You can go weeks with no contractions after losing your plug. It doesn't mean anything. Just your bodies way of getting ready. Same as braxton hicks.
Loss of your mucus plug isn't a sign of impending labor. You can lose it weeks or even months before labor. Some women lose it more than once.
Honestly, you could have up to 4 weeks before labor. We are all miserable at the end of pregnancy. However, nothing you do will work until your body is ready. You can try everything in the book but they only help to progress a labor that had already begun. You'll only leave your self frustrated which can actually delay labor. The best thing to do is relax and let it happen on its own.
Typically you don't start having more painful contractions until your water breaks. And even then some mom don't feel contractions after losing it. I'm due today and completely know how you feel about wanting baby to be born. When your hips hurt, just walk around for a little bit or stand in one spot and rock your hips. That's what I've been doing this past week and have dilated a little more than what I was.