To get this thread started, I'll go ahead and tell my story. I know that Mudlark has a busy shedule right now, but she said she'd check in at least once a day.

I'm 66 years old. I'm a deck builder, and have been a very active carpenter all my life. Some time ago, Judy says at least the eight years we've been together, my body started failing me. Doing carpentry all day is in athletic event.

Finally this Summer, I could no longer deny the pain. I also realized that I was only being productive 2 or 3 hours a day. If I wasn't self employed, I would have fired myself!

So the next step was to take a serious look at surgery. I have been blessed by having a most wonderful Doctor in my corner. Beyond being a very good physician, he also comes to our hoots and plays banjo. After the necessary tests, he agreed that it was time for surgery.

He gave me several recommendations for surgeons. I interviewed them and made my pick. I had heart bi-pass surgery six years ago, so I was not a stranger to the surgery and the recovery process.

There were several very important decisions that had to be made: what kind of hip implant, when, money, possible recovery time, possible future problems, etc. All of these things had to be considered.

To make these opening comments short ... I had the surgery on December 8th and came home the 11th. There were some complications with my surgery, but I have started rehabilitation two weeks ago.

I'm still having more pain than I expected because I'm dealing with some serious muscle atrophy. I'm NOT to the point yet, though I think Mudlark is, where I can honestly say that "I'm glad I did it." But I CAN honestly say, "I had no choice."

So, if any part of my recent experience raises some questions you've been pondering, feel free to ask me. Obviously we're talking about pretty personal stuff here, so I also invite you to PM me if you'd prefer.

CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson