Decision Maker

Hello. I'm a 34 year old woman who has had knee problems for 1/2 her life. When i was 12 years old i fell 20 feet out of a tree and my knee hasn't been the same since. I had at that time gone through x-rays and needless to say it did not detect my problem. I was to go to a specialist for further testing. But when i found out a needle was involved...i chickened out. Needless to say, i went for 6 years with constant pain and no diagnosis. Then at 18 i smartened up and went. Only to find out that i had a meniscus tear. During the next 6+ years i have had 3 surgeries on my knee. Now for the last 2+ years the pain has started again. Now the problem is i have NO interior cartilidge and have developed minor arthritis. I recently went to a new Ortho who referred me over to another Ortho who specializes in these type of injuries. Back about 5 months ago he mentioned having this Carticel procedure done. I have been doing alot of thinking about it. But i'm looking for anyone who has had this procedure done to give me some insight. I'm thinking maybe this may be a good thing for me. I don't want to be 40 years old with serious arthritis, and knowing there was something out there that could help prevent it. Thanks for listening to me babble.