If You're Having a Hip Replacement...

A few thoughts for anyone who is having, or considering having, a hip replacement (this will probably be of no interest to others and can be skipped):

• Get crutches, canes, and a walker, particularly if you live in a house with multiple levels. My insurance only paid for one walker, but fortunately I also had a leftover cane and some crutches from an earlier medical problem. I scattered the crutches and walker on different floors, so that I would have support available no matter where I was. I'd suggest borrowing or buying a cane, and at least one set of crutches, in addition to the walker, at least if you live in a multilevel house like I do.
• Same thing with "grabbers". I got two of these and put one on different levels of the house. These things are really useful, I've been using mine a lot, and it's also good to have one as a spare.
• Be careful of insurance snafus. I've been caught up in one so far. I innocently scheduled my first outpatient physical therapy for the same day as my final in-home nursing treatment. My insurance company subsequently ruled that they won't pay for the in-home nursing visit, since I was able to leave my home for physical therapy that afternoon. Had I scheduled my outpatient physical therapy for the next day, I would have been covered for the nursing visit.
• It's not a competition. Just for informational purposes, I've been posting how long it took me to walk without a walker, without crutches, start driving a car, etc. But these are not "benchmarks" that others should seek to meet or beat. Progress varies, and your progress should be monitored with your qualified health care provider, based on your own circumstances.