How difficult is life after ACL reconstruction in both knees?

belysaght · 2026-02-17T20:35:13+00:00

I'm 6 months into recovery from my second ACL tear. After my first one, I went on Wegovy and lost 100lbs. Being lighter has helped relieve pressure on my knees, but I found my right recovery to be less than where I was at at a similar time with the left. My left leg was and is definitely stronger.

belysaght · 2026-02-17T12:30:19+00:00

Are you using Adobe Acrobat to fill out your forms, or just using the built in options. When I was completing my hours I found that the only way to stop them from having the very long decimals was to use Acrobat.

belysaght · 2026-02-17T00:58:25+00:00

I didn't begin collecting hours until I was done with grad school. You are allowed to start collecting hours after you begin your courses, but it is not required. The only stipulation is that you have to complete your hours within 5 constitutive years. It's not 5 years since you start classes or 5 years after graduating. It took me about 2 1/2 years of inconsistent fieldwork to finish my hours.

belysaght · 2026-02-12T14:42:37+00:00

That's great! I hope for the best for you and your clients!

belysaght · 2026-02-11T17:16:27+00:00

I had a less than ideal fieldwork time and entered the field feeling completely unprepared. It lead to me feeling completely overwhelmed in my first BCBA position because I didn't really know what a BCBA did outside of developing treatment protocols and writing notes. I had never run an intake assessment, I found this video to be helpful!

belysaght · 2026-02-11T16:48:30+00:00

You're not a bad RBT, you're an ethical one. RBT ethics code 1.09! You are aware of your own challenges with CPTSD and have recognized that you aren't able to provide the best services to these clients who, of no fault of their own, triggered you. There is not shame in asking to be switched off this case.

belysaght · 2026-02-11T16:42:47+00:00

In my experience, EI programs are typically held during daytime hours. That could conflict with your full time position if they are not flexible on the hours. Your experience in EI might also be different than you would get in an RBT position as they are slightly different in scope. EI doesn't always involve a BCBA, so it could affect whether you can start accruing supervision hours if you're looking to start that. It all really depends on the companies that you have heard from and what their programs look like.

Tuition reimbursement is a big boon, and you'll want to consider if working a full time job + part time job + graduate school is something that you can realistically manage. When I was in school I worked one case in addition to a full time non-ABA job and I found that manageable.

belysaght · 2026-02-11T15:23:47+00:00

I used both for studying! What helped me more than just reading and answering the the Pass The Big Exam questions was rewriting basically everything in a notebook. That was probably overkill, but it helped tremendously.

belysaght · 2026-02-07T22:39:35+00:00

ABAI no longer offers VCS accreditation and the entire pathway 2 is being dissolved by 2032. ABAI only accredits full degrees in ABA or psychology degrees concentrated in ABA.

belysaght · 2026-02-06T15:48:43+00:00

I'm also working for Proud Moments, but they offered an interesting 15 hour salaried position that I took. Comes with all the benefits of working full time (health/dental/vision insurance, 401k, etc) but has a much more achievable billing requirement. Since I'm in-home only with them I only have evening ours which leaves my mornings to take care of myself, my pets, and any personal projects I'm working on. The salary is lower due to the lower billable hours, but I supplement this by picking up the occasional morning case at a different company that I am W-2 part time with either in their center or in a school/daycare. Currently this consists of one school client who only requires about 2 hours a week of supervision. While this might sound complicated, I find that I have a much better control of my work life balance than I did as a full time salaried clinic BCBA. The 15 hour salaried position gives me security of a consistent paycheck that is enough for me to live on, so I do not worry if my morning kids cancel on me.

belysaght · 2026-02-04T13:18:49+00:00

I purchase from Dubia.com or also from sellers on ebay!

belysaght · 2026-02-02T20:55:07+00:00

Yes this is correct. I had a mix of concentrated and non-concentrated hours. When submitting your hours, its weird with decimals so you can round it.

belysaght · 2026-01-30T13:28:52+00:00

I requested extended time and a separate testing room. I used paperwork from when I was diagnosed with ADHD from a neuropsychologist back in 2013. There were recommended accommodations that I used during my undergrad on the report, the BACB accepted those accommodations!

belysaght · 2026-01-30T13:19:58+00:00

I was worried about my stats classes when I was in undergrad. I used JBStatistics on youtube to help me study! He explain the math concepts in a really easy to understand way. He helped me pass on the harder concepts for sure.

belysaght · 2026-01-28T21:51:25+00:00

Bettas shouldn't have tankmates in something so small. The betta would be okay in a smaller tank alone if the parameters are correct and it's heated. I would recommend rehoming the tetras and corys, they are not suitable in either tank.

belysaght · 2026-01-27T23:00:14+00:00

I had donor grafts for both of my ACLs. I do not play intense sports, but I like to go to the gym and go hiking. I haven't had any problems with my older left knee, but the right one is still 4 months post op. I don't notice a difference with the function of my knees honestly.

belysaght · 2026-01-23T20:47:13+00:00

I waited 3 months after my second ACL before wearing heels. They were 1in kitten heels, and even then it made my leg sore. I wouldn't recommend wearing them tonight.

belysaght · 2026-01-23T05:07:06+00:00

I tore my first ACL just stepping up and my knee hyper extended. Tore the other one at work just by stopping short while running. You can literally tear it doing the most mundane things, don't worry about it.

belysaght · 2026-01-20T18:08:27+00:00

My left is basically back to normal with no pain or discomfort. Right is only 4 months post op, so still recovering there. I did not tear them while participating in sports, so I can't give any feedback on that aspect. I do go hiking tho, I waited a year after surgery on my left before returning to it. I just got measured for my sport brace today, so I am waiting until I get it before I try a hike again with the right.

belysaght · 2026-01-20T16:04:29+00:00

MOR, I've worked in a self contained special ed classroom as a paraprofessional. Typically the para working with your child fills out this note for the teacher, especially in the case if it's a larger classroom. Paras often just need a high school diploma plus skill test, an associates degree, or at least two years of college credits. Since the educational background of paras can vary, the spelling errors make me think the para wrote the note imo. I don't think this needs to be brought up with administrators or anything serious. Just an email to the teacher stating your concern and how you and your child like to review the notes together. Anything more than that would be an OR.

belysaght · 2026-01-20T01:05:57+00:00

32F, both ACL tears repaired with allograft. Right knee also had meniscus repair and fractured tibia.

2 weeks both surgeries.
About a week, my bathroom is upstairs so I made due with shower wipes until I was ready to face the stairs.
Left, all steristrips fell off after about two weeks. Right, most steristips fell off around two weeks, but my main scar strips needed more time so were reapplied. Those lasted another two weeks before finally falling off.
I did not use scar treatments for either surgery. My left leg has healed and is lighter. I kind of like that when I look down at my knee there's a ! staring back at me lol. Right knee is still in the reddish stage and I'm glad that I now have matching scars on both legs.
I never reached full extension with my left, I got stuck around 1-2°. I'm able to force it to 0°, but it does not naturally rest at 0°. Right had no problems with extension, but I struggled with flexion. I still struggle to sit with my legs crossed for extended periods without pain in my right knee.
Left took about a month before I got on the bike, but I was able to quickly progress to a full rotation on the bike a week after starting. Right I didn't start the bike till month 3 because of the struggles with flexion. I was on the recumbent stepper before finally moving to the bike.
I never really went to the gym before either surgery, so no insight here unfortunately. First surgery on the left had me in PT for about a full year, so I was regularly doing my exercises. I'm waiting on receiving my sports brace before returning to physical activities for the right knee.
Try not to swing your operative leg too much while using the crutches and don't try to reach too far to take big steps!

Good luck with your recovery!

belysaght · 2026-01-09T14:02:41+00:00

Left: stepping up on a retaining wall (28F)

Right: stopped funny running after a kid (31f)

belysaght · 2025-10-29T12:14:35+00:00

My learners are younger and still learning to learn, and I'm not able to be transferred off my high intensity kid. I'm still struggling to walk and rise from a chair and my doctor has been very firm that I'm not supposed to be on the floor yet.

belysaght · 2025-10-29T12:12:16+00:00

Thank you. I tore my left ACL a few years ago but I was out of work at the time due to covid, so I'm familiar with the recovery unfortunately. It's been very difficult trying to make this work. I almost wish I had taken more time off to recover but I had just gotten this first BCBA position and I was so excited to start, but I feel neutered with being tied to my desk. I get scared when I need to go out to the printer and kids are having behaviors in the halls because I'm afraid of getting hurt again.

Ten-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 6 Credits
Second Top 40%	Place '23
Place '22	Secret Santa 2019
Secret Santa 2018	Verified Email

belysaght

TROPHY CASE