Hi ed1, and welcome to the forum. Here are a few thoughts on your situation, based just on my own experience of having one hip resurfaced ten years ago and the other one 8 months ago, from the perspective of a full time athlete, and former karateka (Goju-ryu). 1. Travel to one of the top resurfacing specialist shown on this site. Do your homework, this is no small decision you are making. Convenience should not be a major factor in your decision. I flew from Hawaii to South Carolina for my first hip, and from Idaho to South Carolina for my second. 2. Some good news is that a few of these top surgeons will do free telephone consults with you, if you will send them recent x-rays. Some of these surgeons will spend a great deal of time with you over the phone, and this is the best way to conveniently get your questions answered. 3. In answer to your question about how long to stay, my surgeon only asked me to stay in town for a couple of days, though I chose to stay for five days one time and 7 days the other. He is now doing these surgeries on an outpatient basis, or the traditional hospital route which usually involves just one night. This is major surgery. You will probably not be in much pain, but you will be on crutches and fairly knocked out mentally and physically for a few days. Little things like getting in and out of bed, or trying to use the toilet may be more challenging than you expect for the first few days. In my case, there was a very nice hotel with handicapped equipped suites just a few blocks from the hospital in a quiet neighborhood, which makes staying for a few days very pleasant. 4. My surgeon likes to do a check up at six months, one year, and every two years after that. However, a system is in place to do all of these remotely, so no need to travel unless you want to. In my case, I chose to set up a check up at 5 to 7 days after surgery right before I flew home, and everything since then has been remote from home.
Do your homework since this may be one of the most important decisions of your life, talk to the top resurfacing surgeons, and best of luck on this journey.