I think it's different for everyone. From what I have seen, people who go into this procedure in very good health tend to have an easier time. So eating well, being hydrated, regularly exercising - all a good move.
I had DI a little over a year ago. My recovery was not hard at all. I was up and about the day of surgery, and while I did sleep a lot more than usual for the first week of recovery, I wouldn't say I was ever in pain. I stopped taking the pain killers after the first few days. There was some soreness and some discomfort, but that was mostly associated with having to sleep on my back and wear a compression binder, along with drains. After my drains were out at 7 days post op, I went back to work on day 8. Resumed all normal activities at 4 weeks post-op.
The one thing that can be a little rough for some people is how limited your range of motion is to reduce scar stretching. No reaching, no lifting, etc. for several weeks. I personally didn't care about the aesthetics of the scarring as much as I cared about being flat and having good nips, so I was probably more active than most people during that initial recovery period. Obviously it worked well for me, but that may not be the case for everyone.
As far as being alone, I had roommates around the house with me, but I never needed them to do anything for me. I cooked a week's worth of food in advance of surgery and freezed it, so all I had to do was get out of my recliner, walk to the fridge, grab one, and microwave it. Never needed help in the bathroom. I bought a waist leash so I could walk my dog without fear of being pulled, so that kept me up and active at least 3 times a day.
IME - unless you need emotional/mental support or you are the kind of person who just needs to be around people, you can get through most surgical procedures on your own just fine with enough planning. There are a lot of good threads in this particular Top Surgery board about supplies, what you wish you'd known before surgery, etc. I had someone drive me to surgery, drive me to a hotel after, stay the night with me, drive me home, and come back a week later to drive me back up to get my drains out. That was about as much assistance as I needed.
I had all the recommended supplies I needed at home and filled all my prescriptions in advance. I had enough food to last for over a week. I set alarms on my phone as reminders to take medicine. My roommates both had my surgeon's phone number in case something went wrong, but they never needed to use it. It would be good if you had someone who could stop to check in on you once a day or so, or could call you and check in. But I don't think this procedure necessitates help unless you want it.
