Phone agents do not handle medical issues. AF has a separate service which handles this and it is all very clearly explained on the website. OP says that his surgeon only gave medical clearance based on a 180 degree recline of the seat. That is the type of clearance which ought to have been made through the medical service by the surgeon and OP and, if AF could not fulfill the medical requirements, it would have so advised OP and his surgeon and denied him medical clearance to travel.

This took me less than 30 seconds to find on the AF webside, this 1/80th of he time OP spent on the phone with a sales person who has nothing to do with medical clearance.

https://www.airfrance.us/US/en/commo...rd_medical.htm