Good evening @aleznek, I would be crying too. What a nightmare, as you have described it. What is so surprising is that last night I spent an hour on the phone with a very good friend who is having similar if not the same issues. She fell going downstairs about a month ago and broke her patella. She was taken by ambulance to the ER where emergency surgery was performed. This week she had a second surgery similar to what you have described. She is devastated that her knee will not be able to bend for some time. She was told it would take about a year to recover. When you are already facing aging issues and would be called elderly, a year seems like a very long time.

So....these tragedies do happen. Why have you needed 9 knee surgeries? I don't think I have ever heard of that many.
I don't know where you live or what facilities are available to you. And to be forthright, I don't have a medical background. However, I have had 14 orthopedic surgeries in my 81 years. My first one was at age 13. My last one was at 79. And so I must ask you......what do you hope to receive from Mayo Connect? This is a forum that depends upon kindly and nonjudgemental acceptance of members who can learn from and even inform others by sharing medical experiences.

Do you have expectations that the recovery pattern presented needs to be reviewed or validated? Do you have access to a teaching hospital in your vicinity? Would you benefit from having a mental health therapist meet with you to help you recover from the threatening diagnosis and assist you in developing emotional strength for this part of your surgical journey?

May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris