Well, I have about a week before my surgery next week. I'm a 49 year old female, born with hip dysplasia. I'm an avid rower and a cyclist and I've had bone-on-bone arthritis for at least two years. I was able to ride and row all season, and even got in one of each over the holiday weekend, which I'm happy about.
If it weren't for this site I'd be having a hip replacement, I'm sure. I'm most looking forward to being able to stand, walk, and sleep without pain. Oddly enough I can row hard and ride hard easier than I can just stand around. The weight bearing is a killer.
That was my poll that Pat posted about how long until you are in less pain. I'm very curious about the folks who report that the next day the bone pain is gone (though of course there is now incision and muscle pain).
My Dad will be going with me to Belgium. Quite a twist, the 83 year-old with no orthopedic problems accompanying his athletic daughter who will then be on crutches.
My plan based on all of your good advice is to make sure he brings me edible food while at Jan Palfin, and after that to just go with the flow of de Smet's rehab protocol, which sounds like a good one. I'm currently doing Feldenkrais and have found it very helpful for normalizing my gait, so I've identified a practitioner who should be able to visit me once or twice at the hotel, just to help my brain remap things.
I'll update once I've had the surgery. I'm planning to do a separate blog, so I'll give the short version here, and then link (if the site allows it) to my external blog for more details. That way folks here at home can follow along without it cluttering up my Facebook feed.
Wish me luck!