Crook32, you are not rambling. I feel your pain. I tore cartilage in my right knee when I was 33, in 1987. I had 2 arthroscopic surgeries and was told I was much too young for a knee replacement. Walking was torture, and my feet and back acted up too because I was limping. I had cortisone shots, which took away the pain for 3 months at a time. Acupuncture worked well too.
By 2013, I had stage 4 arthritis in both knees. I had both knees replaced when I was 60, and the pain is mostly gone.
I was in pain for 27 years, and I know how you feel. I believe that pain does affect your moods. How can it not?