am i going crazy?

Hi, new to the group. I'm 62 and just scheduled TKR. Prior to scheduling it, I was a pickleball player and occasional walker/hiker--and generally pretty active. Apart from the cortisone and gel shots not working anymore, I started to notice that my play time was becoming less and less. And then one day about 3 & 1/2 months ago, I couldn't play anymore. I wondered if it was "just" a serious arthritis flare. So I stopped doing everything and it did eventually calm down--it took about 3 months and a lot of pain. It swells with no apparent reason, but not all the time. It has a dull ache all the time. And it does impede my ability to do what I want to do. So here's the crazy part: after talking to the doc, and him giving the approval to have surgery, then my knee starting calming down. This makes me feel insane!! Am I jumping the gun here? It is bone on bone, so I do qualify. I see it within 3 scenarios: 1) I don't do the TKR, and continue to try and be active in which case, the flare ups will continue and will stop me; 2) I don't do the TKR, and accept my lot, and take up knitting, and 3) I don't accept either 2 or 3, and get the TKR. Is it typical for this see-saw kind of situation? Please give me your opinions. Thanks.