What has been your personal experience with hip replacement surgery?

Okie, I haven't had hip replacement, but my husband has. He was born with vargas hips, and had both replaced when he was 36, one 6 weeks after the other. The second hip replacement had to be done along with a bone graft. Then about 6 years ago, he had to have a revision on one of them.

He was in a lot - and I mean A LOT - of pain before the replacements, so any pain post surgery was way less than he had experienced on a normal day to day level. When he had the revision, he was in a bit more post surgical pain, but he had been many, many years without any pain, plus he was a bit older, which made it somewhat more painful. But the pain was in no way, shape or form anything unbearable or unmanageable.

For him, the key to recovery was to do his post surgery therapy as much as he could stand. He did way more than the minimum, he was vigilant with keeping on top of all of his PT. Both times (replacement and revision) it took him about 6 weeks to get back to "normal" so to speak.

The biggest difference between the first 2 surgeries and the revision was after the surgeries the first time, he was instructed to put no weight on each of the hips; however after the revision, they encouraged him to be full weight bearing on the leg that had the revision done.

As far as post-surgical equipment is concerned, you should at least have a toilet seat extender, and a shower bench. He didn't need a hospital bed; he did use crutches after the replacements, but not after the revision. The reason for the extender is they don't want your hips to flex more than (I think) 90 degrees - your orthopedist should go over all of this with you. The shower bench just makes things a little easier while you're recovering.

Also, ask your orthopedist if it would be helpful to do any sort of pre-surgery PT, to start building up the muscles in your legs. My husband's doctor is actually prescribing this for his patients who can stand it - he says it makes recovery easier and quicker.

My husband never regretted for one minute having the surgeries.

Good luck.