Craig,
My wife had hip replacement in 2008... she was in surgery by 0700 and out in time to watch President Obama's inauguration... she was in the hospital 3 or 4 days, then home for a week before she was able to get up and around freely... stitches out after 8 days at home. She's a little on the heavy side, is diabetic and has heart fibulations, so her recovery may have been a little slower... she's never had a moment's trouble with the hip... she's had other problems since, not related to the hip though.
My step-father was 95 when his right hip was done... he was up and walking a day later and actually went home from the hospital a day earlier then his 60 year old son who had surgery the same day. To my knowledge he never had a moments trouble with the hip.... three years earlier, he had his left hip replaced and was home in about 3 days... after sitting around for a week to 10 days he was fussing about not being able to see about his cows, so my 85 year old mother drove his truck around the farm so they could check his cows (his herd was about 350 head)... she wound up sticking the truck in a hole in one of the pastures... after sitting in the truck for a bit, he climbed out, walked about 1/2 mile back to the barn, climbed up on his big ol' John Deere and went to pull mom out... he never sat down again... he farmed 500 acres with the 350 head of cattle.
One thing to watch, they will give you a machine to help with your breathing to prevent pneumonia... USE IT RELIGIOUSLY.... my wife did and no pneumonia, my step father didn't and he wound up with pneumonia.... and after my umbilical hernia surgery, I was not so mindful of the exercise and I also wound up with Pneumonia... that could be worse than the surgery.
Take care, good luck and listen to all the medico's .
