From the time that my hip began to hurt until I had surgery it was 9 months. I had never really had any hip pain and then it suddenly came on. My leg and knee were hurting as well, so I went to my chiropractor for a few appointments. When things weren't improving, he said he thought I should get my knee and hip xrayed. By this point it was about 3 months after my pain started, and still manageable. Within a few weeks that all changed....the pain was horrific and the xrays showed that the hip was bone on bone, filled with spurs, and there was no hope that PT or other nonsurgical options would save it.
I wasn't avoiding surgery---I actually was looking forward to it. But I had several things planned in the 41/2 months I waited to have it done---a 3 week trip to Europe, a huge graduation party for one of my daughters and a baby shower and staying with another after the birth of their baby, So I put it off until all of those were completed. I did get two cortisone shots to get me through I think they helped, but did not offer huge relief, and I took small doses of Tramadol as well as acetaminophen. I tried CBD capsules and topicals, acupuncture, ice, and everything I could think of to stop the pain because like you, I couldn't sit, walk, or sleep comfortably. In retrospect, given how quickly I healed from the replacement, I sometimes wish I had had the surgery the second the surgeon mentioned it. He felt I should and said I'd have plenty of recovery time---but I didn't want to chance missing any of the special events. As it was, I was in incredible pain for all of them.
I walked 15,000-20,000 painful steps some days in Europe--suspect the activity and exercise helped later in my healing, but at the time I was starting to look forward to my surgery.
I know that if I have future replacements they may not go as smoothly, but this first one has certainly shown me that it is hugely beneficial to get it done so I can be more active, and live with less pain. Our minds....our fears......preconceived ideas sure can impact our decision making as both you and I have shown.