OT: Fentanyl Patches with knee replacement

I know several of you have had knee replacements.  I am having one later this month.  I talked to the surgeon about pain relief afterwards.  I have taken Ultram in the past, but it didn't do well with my pouch.  He has suggested the Fentanyl patch.  It sounds great for my pouch, but has so many potential bad side effects, not the least of which is addiction similar to that of heroin addiction.  I realize I would only be on it for a relatively short time, but definitely don't want to get addicted.  What has your experience been with the pain, what did you take for it and if you used fentanyl patches did you have any problems from them?  Thanks so much in advance.

My wife had RNY last July. She has had these fentanyl patches for the last couple of years due to a severe back problem--think the doc called it degernative spinal disease. Anyway, she takes these patches in high doses, and could not function without them.  She has a permanent problem though. No surgery can help her back.  The use of these patches does not appear to cause any harm to the eating habits after RNY either.  These patches also come in several strength levels, and your doctor can determine which strength to give you for your knee surgery.  The patches don't always stay on the body. My wife puts them on a variety of places, back, thigh, stomach over the past months. Her preferred area is the thigh. She uses a medical tape strip at the top and bottom of the patch, and one across the middle to help them maintain contact with her body.  If they don't adhere to your skin completely, you don't gain the full benefit of the patch.

Thank you so much for responding and for the great information.  I'll get a roll of medical tape before I go to the hospital just in case I'm a "no-stickum" person too!