Advice needed.....OA knee, waiting on a referral to surgeon

[Whiteyc]

Hi I'm new to this so please bare with me....
Im Aged 39, had right knee ACL repair aged 24, meniscal bucket tair trimmed and 2 years ago diagnosed with grade 3/4 OA. The pain up to now is very manageable only needed to take paracetamol occasionally, I feel I've been very lucky. Trying to strengthen knee more however last week loud clicking/cracking in outer knee. Scary!!! Not painful though noticeably sore after about 10 minutes walking. What the hell is this? Saw my GP today who thinks possible cartilage tear due to OA. Been referred now to Barlborough hospital. Hoping I get an answer. Wonder if surgeon will trim?? Absolutely fed up recently. Doctors say I'm far too young for a Knee replacement but keep reading the longer you leave it the less chance of success due to OA becoming worse.
Any advice greatly appreciated. 

[vickster]

If you have a symptomatic tear, and the surgeon thinks a trim will help, then presumably he or she will trim.

Ref a TKR, unlikely you'd get one on the NHS but you could get a private opinion (10-15k probably. Normally TKR is indicated if there's bone on bone arthritis in more than one compartment with severe impact on activities of daily living and all conservative methods (physio, injections, pain medication) no longer helping.  Not sure what you mean by a lower chance of success? In a TKR, they remove and replace the worn out ends of the bones. If only one compartment, an osteotomy or partial replacement could be considered in younger patients.
If you have a TKR young, you'll likely need a revision if not two down the line, which are more complex.
Based on what you say about your symptoms, a TKR should be far down the road for you a partial menisectomy might provide the relief needed if a tear is the cause