@heavyphil Thank you for your comments and description of your family's trials and tribulations. For me, it seemed so odd that once I got face-to-face with the head of the Hoag Orthopedic Hospital and worked the conversation around quickly to my degraded hip joint, that the head surgeon blew me off so quickly, without explaining, as to the fact he would do nothing. So, on one hand I had an orthopedic doctor (now retired) who called me (unexpectedly), being alarmed at the condition of my pain-free hip, versus on the other hand having a head surgeon who simply couldn't be bothered with my case and degrading joints. (This ramble is just me being bewildered).
I'm also concerned about something even moreso than my hip, as I have a badly messed up back (2 sets of vertebrae are bone-on-bone, with 23 degree spinal scoliosis, and the rest of my vertebrae with bulging discs up to 6 mm of bulge) due to a fall off a ladder in 2023. I went to a highly regarded back surgeon who offered no compromise treatment other than back surgery with metal rods and the like. Nothing in between. Over the past many months with my back, I have gone from multiple lower back epidural injections (none better than 3 weeks of pain relief) to radio frequency ablations that have worked wonderfully. But I am so puzzled that no orthopedic doctor has taken extra minutes to discuss my options. That's some of the value of this Mayo Clinic blog - to discuss options.