I’ve just received an early Christmas present from the NHS of a brand new hip joint (yay!). I have a recovery period of about 12 weeks during which I must use certain disability aids in order to prevent any dislocation of the joint while it beds in. These aids include a couple of rather ugly raised chairs, crutches and a loo seat that screws on to the existing loo to raise its height by about four inches.
Now our next guest arrives in three weeks’ time. Provided that I warn them in advance, is it fair for me to expect them to cope with this situation, in particular the loo seat? Or should I remove it and only attach it when I need it (a bit fiddly)?
I suppose it the mirror image of hosts being obliged to do all they can to cater for differently abled gusts - are guests obliged to respect the needs of (temporarily) differently abled hosts?
Thank God for our amazing NHS.
I would hope your guests would be sympathetic to your situation and not mind.
And the US remains among the last nations on earth to provide universal health care for all. Sigh.
You need the loo seat to be screwed in so it would be a nightmare unscrewing it after use and then screwing it back again. I had my first hip at 35 and next one at 42, no airbnb guest but the toilet seat is a weird one, you feel like you are seating really high up. Recovery can vary, I was back driving at 3 weeks and swimming at 6 weeks, you made not need it for 12 weeks. I would leave the seat on full time and make sure it is cleaned underneath each day. Keep active but just be careful not to over strain. Get someone else to prepare the rooms for you.
This is one of the most interesting hosting-dilemma questions ever!
The only thing that would make me hesitate, as a potential guest, is the toilet situation. It would be perfectly functional for everyone, right? That’s the only thing I would want to know. Personally, I think you should definitely inform guests beforehand if it’s going to impact, even slightly, on their stay. There’s nothing worse than not being forewarned (whether guest/host/normal human being). You need to word it carefully, though, so you don’t worry anyone!
What a brilliant Christmas present, and some cracking, positive advice on recovery from Cassid. I think I would definitely inform your pending guests and if they can’t cope with it, perhaps they are people you’d prefer not to meet anyway. I’d just mention the raised loo seat specifically, and ugly chairs can have throws tucked over them (carefully, so they don’t slip) perhaps?
Can I ask you two what made you seek help for hip issues?
Mine is hurting. I can’t tell whether it’s the ligament, groin thing or worse.
Cassid had his hips replaced when quite young really, compared to those of us over the hill with accumulated wear and tear…
FAO Kona; symptoms included constant pain in hip, spreading to thigh and groin. Also because the joint was collapsing my left leg was an inch shorter than my right leg and I was limping badly. Also I couldn’t bend my leg to put my sock on or do my shoelaces up.
“And the US remains among the last nations on earth to provide universal health care for all. Sigh.”
Good point. I have to say that in a whole year’s hosting we’ve got on really well with all our guests. The only exception to this was one evening when we were discussing my op with an American guest, and the guest described the NHS as “communism by the back door”. To our minds that just beggared belief, and is fundamentally not what the vast majority of the population of the UK thinks! - we’re justifiably proud of our NHS and I have to say the treatment I’ve recently received has been excellent.
I have a few NHS horror stories but also agree the US needs some sort of system, spending so much for so little is totally weird.
Last time I had this conversation I asked who their Insurer was, Medicare…
Raised an eyebrow and said well that is Socialist, you are getting it from the Government, end of conversation.
Idiot Trump voter. 
I miss the NHS 
2020202020
At the current Government’s rate of attrition, it won’t be long before we in the UK do to.
No offense, but that’s wildly inaccurate. Most countries don’t do anything health-care-wise for their citizens. Including much of Asia and Africa. Perhaps you mean rich countries? Or perhaps OECD countries? Which is a handy proxy for rich - it’s an exclusive club, I believe.
Should have used a possibly offensive adjective like developed or first world nation…
I have several types of arthritis, degenerative, inflammatory and rheumatoid, on my last pregnancy, I started limping, and I had to life my leg to get up steps, I thought the baby was on a nerve. When he popped out, it stayed there and got worse, I developed " the walk" ( slightly sideways walk ) I could not put on shoes, socks or paint my nails and needed crutches to walk. I never had much pain but MRI showed the whole joint was falling apart. Same thing happened on the other side. People can get groin pain and back pain with hip issues so if I was you I would get it checked out. I am hoping that the last as you can only get 2 replacements in your lifetime. My dad got his done when he was 70 and I already had both mine done before him.
He is a she , when I was getting my first one done, there was a girl 18 yrs beside me, she was on her second one. You get 20 years out of each replacement. I met a friend of a FB board for young people with arthritis, we have become good pals and meet up. Her hips make a weird noise when walking, very strange. Lots of Vitamin D, calcium and swimming.
It’s a strange feeling… just feels like a strain where the leg attaches to the hip.
I may have just lost my healthcare with the passage of the vile tax reform here so I am really hoping it is not anything major.
This feels more like what I might have! I feel the snapping they describe!