Having just jumped on the bandwagon on Wednesday, 8/17, with a total hip replacement, i must say that jumping on the smartphone or iPad or even the Justin Bieber bandwagons would have been a heck of a lot easier and less painful.

But here's what i'm hoping this fad will do for me: at age 63 and with a history of osteoarthritis in other joints and a total knee replacement in the offing, i would like to continue to work, to travel with my husband more and to remain physically active well into my dotage and that includes thousands of miles a year on a bicycle. None of this has been possible for the past year; nor has a good night's sleep, nor being pain free for even a day. Bicycling used to provide relief and a break from the pain, but this summer it only exacerbated it. i can't wait to get back on the boring old trainer in the basement!

Four days post-op and i am already walking short distances without any assistance from the cane, and NSAIDs rather than narcotics are helping with pain management (encouraging!). i say this only to offer reassurance to those who may be thinking about THR; we live in an age of incredible medical technology and skilled surgeons, and to NOT avail ourselves of them seems a bit like donning a hair shirt.

There's a big difference between H-ingTFU and needless suffering.