Luckily I've avoided that nescessity myself. My Grandfather, however, had his hip done about 25 years ago, then re-done about 15 years ago( the first socket had loosened in the hip). He said that despite the obvious issues with stitches etc, the Hip itself felt better immediately, the constant ache was gone that he'd had for years.
Jim,
all the best, hope your recovery is smooth and quick.