I had a slipped capital femoral epiphysis at age 15, 3 pins were put in and about a year later the were removed, I am now 26 years old, I have severe hip pain all the time, I have got use to the pain for the most part, along with the help of pain meds which I have been on for all this time.

The pain was very bothersome but I was still able to work okay and live life okay, until lately when the hip got much worse, to make a long story short on june 12th 2006, just 7 days from today, I am having my total hip replacement on my left hip, my dr said he is surprised i'm still walking, I have no cartledge in the hip.

My question is this, i'm told that I will feel much better. However I am scared out of my mind, i'm worried about how bad the pain really will be from the surgery? I'm worried about dislocating the new hip? What size balls is normal for someone my age, I heard the 41mm will be best, is that communaly used?, what is the surgery really like? How bad is the pain from the srugery? The orthopod said that he will make a 5 inch incesion, I want the mini incision, but he said that would be hard for someone in my shoes/

Thanks,
jason