I just got off the phone with the orthopedist. They removed the torn part of the meniscus, but more to the point, there's arthritis in the knee. That probably impacted what he was able to do while he was in there, as well as the longterm followup treatment.

I can't say I'm surprised in the least, given my symptoms over the past 14 years. Still, PHOOEY. But on the bright side, at least I know for sure now what the heck's going on in there. (And that I wasn't being a wimp all these years when the darn thing got extra-sore for days at a time.) Without getting a diagnosis, I can't get the right treatment.

I'm to continue using crutches until I see the doc again on the 8th. In the meantime, I'm to continue resting, icing, and elevating the knee. (Which, at the moment, feels like disaster struck it -- fargin' meds must be wearing off.)

The good news is, I should be over the *surgery* in six weeks. Unfortunately, the doctor made a point of differentiating between the surgery aftermath and the arthritis, so I suspect I won't be done with symptoms any time soon. Blah on that. But I hope that at least I'll be MANAGING the symptoms more appropriately, now that I know what I'm dealing with. That's got to help.