MACI - Lateral Femoral Condyle & Trochlea

I am scheduled for MACI part 2 in November of this year. I have 15x15mm full thickness defects in both my lateral femoral condyle and the central ridge trochlea of the right knee. My surgeon has advised that I am NWB for 6 weeks and can ditch the crutches between weeks 6-8. Hoping for some advice or shared experiences with similar diagnosis and rehab post surgery.

Male, 31 and in pretty good shape.

NWB w/No driving for 6 weeks
Any recommendations for getting in and out of the car?

Physical Therapy
I have a great PT that I worked with after part 1 of the MACI process. When did you start PT if you were NWB? How many sessions per week? My surgeon advised that I’ll have a CPM machine and be able to take the brace off to use that for the initial 6 week recovery phase.

Initial Recovery
- How long were you on pain meds? (Narcotics, not NSAID)
- How long until you were able to get out of bed without assistance?
- Any specific things that are must haves; ie. wedge, ice machine, shower bench, elevated commode etc.
- Is getting up and down the stairs on crutches feasible after a week or two with crutches and/or assistance from a partner?

Long Term Recovery
- Surgeon has advised 9 months recovery but said it can be anywhere from 9-18 months
- When did you hit certain milestones; ie. Walking with a normal gait, jogging, running, playing golf, other more physically demanding sports (soccer etc)

Hoping other peoples experience can shed some light on MACI and recovery so that I can be best prepared while knowing that everyone’s type of surgery and rehab is unique. Want to be as best prepared as I can both mentally and physically.