Thanks, LadyinWhite- sounds like you can relate.

I am just keeping focused on my big goal (and reward for my suffering), which is a bike trip in Tuscany I'm going on at the end of May. I am planning on being much better by then

I'm glad you reminded me to baby it- I don't care what I do between now and then, but I'm going on that damn trip, come hell or high water. My ortho has said he'll give me a cortisone shot in my knee before the trip if I'm not better by then, but I think I will be....I've been progressively been improving. It's just last weekend I pushed too far with 3 days of riding in a row. Now I know not to do that

Unfortunately, I'm a very experiential learner.