my life to be successful.

I have been trying to reach out to new programs and have been reaching out to programs of interest to get some externships rotations to show my desire. My efforts have shown no results and I just wanted to reach out and obtain information from any others. More things I should be doing? Anyone know or can help personally with getting me placed or connected with someone who can help me achieve my goals?

I appreciate everyone time and opinions!! Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone,

I'm a young French surgeon. My new project is to film all surgeries. The idea is to provide a video database for residents and improve their learning. For minimally invasive surgery, it's relatively easy because we often already use a camera. On the other hand, I'm having trouble finding solutions for open surgery. I've already tried a front-facing Gopro and it's quite satisfying at first glance, but in the end it doesn't really allow you to show dissection details, for example. One of the main problems with conventional cameras is the distance from the surgery and therefore the difficulty of filming an operation if there's no one behind the camera. There is also the problem of brightness and overexposure of the surgical site.

Can any of you share your video set-up with us?

A few details:

- I won't be able to call on professionals to install the equipment.

- My maximum budget is 5000€ (ideally less than 3000€)

- I have several ORs, so ideally I'd like to set up a movable device, for example with a fixed stand in each OR and a camera that can be easily connected and disconnected.

- I don't have much time between surgeries to make adjustments (zoom, focus), so ideally I'd like something that's easy to adjust.

Thank you very much for your help,

Ps: for the moment in France there aren't many legal problems with filming and sharing surgery, in case you were wondering.

I recently matched into an Internal Medicine residency at an academic centre. Now I know this sounds like a pipe-dream question, but I just cannot shake this feeling.

I am a non-US IMG who wanted to pursue residency in the US for better pay and working conditions. From the get-go, I was told that if I want to secure a spot, I need to apply to either Internal Medicine, Family Medicine or Pediatrics. Being a female, I was repeatedly suggested that I was too “weak” to pursue a specialty where I’d have to stand for hours on end. I have also had a pretty rough time mentally trying to overcome a traumatic event which did not help with my confidence. I studied hard, did whatever research I could and applied to Internal Medicine. I was thrilled to match at my second choice for residency.

I feel like my brain was all-consumed by the hustle that this entire process demanded of me. I don’t think I ever stopped to really think what I wanted. I absolutely love doing procedures, am a quick learner, and had a great time during my surgery rotations in medical school (even though I was unlucky with some of the mentors). I was overjoyed at every opportunity to scrub in and suture.

I’m kicking myself for not putting my interests as my priority and giving in to what others had to say about me. I absolutely understand the cons that come with a surgical specialty, with the long hours, compromise on a work-life balance and higher chances of having a toxic workplace environment. The biggest hurdle would probably be my visa (I’ll be on a J-1 visa soon, which comes with a requirement to work in my home country for 2 years).

Is this going to be a pipe dream forever? Would switching my residency be an option to think about? Should I rather just give up on surgery and pursue a procedural specialty down the line like cardio or GI? Do I need a slap in the face and someone to tell me that I should be grateful for what I have accomplished?

Ugh if only I had this epiphany a few months before I submitted my ROL. :/

My title is not clear at all, I apologize.

Assume that you threw a simple interrupted stitch going from right to left. Sometimes, I have seen my attending tie the knot with R hand on R tail, L hand on L tail; however, sometimes they switch so that the R hand is holding the L tail and vice versa. Is there a specific objective that I am trying to achieve when I tie one way versus the other? Is the difference based on location (fascia, bowel) or is it surgeon's preference?

Hello I am a surgical tech and have been working as a tech and surgical assist for over 10 years. I have been thinking about creating a small business in my free time to help train medical students, first year interns, and PA students in the basics of the OR. I've worked at teaching hospitals for most of my career and always end up taking the students under my wing to teach them. I would mainly focus on scrubbing in, gowning, gloving, sterile technique, and maybe do a crash course in intro to laparoscopic surgery with a mock abdomen. I was wondering if any students out there think this would be beneficial enough for me to actually pursue starting.