Hi David-
It is wonderful to stories like yours and your father's! It is amazing that his hip lasted so long. I too, am a newbie here and I am scheduled for my first THR surgery in 8 days, on Aug 26th. And, I can hardly wait, although I am scared to death... Hopefully, your date will be moved up from Oct 8th. My original date was Oct 7th and I was at my wits end, now knowing how I would survive the pain for 3 months. There was a wait list of over 40 people, with me at the end! :-(
But, almost three weeks ago my doctor's scheduler called me and said there had been a cancellation for Aug 26th and asked if I would like it. I still don't know why I was given the cancellation date, but I feel so blessed. Perhaps the same will happen for you.
I will be following your progress. Take care!
Reno