I have been walking with just the one stick since day 11. I keep a full length mirror at the far end of the room, so that I can check my posture. I also do my exercises, and have found that the ground work that I put in place in the form of exercise has really paid off. I have taken just a few tentative checks unaided, but made sure that there was something that I could grab if needed. I always hold a stick in one hand, of course. It is very much a question of confidence and keeping the pain under control. I have, at times, permitted the length of time between taking pain medication to lapse beyond the recommended dosage times, as I wish to have an independent gauge on how much actual pain I am in. In my particular circumstances, I was released from the Clinic and left to get on with it by myself. Just one person has visited me, so it is very much a case of sink or swim. I have been advised that I do not qualify for assistance in any form whatsoever.
I did contact an organisation that has links to my GP's surgery, and was visited two days after release by a youngish male, who insisted that I speak with him at my dining table. I wanted to get back into bed, as I was suffering from a tummy bug. He stated that i did not qualify for help and suggested that I live in a cottage and join u3a! As a former dweller in London, New York, San Francisco, I consider myself an urban dweller, and miss the sophistication of those cities.so although a cottage in the country may sound appealing, single women in villages are ostracised, I have found, by experience.
I was contacted again by them, and was asked if I was able to talk, was I deaf, could I see, did I have any teeth that were about to fall out of my head, did I suffer from dementia, was I incontinent, and on and on! All this because I had asked if there was some form of help in terms of emptying my garbage bin, water my plants on the patio, and occasionally pick up some milk for me. I commented that the answers to these questions should be available through my GP, particularly queries regarding incontinence. The response to that was that I would be surprised by how much was hidden, to which I replied that should I be incontinent, which I am not, I would hardly be prepared to discuss this with a total stranger if I was hiding this condition from my doctor! I informed them that I had taken the precaution of visiting my dentist before surgery, which would be the more sensible thing to do, rather than permit my mouth to deteriorate for years and years to the point where teeth were falling out!
This is sheer madness, it is unnecessarily intrusive, it reduces us all to the level of an almost zero intelligence and non existent sense of responsibility for our own health and well being. Most of all, it insults the intelligence. Quite frankly, at this point, I gave up, and decided that I was far better off struggling on my own if I was to be subjected to this condescending and insulting attitude. It is quite amazing how adaptable we are, and how simple it is to find ways of managing. There are, of course, some things that are impossible to accomplish, but that is the motivation to move forward as rapidly as possible without taking unnecessary risks, and being foolish. It is knowing one's limitations, and being able to discern what is possible and what is not.
United Kingdom
In addition to now having 2 man made hips I have multiple sclerosis. For me this includes having balance and gait issues. Several months before my recent THR I started walking with a cane to help with my MS. I also hoped that it might give my fellow NYC commuters a heads up that I was not able to move as swiftly as they could. The cane helped tremendously with the former, not so much with the latter 
