I'm back now. Sorry about that guys. I was in the hospital here in Seattle for a few days (for mess unrelated to hips) and I am so glad to be back home. Why does the hospital feel so much like jail?

As for travel after surgery, you're absolutely right. It is totally non-optimal, and if I had a better choice, I would avoid it. I've been researching this for six years, and am communicating closely with my doctors here, as well as the one in Belgium.

The longer explanation is that I'm only 34, and my case is so advanced (I was uninsured while much of the degeneration was going on) that the orthopedic surgeons here in the U.S. will only do full replacement, rather than resurfacing. The surgeon in Belgium is experienced enough to do resurfacing in my case, which is far more to be preferred at my age.

And a blue ton of people from the U.S. have done this. Check out the surfacehippies website if you're curious about other folks' experiences. For a long time the surgery was not approved in the U.S., so even milder cases had to go abroad, and the guy in Belgium is the best (the 2nd best is in India, and even more people go there, because it half the cost of surgery in Belgium.) I know my chance of surgery complication is higher with a long flight: that's why my surgeon requires international patients to wait ten days before they can fly home. I think the payoff is worth the risk in this case.

I'll try to read and respond to other folks tomorrow. I'm really tired; the recent hospital stay has really taken it out of me. I appreciate all your comments and concerns very much.