Disappointment in the doctor's office

I was really excited to get a last-minute appointment with the surgeon yesterday, but came out rather disappointed with the results. I've dislocated my knee five times in nine years. There have also been a few fractures, and ongoing instability. Throw a toddler into the mix, and - needless to say - I'm pretty overwhelmed at the thought of this continuing to happen. I was 17 when it first happened, at which point I was warned that it was highly likely to happen again. We talked surgery, but decided against it because I was so young, in hopes that I would recover well and not have to worry about it again any time soon. At that point I had "qualified" for two different surgeries. Unfortunately the injury happened again, and again, and again, and again! Surgeries were often discussed, but scratched from the list for one reason or another: It's a long recovery, I was moving three hours away to go to University, it might not help, and it could actually further my injury, rather than help it. So here I am five dislocations later wondering what the hell I'm supposed to do. It's become a day-to-day fear, not knowing if I can safely walk down the street without my knee giving out, or worse. Unfortunately my surgeon informed me that they have cut back on the number of knee surgeries and he doesn't do as many as he used to. The only one he does now helps tracking, which is basically how your knee cap moves within your knee/leg, and where it settles when you stop moving. My tracking at this point is (relatively) okay. My patella goes where it's supposed to, and stays where it should, but for some reason it still goes out. There's no point in putting me through a long painful surgery that is meant to cure tracking, when that's not my main concern. However, would it be better than nothing? I'm not sure. Basically, he could operate and maybe have it dislocate again in the future. Or I could do nothing, and never have it dislocate again. It's a (huge) gamble. Physiotherapy hasn't worked, nor have braces, so we need to do SOMETHING, we just don't know what. In the end, he said he'd consult with his colleages and get back to me within a week as to what we do now. He doesn't feel comfortable leaving it without doing anything, but he also doesn't feel comfortable doing a tracking surgery. I guess it's a waiting game now, and I'll just have to see what he says when I hear back.