u/Grand_Housing

I did my Doctor of Pharmacy course in 2016 and graduated around 2021–22. At that point, I honestly didn’t know what I was supposed to do or where the degree would take me. During COVID, I saw a lot of people move into Clinical SAS, but by the time I started looking seriously, the market had become much harder. Even having a SAS certification didn’t necessarily make a difference.

So I decided to look at companies building AI in healthcare. I joined a company working heavily with oncology AI and real-world data, and stayed there for almost three years. That experience made me realise how valuable oncology experience can be in pharma, so I stuck with it. I later had an opportunity to become a team lead at another company for significantly better pay, but I turned it down because I couldn’t see a long-term career trajectory there.

I then wanted to move closer to clinical research. By that point, I was already experienced and companies were increasingly hiring freshers for entry-level clinical research roles at very low salaries. I was even rejected once because I was considered overqualified. Looking back, I sometimes regret turning down an early opportunity where I could have worked across clinical research, data management and trial coordination, simply because the salary was around ₹20,000.

So, if you’re a recent graduate and want to build a career in healthcare corporates, my advice would be: if you get an opportunity to work in clinical research, even as a Clinical Research Coordinator or Associate, take it for six months or a year if you can. That experience can make future transitions much easier.

Today, I work for a company that operates around clinical research rather than directly within clinical research. I have experience with CTMS and clinical-trial-related data, so I’m now looking at roles involving CTMS, trial documentation and clinical operations. But that path is relatively narrow.

After almost six years of working and still being below ₹10 LPA, I’ve started thinking much more strategically about where I want to go next. MSL and Medical Affairs were possibilities, I received calls from companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Servier, but I turned them down because the travel requirements wouldn’t work for me. I had recently undergo a major knee surgery.

Medical writing is another option, but breaking into it at this stage can be difficult because companies often prefer people who started their careers specifically in medical writing. Regulatory affairs is also competitive, and although I had some exposure to the IRB side of things, it isn’t a direction I want to pursue.

One area I think people should seriously consider is HEOR (Health Economics and Outcomes Research). It combines healthcare knowledge with analytical skills. Depending on the role, you may need advanced Excel, SQL and either Python or R, along with an understanding of health-economic models. There are several courses available, although some are expensive. It can also be a particularly useful path if you eventually want to work abroad.

The area I’m most interested in right now, however, is Competitive Intelligence.

Competitive Intelligence is essentially about understanding the market and continuously tracking what competitors are doing. Imagine your company has a drug in Phase II while a competitor’s similar molecule is already in Phase III. You’re not just asking what the competitor is doing, you’re asking why. If their Phase III trial is delayed, was it because of recruitment problems, eligibility criteria, safety issues, or something else? What does that mean for your own drug? Does it give your company more time? Is there something you can learn from their molecule or clinical strategy?

That combination of clinical research, data, pharma strategy and analytical thinking is what makes Competitive Intelligence particularly interesting to me.

It’s also an underrated field. Job titles don’t always explicitly say “Competitive Intelligence”; you often have to read the job description carefully to identify the work. Startups may expect you to do everything manually in Excel for relatively low pay, while larger pharma and biotech companies use specialised intelligence platforms and generally have better-defined roles.

So that’s where I am right now: trying to move from simply having experience in healthcare data to building a career around pharma strategy, analytics and competitive intelligence. It’s not an easy transition, but I think being intentional about the direction is better than continuing to move sideways without a clear trajectory.

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I had a tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) done on my right knee in December last year, so I’m now about 8–9 months post-op, with around three months left until the one-year mark. I have patella alta in both knees, but before surgery, my left knee never really caused me problems. My right knee would mainly hurt when I overloaded it for example, pulling or lifting something very heavy and putting a lot of pressure through my knees.

Otherwise, I was fairly active. I would exercise my lower body once or twice a week, including Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells and weighted squats. I had a decent amount of muscle in my legs and could do these exercises without significant problems.

I decided to have the TTO because the underlying problem wasn't going away. My physician basically told me that physiotherapy could help, but it wasn't a permanent fix and that I would always have to be conscious of what I could and couldn't do. Surgery was presented as the more definitive option, and since I was young and expected to recover better, I decided to go ahead with it.

The reality of recovery has been very different from what I expected.

For the first three months, I couldn't walk much, although I was doing physiotherapy and whatever exercises I could manage, even while lying in bed. By around three months, I was off the walker and no longer needed even a single-arm crutch. I could walk, but my knees couldn't tolerate much activity.

I was then advised to try BFR and controlled knee extensions. I genuinely felt that they helped me, although I also wonder whether regular, controlled knee-extension work would have produced a similar benefit. I started physiotherapy around the end of March or beginning of April, and I've continued for months.

I have gained some muscle back in my right leg with physiotherapy and increased protein intake. My leg doesn't look like a toothpick anymore, which is honestly progress. But I still cannot walk for more than about 20–30 minutes without needing to rest. My muscles start feeling weak and I develop pain in the middle of my knee, which feels like the knee is simply being overloaded.

I still cannot kneel, deep squat, or do many of the things I could do before surgery.

And now I'm starting to have problems with my left knee too.

Because so much attention has understandably been focused on my surgically treated right knee, my left knee wasn't really the focus. Although the MRI showed patella alta of moderate concern on the left, it never caused me significant pain before. Now the left knee is starting to feel almost like my right knee felt before surgery, while my right knee is still struggling after the TTO.

That's the part that is really frightening me.

Something else has happened during these months that I genuinely don't understand.

Around 4–6 months after surgery, I started noticing that seemingly normal exertion could cause strains or injuries in different muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Before surgery, I had never experienced anything like this. Growing up, normal exertion never caused my muscles or tendons to rupture or become injured. I was exercising, had reasonably strong wrists and legs, and could lift relatively heavy weights without this happening.

Then suddenly:

I pulled open a cupboard/wardrobe door using two fingers, something I've done countless times, and strained my finger. I developed swelling over the area where the ligament/tendon runs. It took almost a month to improve, and even now, using that hand excessively can make the finger hurt.

My wrist subsequently started hurting with certain positions, even something as simple as resting it on a hard wooden table.

If I walk too much, my ankles start hurting.

And most recently, I picked up a bucket of water. It couldn't have been more than around 7 kg. Before surgery, I was routinely lifting dumbbells and doing weighted exercises. Now, that simple movement has left me with what feels like a significant strain around my upper back/trapezius, and I've barely been able to sleep properly for the past week because of it.

I don't understand what is happening to my body.

Is this something that can happen after a TTO because of prolonged deconditioning? Can being relatively inactive for months somehow lead to this kind of generalized loss of tolerance to normal exertion? Or is there something else that should be investigated?

I've had blood work done recently, and I'm already expecting someone to suggest a vitamin or mineral deficiency. My B12, vitamin D, and other vitamins/minerals are adequate.

I'm not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit. I can Google things, and I can ask ChatGPT, and I'll get a list of a hundred possibilities. What I'm really looking for is people who have actually gone through a TTO or experienced something similar after prolonged postoperative deconditioning.

Did anyone else have a recovery this difficult? Did you eventually get back to normal walking and strength? Did you experience problems in other joints or muscles during recovery?

I'm honestly struggling a lot with this and feel like I'm dealing with it almost entirely by myself. My current physician hasn't been very helpful, and I've considered getting a second opinion, but I don't even know where to start.

If you've gone through something similar, I'd really appreciate hearing what happened in your case, what helped, and how long it took.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for genuine advice from people who have actually used petrol fuel additives over a long period of time, especially if you own a 2020 Hyundai i20 Sportz or a similar Hyundai petrol car.

A little background

I had to undergo a major surgery recently, because of which my car remained almost completely unused for around six months. Even otherwise, the car isn't driven daily it probably goes out only twice a week.

I've almost always filled fuel from the same Bharat Petroleum petrol pump near my house, so there hasn't been much variation in fuel quality from my side.

For the last two years, I had noticed a gradual drop in mileage, but it wasn't alarming. However, over the last 8 months or so, the mileage has become shockingly poor. I'm getting only around 8 km/l, which seems way too low for this car.

The car has been serviced as per schedule, so basic maintenance has been taken care of. On top of that, ever since the E20 petrol rollout, for the last couple of months, my car has also started displaying the "Service Required" message every time I start it.

While searching for solutions, I came across a lot of videos and discussions about fuel system cleaners and petrol additives. Some people swear by them, while others say they can do more harm than good if used incorrectly.

The more I read, the more confusing it gets.

Some say: Use it only as preventive maintenance.

Others say use it only if you're trying to solve an existing issue.

Some recommend adding it before a full tank, others after filling.

Some products are recommended only for diesel, some only for petrol.

Every video seems to contradict the previous one.

Since my car is already showing symptoms, this isn't a preventive measure for me. I'm actually trying to solve a problem.

So I wanted to ask those of you who have personally used petrol additives for months or years:

Which additive have you used?

Did it genuinely improve mileage, engine smoothness, injector cleanliness, or performance?

Did it cause any long-term issues?

Would you recommend it for a Hyundai petrol engine like mine?

Where do you buy authentic products? I've heard there are a lot of counterfeit additives being sold with cheaper solvents, so I'm a bit worried about ending up with a fake product.

I'm not looking for promotions or sponsored recommendations. I'm genuinely trying to hear from people with real-world experience.

Also, I understand that if there's a mechanical issue, no additive can magically fix it. But if there's something that has actually worked for people before spending a lot more on diagnostics and repeated servicing, I'd really appreciate hearing about it. I'm not in the best financial position to keep paying for expensive servicing every now and then if there's a simpler solution worth trying first.

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for genuine advice from people who have actually used petrol fuel additives over a long period of time, especially if you own a 2020 Hyundai i20 Sportz or a similar Hyundai petrol car.

A little background

I had to undergo a major surgery recently, because of which my car remained almost completely unused for around six months. Even otherwise, the car isn't driven daily it probably goes out only twice a week.

I've almost always filled fuel from the same Bharat Petroleum petrol pump near my house, so there hasn't been much variation in fuel quality from my side.

For the last two years, I had noticed a gradual drop in mileage, but it wasn't alarming. However, over the last 8 months or so, the mileage has become shockingly poor. I'm getting only around 8 km/l, which seems way too low for this car.

The car has been serviced as per schedule, so basic maintenance has been taken care of. On top of that, ever since the E20 petrol rollout, for the last couple of months, my car has also started displaying the "Service Required" message every time I start it.

While searching for solutions, I came across a lot of videos and discussions about fuel system cleaners and petrol additives. Some people swear by them, while others say they can do more harm than good if used incorrectly.

The more I read, the more confusing it gets.

Some say: Use it only as preventive maintenance.

Others say use it only if you're trying to solve an existing issue.

Some recommend adding it before a full tank, others after filling.

Some products are recommended only for diesel, some only for petrol.

Every video seems to contradict the previous one.

Since my car is already showing symptoms, this isn't a preventive measure for me. I'm actually trying to solve a problem.

So I wanted to ask those of you who have personally used petrol additives for months or years:

Which additive have you used?

Did it genuinely improve mileage, engine smoothness, injector cleanliness, or performance?

Did it cause any long-term issues?

Would you recommend it for a Hyundai petrol engine like mine?

Where do you buy authentic products? I've heard there are a lot of counterfeit additives being sold with cheaper solvents, so I'm a bit worried about ending up with a fake product.

I'm not looking for promotions or sponsored recommendations. I'm genuinely trying to hear from people with real-world experience.

Also, I understand that if there's a mechanical issue, no additive can magically fix it. But if there's something that has actually worked for people before spending a lot more on diagnostics and repeated servicing, I'd really appreciate hearing about it. I'm not in the best financial position to keep paying for expensive servicing every now and then if there's a simpler solution worth trying first.

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences you can share

I was advised to wear a blue sapphire, /10 of my body weight. I'm completely naive when it comes to gemstones. I don't know how to check authenticity of these stones, for all I know they are really expensive.

Could someone explain how to check genuine neelams? Layman terms please.

I used to have a Redmi phone back in 2020, the one with the pop-up camera. It cost around 25k and honestly, it was exactly what I needed at the time. I really liked it. Unfortunately, I lost it after it got submerged in water.

I had to replace it quickly because I had a meeting the next day and limited money, so I bought a Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G for around 12k. It worked well enough from 2023 to 2025, but over time it started glitching badly. One day after restarting it just failed to boot properly.

Right before joining a new company, I had no time to figure things out so I started using a spare phone from a family member a OnePlus Nord CE Lite 2 5G. They had upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S25 and I managed with this one from 2025 until now.

At this point though, the phone is falling apart quite literally. I even removed the back cover, it has slipped a couple of times, and now the screen panel is loose. There are also constant glitches. It still works, but it’s far from reliable and I really want to upgrade.

My budget isn’t huge under 50k ideally. Earlier mid-range phones used to offer “flagship killer” performance but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

I initially considered the Samsung Galaxy S26, but found out the base and Plus models might not use Snapdragon chips. Then I looked at the S25 but it’s around 65k which is above my budget. I also came across reports that recent updates may be causing battery drain issues on Samsung devices which made me hesitant since battery life matters a lot to me.

So I narrowed it down to the OnePlus 13S and a Motorola signature. Specs-wise they seem comparable but I’ve heard concerns about Motorola mainly heating issues and poor after-sales service. Also, their designs feel repetitive and unappealing to me.

On top of that, I read news suggesting integration between OnePlus and Realme, which made me wonder if that could affect software updates or long-term support.

I also briefly considered the Nothing Phone, especially since there’s now a store in Bangalore and I like the design. But I’m unsure because it uses a mid-range Snapdragon 7 series chip and I don’t personally know anyone using it.

My priorities are clear: strong battery life, a good camera, and smooth performance for multitasking and streaming. I don’t game, so that’s not a factor. Design matters too but not at the cost of functionality.

So I’m trying to decide, should I go with the OnePlus 13S, the Motorola signature, or stretch my budget for the Samsung S25? Or is the Nothing Phone a better fit overall?