Question about finances

I was diagnosed as needing a total knee replacement on Sept 12, 2024. At that time, my knee was so bad, I couldn't walk. My surgeon scheduled my surgery for early January 2025, but we had to cancel it. I had so much pain from Jan to June. Sciatica was a big problem as well as my knee collapsing every now and then. Due to circumstances, I wasn't able to reschedule my knee surgery until late December 2025. A couple of weeks befofe my scheduled knee surgery, I developed a sinus infection and the surgery had to be cancelled. I finally got everything cleared up and will be meeting with my surgeon on May 21, but now there a new problem--money. I just found out my out-of-pocket for my surgery will be $3900. Finances are not good at the moment, especially since my side gigs dropped from $1000 a month to less than $100. I'm considering asking my surgeon if I could get a brace to use until I can save up enough for the surgery. has anyone here used a brace when they needed a total knee replacement?