Pre-op Doctor's Visit

My swelling has finally gone down.  All this while (over two months now), the swelling persisted and almost felt like it kept the knee in its place.  Now, when I turn on that knee, I have a real awkward/somewhat painful feeling.  Does this indicate a tear in the ACL?  Cannot explain, very uncomfortable though.  With swelling gone, the range of motion has almost returned 95%.  Can almost flex the knee fully and can walk almost normally - except for that turning motion.
 
Within the last week-

• I received a phone call from the doctor's office going over the procedures of getting to the surgery - which is scheduled now for July 22.  This was followed by an email that came with pre-op and post-op procedures.  Need to show up at the surgical center at 6am for 7:30 surgery.  Can wear pull-up type shorts which can be worn during surgery.  No food or drinks from mid-night on prior to the surgery.
• I received a phone call from the surgical center asking me usual medical questions like allergies, previous history, medications, etc.  Provided guidance on what to do pre-op like stopping Motrin and any other anti-inflammatory medicines for a week prior to surgery.
• I also recieved a letter from a "supplier of durable medical equipment" indicating that they have received an order from my surgeon to supply me with a CPM machine for post-op recovery.  It indicated that they will call me to arrange for a meeting to go over usage, etc. 

Now, I also went for the previously scheduled doctor's visit today (July 12) to get answers to my questions.  I asked the doctor what the procedures were - he said I will be under general anesthesia after meeting with the anesthesiologist (why are medical terms so difficult - why can't they use simple english).  Then the doctor will again do "baseball practice" with my leg to confirm the MRI results.  However, he will also "scope" my knee and indeed confirm for sure their diagnosis is correct by "seeing" it.  That basically answers my concern of getting cut unnecessarily.

Once the diagnosis is confirmed, he will either fix the meniscus tear (if it is torn where the blood supply is there) or remove (carve out?) the torn part.  I think he said four holes in all will be made.  Holes are drilled in top (femur) and bottom (tibia) bones to pass the "allograft" and put screws in there.  These are not metal screws and are left in place and the bone grows over a period of time filling the holes (I think) and gripping the graft. 

Depending on the extent of damage, the doctor indicated that I can pretty much get back on my feet the same day and start flexing and using my leg as much as possible (pain and swelling being the big inhibiting factors).  Since it is my right knee, I cannot drive for about four weeks or so and that's the only big issue at this point.  Otherwise, the post-op is supposed to go smoothly.  I asked the doctor what I should do to prepare myself.  He gave a prescription to go see a physiotherapist to get the knee ready - the better the shape it is in prior to surgery the better the recovery will be.  So, I intend to do this as much as possible.

It's been over a decade now since I have been fairly active.  Sitting on a couch is no fun!  I tried to do some stationary biking and a strolling through our neighborhood.  Was not a good feeling - knee was quite painful within the first ten minutes.  For the first time in this many years, I haven't really worked out seriously for over two months now.  To counter gaining weight, I have reduced my daily intake drastically - haven't had breakfast and proper lunch (I am used to having cereal for breakfast and a sandwich or something similar for lunch) in a few weeks.  Lunch is typically a banana or some other fruit.  The weight is thus steady - may have actually lost a pound or so!

So, there you have it.  I do hope it is as straightforward as the doctor made it sound like!  Looking forward to it (really!)...