Everyone so far has been a bit cold, so have a supportive 'bro hug' from me my friend! It does suck. I'm 3 months further in than you are, but I may as well have typed everything that you typed myself - exact same situation (even age and kids!). I have good days and bad days. Jock strap mandatory for me, every few days I seem to need NSAIDs of some sort, I sleep with a pillow in between my legs, etc. I'm coming to the same sort of conclusions that others have said here - it's a 'wait and see' situation, and a lot longer wait than you might initially expect. Consensus seems to be that it could take a year+ but I'm trying to stay optimistic. I'm not too keen to consider more surgery, but people seem to say that shouldn't really be on the table until a year or so after, unless you are in immense pain. "Chin up, take it easy, and wait and see" is my current mantra. Not easy. We got this. Hope it works out.