Posted on Feb 29, 2020
PFC Satellite Communication Systems Operator/Maintainer
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I currently have a 10 day no-pt profile because I had a biopsy on 27FEB. It was a small incision in my throat has fully healed, but now I have a profile for 10 days of no PT. I need to take an APFT to leave Fort Gordon but I cant just sit around for 10 days and expect to do well on my test. My throat has fully healed and I have had no bleeding, nausea complications, etc... The 10 days seems like some kind of default that is not appropriate for my situation. Is there any way I can at least start working out again without getting in trouble?
Posted in these groups: Logo no word s FitnessPushup improvement ProfilesSurgery logo SurgeryP542 APFT
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Responses: 17
MAJ Vascular Surgery Fellow
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What was biopsied? Thyroid? Lymph node?
The thyroid and lymph node tissue is VERY well vascularized, that means it has an impressive blood supply. If you manage to damage a post op thyroid biopsy and you bleed under the closed skin you could get into a bit of trouble. Furthermore, when I need to take a patient back to the OR even up to ten days later, I can bluntly take down the incision with my finger tips after snipping the sutures. What does that mean in practical terms? If you bump your throat against something during exercise you could disrupt a healing blood vessel. The ten days isn't about how you feel, it is about giving the surgery site the MINIMUM amount of time needed to make it safe for you to carry out your daily activities and ramp up your strenuous activities. Even at 6-8 weeks later healing tissue only has about 60% of the strength of uninjured tissue.
Credentials: Vascular Surgery Fellow 1.5 years, General Surgery Resident 6 years. I have about 1500 surgeries under my belt, ranging from very minor bedside procedures up to multi-hour vascular reconstructions.
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CPL Jack Baker
CPL Jack Baker
>1 y
Listen to your DR. Good information ,Sir.
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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You could actually wait about 9 more days and it will be all good. If 10 days of no PT are the end for you, you need some more PT
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LTC Hardware Test Engineer
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>1 y
exactly, if 10 days without doing PT is going to seriously affect your performance on an APFT, you've probably been doing the bare minimum.
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MAJ Audiology
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10 days off of PT should not cause you to fail a PT test. Also doctors orders in the military are orders from a medical officer just the same as if your CO gave you an order. They aren’t suggestions. Follow your profile and heal up. Crush your PT test and then move on. Trust me you don’t want a neck injury because you didn’t follow your profile.
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LTC Desk Officer
LTC (Join to see)
>1 y
Should not. Because you should be getting a 300 every time so getting a 290 just this once is fine?

Maybe this soldier lives in the 190-200 zone? Is that punishable? Worse, they’re saying they have a ten day profile after having healed. How long have they really gone without doing PT? For marginal performers, 2-3 weeks can be disastrous.

‘Get good’ is my instinctive answer, too, but it’s the wrong one. I guess this soldier needs to delay the APFT until a couple weeks after the profile ends.
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