I'm doing outpatient! The notion terrified me at first, but I've read up on it, and it seems to speed up recovery and lower the chances of infection. They have you fill out a questionnaire to determine if you're a good candidate. A week or so before the surgery, you take a class at the facility. Then post-op (spinal block and sedation), they have you up and walking, climbing a few stairs, and reviewing the skills and guidelines. Assuming they don't see a problem, you go home. My sister will be escorting me and staying for 10 days, and I've made arrangements for home health assistance after she leaves. So it will be interesting. When he said I was a good candidate for outpatient, I said, "You must have a low bar." I think my being otherwise healthy and under 70 played a factor. Before all this hit, I was very active. But I must admit the notion of outpatient does cause trepidation. What's next? Drive-thru joint replacement, where we just stick our leg out of the car?