@dementmt Hi, I have no idea what knee replacements cost, my Medicare and supplemental paid it all.

I have had two knee replacements, done at different times. My doctors will not do bilateral. I did very well after the first one as far as pain and recovery were concerned but I never got the flex in my knee that I hoped for. It's very functional, just not quite as good as I had hoped. I blame the PT I had that time for that, and that I did not do the exercises at home as much as I should have.

I had more discomfort after the second knee replacement but that suddenly lifted, almost overnight, and now the knee feels great.
I have no regrets at all about doing either of them, even the second one despite the fact that at that point I had exercised a lot and that helped my knee because the exercise strengthened the surrounding muscles. So when I went into surgery that knee was not in tremendous pain, but it did prevent me from walking long distances.

I would definitely advise you to exercise the knee as much as possible beforehand, it will help with your recuperation -- my ortho loves water exercise, basically water jogging, and the recumbent bike. Also, if you are overweight by much I would try to lose some weight.

Good luck with it, and do not be afraid of it. If your knee is painful you will be happy with the results. I assume you know the surgeon has had good results. You may also want to know what knee he uses. That can make a difference.
JK