Back to the hips

Ok, back to the hips.

We have been out for lunch today with my husbands family. We had a great time, there were sixteen of us , and it is great to all get together, however it was a pretty long lunch so I am feeling quite sore tonight from being sat in one position for too long. Worryingly, it seems to be the left leg that is giving me the most pain at the minute. I am pretty sure this is just compensation, but will discuss it with my surgeon as soon as poss post-op.

Thursday is my pre-op appointment. It will be a long day because we need to get the 8.30am train down to London, which gets us there for about 11am. This will give us plenty of time for lunch before my appointment at 2 o'clock. I am not sure how long the appointment will take, I always expect to have to wait around for a while, plus we need to see the OT as well. We had a choice of two trains home either 4pm or 6.45pm. We picked the later one, although this will mean some hanging around, but never mind. We should be back home for about 9.45pm.

I have got a few questions that I still want answering. I have a rough idea thanks to the advice of those on Hipwomen, but it will be good to have confirmation from the hospital.
Heres the list so far;

Pre-op questions;

How long is surgery?

Where is/how long is the incision?

How long is the epidural/ catheter usually in for?

Is a blood transfusion usually necessary?

Pain management in hospital/ at home?

Do I need any aids post-op at home? Are they provided?

Do I need blood thinning injections when I get home?

I am planning to travel home by train, will this be possible?

How long will I need help during the day at home?

How long until I can drive?

Is there any chance that once the surgery has started, the cartilage will not be as good as thought, and would need a resurfacing/THR?

Will post any info that I have afterwards. I am looking forward to this appointment, although I can't believe how quickly it has come around. It will be good to get the last minute details. I really feel as if this is going to happen now.