Update

My knee was improving.
I hardly ever felt it.
I could climb up and down chairs, lift, carry, and stand for longer and longer periods of time.

THEN

One night, around 4 in the morning, I woke (for only the second time in my life, I think, and both since that knee injury) with severe cramps in my left calf. It didn't last long, but it felt like forever. the next two days I limped around (and drove the car up and down the Eastern Continental Divide) and hoped that it would subside.

It did....somewhat....and then got progressively worse and worse.

I confess that I cannot really remember how much it hurt me when I was first injured. As I can remember, I rated it below my Staff Infections and above...well...moving on!

So, based on that forgetfulness, I am trying to discern whether it is not hurting/impairing my abilities more than it did originally. I will feel a "tingle" when it is about to really hurt, and right about then the wisest thing to do is sit down. I found out yesterday (last night) (previous to this I had always sat down soon) that ignoring that has serious consequences.
I was "Squeezo Straining" our latest batch of Roma tomatoes, when I felt that tingle. Now, it is not easily seen through the link, but the Squeezo clamps onto the side of a table, and you turn the crank-handle to squish the pulp and juice out of the tomato and the large screw pulls the skins and seeds out the other end. Standing is necessary. Standing is incumbent upon being able to push/turn this thing. Also, I didn't want to stop and do this at a later. It was late, I was tried....I wanted to finish this thing.

So, I stayed standing, and kept on squeezo-ing these tomatoes.

In time, the tingling turns to pain, and the pain shoots up and down my leg, and then my whole calf muscle starts cramping. I try to ignore this. I can handle pain. I shifted all my weight onto my right leg (which overcompensating in the past has made my right leg hurt almost as bad as my left.
It doesn't stop. I finally have to take a break and sit down, doubled over, trying to massage my calf/knee trying to make it stop hurting. When it did, I stood back up and finished....only, this whole cramping thing happened again.

My leg was really mad at me all of last night. I had it elevated, and I stayed up late hoping that it would subside enough (I hate trying to fall asleep with my knee elevated!!!) so that I could sleep. I finally got in bed around 2:30 in the morning, and the little tingle pains played tag all up and down my leg until I fell asleep.

I am wondering: What DID I do to my leg!! I went to see a doctor, who basically told me that it could not be an ACL tear...even though I heard a "pop", because I was not incapacitated... and that only an X-ray could really tell what I HAD done.

I am leaving to spend about 2 weeks in Chicago, visiting friends and going to a camp/seminar, in less than a week. That necessitates carrying my bags, hopping on and off trains, and walking around a good deal.
I really don't have time to get a doctor's appointment in....should I push for it? What could it tell me that would help me? Could they solve it in any way other than "take this pill" or "stay off your feet"?
Should I go and hope that pain medication can get me through (which is what doctors might prescribe)? Should I go, but cut back on anything that is not essential?