Walkers & Crutches & Canes, Oh my! Two weeks pre-op...

Today was the "pre-op" class for my upcoming total hip replacement.  I was the only hip replacement
patient there, the other 3 people were there to have knee replacements done.  Only twice did I hear,
"You're too young for this!"  Yeah, no kidding! :-)
The class involved 3 different nurses telling us all about what will happen to us during and the day of our
surgery, what to expect the few days after surgery prior to going home, and about all of the different
"attachments" we will need (or, some that we may find useful).
Walkers, crutches and canes are all varying option for mobility assistance, depending upon what your surgeon
recommends.  These are a few examples of "attachments".   But, the nurse also talked about things like TED stockings, raised toilet seats, shower seats (all three necessary), a pincher-like grabber device, and a really cool thing called a "sock-it".  The Sock-It is a funny looking half-tube that has what looks like jump-ropes attached to the end/sides of it.  You put your sock over one end, hold the rope-handles, and slide your foot down the tube and into the sock.  Pretty cool, since you cannot bend over for at least 8 weeks!
I also found out that once I am released, I'll be giving myself Arixtra (a blood thinner) injections for a week, yippee (insert sarcasm here).   I KNOW it's necessary, but it's surely not going to be fun!
Blood was drawn from both arms, then more will be drawn next week for cross-matching.  I should have asked WHY they cannot do the cross-matching with the blood drawn today, since that was initially my big roadblock for attending
the Eukanuba National Championships.  The scheduler insisted that I have bloodwork done the day prior to my surgery, and that in no way could it be done sooner.   The herding group shows on Sunday morning, I felt pretty confident about being able to get back in time from Long Beach, California for my surgery the following Tuesday.  But, given the weather right now (light snow on the Willamette Valley floor), I don't want to chance not making it back in time.  *sigh*  Oh well...hopefully Dharma & I will have another opportunity in the years to come...best of luck to my friends that will be down there having a great time without me! 
I'm still swimming 2 or 3 times a week, but it's getting COLD outside, and so I suppose the break from it will be nice until the weather eases up a bit!  Right now, I'm beginning to compile a list of questions for my surgeon when we meet next week.  Things like how long before I can return to work, how long before I can take up swimming again, and what my scar will look like.
Thankfully, I have a good support system of friends and family to help me through this, and the knowledge that after it's all said and done, I'll feel like myself again!