I started noticing a suspension issue on the right side a while age; There was obviously some worn out parts causing the right hand side to not perform as it should. It was pretty clear that some work was required and parts needed to be replaced. 
Walking with a cane
You might think I was taking about my 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider, but actually I am not, I am taking about my 72 year old hip. The Spider’s suspension is actually pretty good, but my right hip has over the past few years, gotten worse and worse and I was in pain whenever I walked for any distance.
Now when I first started feeling pain in the hip, I decided I wanted to continue with the OEM parts as long as I could so I started using a cane when I walked outside and if I knew the walk was going to be long, I started taking an Ibuprofen before I left. I walked over 300 km while in France in 2022 and then when we went Toronto I managed to put over 600 km on the worn out suspension bits. I was in some discomfort, but I continued to do my walks and managed walks of over 10 km on occasion.
However, on a visit to my family doctor when I walked in with my cane, she questioned me about it and told me that if I was needing the cane, then I really should be assessed and get on a list for a replacement. This actually did not take as long as I expected and I got a referral for an Xray of my hips and an appointment to the orthopaedic clinic for an assessment.
On the day of the assessment, the doctor sat me down and showed me my XRay. He pointed out that my left hip was in great shape with a nice layer of white lubricating cartilage supporting the joint, but he then pointed to the right hip and said “This side is completely worn out - You need a new hip. You are a serious candidate for hip replacement surgery. Let me know if you want to go onto a list for the procedure.”
This was before we moved to Toronto for our downsizing experiment, so I did not want to make a decision yet and I said I would hold off for a while and see how I made out. However in Toronto, we did not have our daily driver Toyota Camary, so wherever we went involved walking and public transit. I still managed over 600 km, but I could feel the hip complaining more and more and when it reached the point that is became really painful to walk up stairs and slopes, I decided that the time had arrived for an upgrade. 
Bringing the Alfa Home
A second assessment with the clinic and the doctor got me on a list for a hip replacement and I was told that I should receive a date within a few months. The wait was actually quite short and I got a call to say that my surgery was scheduled for August 29th at the Dartmouth General. We decided to drive the Spider back to Dartmouth as I had lost its parking spot under the condo, and I started diligently doing the suggested recovery exercises to strengthen the muscles around the hip. I was actually disappointed that no one told me earlier to do these exercises, because they actually gave some relief from the pain as the muscles got stronger.
Now of course there are always problems. My recovery nurse, Regis, came down with painful bone spurs on her foot and she was put into a “Boot” which meant she could no longer drive and even walking was painful. So plans were changed and I arranged for a friend to fly to Toronto to help me drive the Spider back and Regis would fly home later. This added a complication as she was supposed to be my “support” person but she couldn’t walk or drive, so we had to enlist the help of our daughter to do the driving and some of the early recovery care. I am surprised I was still allowed to proceed with the surgery with my recovery nurse hobbling around worse than I was when we attended a last assessment appointment and the pre-surgery orientation class.
The actual surgery went well, but I woke up feeling pretty groggy and the nurse attending told me that was probably because I was put under extra anesthetic because although I had a spinal injection, the surgeon did not like it when I said “Ouch, that hurts!” when he did his initial incision, so I was given additional enthusiastic to knock me further under so he could work without me complaining. 
In Recovery
I am now into the fifth week of recovery and I feel I am doing great. I have no pain, and I am walking around without a cane inside and although I use a cane when walking outside I do not really need it. So, I am well on my way to nice upgraded replacement components that should allow me to continue my walking without the pain, and I am looking forward to this.
Finally Outside 
Getting back to "normal"
