Here's the story....

I am sometimes clumsy.  On my last day of work before summer break I tried to kill a bug on my ceiling and fell hard. I went the er and was told i had fractured my tibial plateau. This was bad. Everything I read about this injury said that surgery was usually required and I'd be out of commission for about 3 months. The next day i went to THE knee guy in my city. He reassured me that this was not a fracture, nor did I tear anything. He said I just badly sprained my knee and ankle and would be up and moving well within a week, when I would return for my follow up with him. Needless to say I was so, so happy! I love and need my summer breaks and was really looking forward to hanging out at the pool with my friends. So I was walking pretty well within a week and in about two weeks decided I would try swimming laps again. My right leg felt really week and it hurt to kick so for a while I pulled and took it easy on flip turns. Soon I was totally pushing myself and added breaststroke and kick sets to my workouts. My right knee felt really weak and would sometimes crack and pop. This usually wasn't too painful, but didn't feel good. My knee was still really swollen. So exactly a month after the accident, I called the doctor's office and told them my story. Although they couldn't get me in quickly with my original doctor, they got me in with one of his partners. As soon as he began examining my knee, I could tell something was wrong and he ordered and MRI and scheduled a follow up for the next week. 
My initial appointment for the MRI was terrible. The technician rushed me in, gave me little/no instructions and left. I felt like I was totally still but I guess my knee was twitching and the pictures were no good. I rescheduled for a few days later. This one was a success and we got good pictures.
When I went in to see the doctor, I knew it was going to be bad. Four people came into the room and I was given the bad news that my acl was blown and I did damage to my meniscus. They showed me shadows in my bones that were bone bruises from where my knee and tibia knocked together when I fell. This was probably causing the swelling and pain I was feeling. The fact that I had no acl anymore was responsible for the weakness I had been feeling in my knee. I was not expecting news this bad! I have never had surgery and am scared. Another thing that makes me nervous is the fact that the new acl I will be getting will be from a cadaver. I will soon have a stranger's parts inside me!!