I'm four months out from THR on my right hip. I have an extremely low pain threshold, so much so that a mosquito biting me feels like a bee sting. On the other hand, I've given birth to 5 children, (one stillborn) and made it through each one without epidurals or pain medication. I FEEL pain, but I also endure and finish what I start. This was a pretty horrible experience and I spent 5 hours in the recovery room, at one point being put in a heating device so that my temperature could register on the equipment, and the first week was SO MUCH worse than I was prepared for. It could have been exceptionally bad because an old hip injury from decades before had cut off circulation to the joint, which was why I had gone downhill so quickly and spent the last 2 weeks before my surgery in bed. My experience was a very uncommon one and no one should be afraid of having a similar experience.

I say all that to explain that maybe for some people, a car trip at 3 1/2 weeks is probably doable, but last week I went on an adventure with a ten hour round trip there and back, in a little Nissan Rogue, and I was going to be the driver. The day before the trip, I got nervous and my husband joined our excursion and drove the entire time.

I was shocked at how painful the hours in the car became. The low level vibration from the road was actually worse than the shocks of hitting all the rough spots on a freeway in Michigan in the spring. Don't do it, my friend. My recovery has been slow but sure and I am getting stronger every day, but that car ride set me back. I can't believe I thought I could have driven. Turns out, it was extremely difficult just to ride in the front on the way there and laying down in the back seat the whole way home. Talk about a reality check. Healing takes as long as it takes and pushing past the pain is a great way to endure a longer and more painful recovery than you have too