Dear jedimasterlincol, It is hard for me to give you advice without making an assessment and relying only on your statement. Anyway, it seems to me that you are taking the necessary steps for the recovery, although you already know that you will never have a "normal" knee again. This way, it is important to maintain the range of movement/motion and minimize pain. Exercises on water will decrease the effort allowing you to keep going on your "maintenance", and will help on reducing pain. You can also try acupuncture.
Best of luck!