In about 2010, Ortho told me I'd need a TKR on my right knee within 5 years. I had been taking glucosamine and accidentally cut the dose in half when I switched brands, resulting in pain, tenderness, and an x-ray that showed nearly bone-on-bone. I fixed the dose and didn't have the TKR until 14 months ago, in June 2024. In 2022 my knee just gave out one day, and it took about 5 days to get it back with ice and rest. Then I noticed when I used that leg to take the big step to my front door, I'd more and more often sort of fall toward the door and grab the door handle. A few months later I needed help up steps and couldn't keep up on family outings. I was still pain free walking around, but quality of life was deteriorating. In 2024 I saw the surgeon and was referred to the class that explains it all. Half of the people there couldn't walk, really, and were clinging to someone else as they hobbled along. I was shocked that they had let it get that bad before having surgery. During class, one of the presenters said that recovery would actually be easier for those people who were already in the worst shape. At the time, I thought that made no sense. A month AFTER surgery I understood. If, like me, you were still walking around before surgery, slowly, but mostly pain-free, recovery was a big set-back. After the surgery I suddenly struggled to bend my leg and needed a walker. Rolling over in bed was difficult. I thought maybe I had made a mistake in having the surgery. Now 14-months post-surgery I can see that it was not a mistake, for me. Now I easily walk unassisted and pain-free. I'm getting stronger instead of weaker. Recovery isn't easy, and I hope I won't ever need to have my other knee done. If I start having trouble with my left knee, however, I would keep my timing the same, and not wait until I was clinging to someone else for support.