Why I'm Having My Surgery Before the Wedding

So I'm getting married on September 15th, 2012.  When I found out I needed the hip replacement, one of the biggest questions I got was "Are you going to do it before the wedding?"

At first, I wasn't sure.  I mean, the whole reason I went to the doctor in the first place was because the pain was starting to make my job difficult.  How long did I want to wait?  My exhaustive internet searches told me that most people are fully healed from hip surgery in about three months.  If I wanted to do it before the wedding, it would have to be no later than June 15th.  Could I schedule it that soon?

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to just get it done.  Yes, the recovery will be painful, but when it's over, it will be gone. No more subtle *pop* noises accompanied by the sharp pain shooting down my leg.  No more limping to my car at the end of the day.  No more laying in bed as waves of dull ache travel from my lower back down to my knees and back up again.

But this weekend really brought home one of the main reasons I'm doing it now. I want to dance at my own wedding.

We went up to Lava Hot Springs this weekend for my bachelorette party. On Saturday night we ventured out to the bar, where we all proceeded to drink way too much whiskey.  There was a live band playing, a bunch of guys older than my dad playing classic rock and country covers.  I so badly wanted to dance.  I even tried, during one especially inspiring song, to shake my booty.  Only my booty didn't want to shake.  Swinging ones hips around in even a vaguely sexy fashion is apparently not a motion approved by my arthritic joint.  

I don't want to limp down the aisle on my dad's arm.  I don't want to sit out my first dance because I've been on my feet all day and just can't take it anymore.

Financially, having hip surgery AND planning a wedding is ridiculous.  Yes, I have insurance, but my deductible is equal to the amount of money we're able to pitch in to the wedding.  The responsible thing to do would be to get through the wedding, then focus on surgery.

But I just can't do it.  If surgery is going to "fix" the problem, then I want to do it now.  And just hope that I'll be able to get rid of the cane by September 15th.