So I go on Friday and have an MRI

Which frankly, I thought I was over having to have them because of the screws in my ankle, but no, apparently they're not concerned about metal embedded in bone so much as metal in the brain or eyes. But that's good, because we can determine what's wrong with my knee. I got a phone call at home from my regular doctor today while I was in the waiting room at the orthopaedist, and the voicemail said the results of my Doppler ultrasound were in and while there were no blood clots, they would be referring me to an orthopaedist. So I called them and explained that I was at the office of one right then (my insurance doesn't require referrals, and I thought I'd get an idea of what was causing my pain in my knee, as opposed to just going to physical therapy blind). Apparently I have a popliteal cyst (also known as a Baker's cyst), but that's not what's causing the pain. The specialist didn't actually say what he suspected, but went ahead and explained my x-rays and the narrow-looking space between my bones in my knee were deceiving and the spacing actually was wider than it looked, although there was wear and tear. (Not surprising, I'm 47 and have had knee issues on and off for years). But what he put on my sheet in oh-so-nearly-unreadable-doctor-handwriting is that there was a possibility of a meniscal tear. The MRI should show the structures of the knee including ligaments, cartilage, and tendons, so we'll have a better idea then of what's wrong and how to treat it. The MRI is Friday, and then my follow-up appointment is Wednesday, so I'll know more then. I'm hoping it's minor and can be treated conservatively with rest, icing, maybe a brace. But I'm resting it quite a bit now and icing it as needed, and it's not getting better. If it's bad enough for surgery, that could be an issue because it's my right leg and I might not be able to drive for awhile. I said something to a co-worker about that being a fear and she said, 'I guess it would be back on the bus for you.' But what she doesn't realise is that the nearest bus stop would be a quarter of a mile and across a major roadway--the same one where I was hit when I was able-bodied--and so that just wouldn't work. I'd have to be off from work from anywhere from a week to six weeks or so, barring complications, depending on the procedure, it looks like. I have plenty of extended illness time, but still. I don't want to miss that much work. But for now, I don't even know what the diagnosis is, or how bad, so I'm going to try not to worry about it.