Just looking for some input here, really: I have an appointment with the consultant this afternoon to discuss a date for the surgery itself, but he's not very user-friendly to put it mildly, so I thought asking the good folk of MN might be both safer and better for my nerves!
It's a long-standing injury, and the ligament itself is completely severed; my PCL is apparently very bowed (which I would imagine is normal after 20+ years without an ACL) and there is some shearing (not too sure what that is, to be honest!) on the ends of the bones and on the kneecap itself. There's also a bone spur somewhere, but I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. There's no other ligament/cartilage etc damage, according to the MRI. (Sorry for all the info- it's just I'm not sure what is relevant to my questions!)
I had the option for a reconstruction some years ago, but in those days, the success rates were around 1/3, which wasn't good enough odds at the time for me to risk it - I had an active job, and couldn't have done it if it had deteriorated as a result of surgery. However, things have changed etc etc plus I have been having increasing problems with this knee - it's very unstable, and even sitting wrong on a chair can make problems that result in massive swelling and difficulty moving for months on end.
What I am wondering, though, is more about the process. I'm fairly certain it's a GA (and I'm not that sure I want to have my hamstring cut about and my knee restrung with LA, to be fair!) but is it an overnight in hospital? How long would I be on crutches afterwards, approximately? And how long, even with crutches before you can actually put your foot to the ground (so might be able to manage with a single crutch? And how long before I would be able to fly (as in take a plane, not fly a plane!)? What would be the rough time period for being able to walk stably and with confidence (even with a brace)?
I am a little bit stuck, as I live alone and don't have any friends (complicated story) so GA is difficult in terms of being released from hospital - I usually invent a friend, but in this case, I'm guessing it's q fairly long procedure, so it's probably not wise to be on my own the first night: I was thinking perhaps to book a hotel room, so there would be someone on the other end of the 'phone.
I'm also wondering about the crutches in terms of managing during that period - I'd have to sleep on the sofa, as there's no upstairs loo and the stairs are treacherous at the best of times: that's fine for a few weeks, but I could see that getting a bit old! (My kitchen is also tiny, and it will rapidly get old eating dinner off the top of the cooker 
)
The consultant has an excellent reputation, but like I say, his bed-side manner is lacking, and I know that when I try to ask these questions today, he will brush me off: so I'm hoping people might be able to give me some insights so I can make a bit of a plan!
I wasn't super-fit before, but having very limited mobility for the last five months has really impacted on my very basic levels of fitness - I am doing physio, but I am aware that this is going to be something of a long haul, so any help, advice or ideas you guys can give me would be very gratefully received 
(Sorry for the long post -I didn't want to drip feed, even though I am not totally sure you can drip feed about ACLs!)