Welcome to Susan's Place. Most of the time the doctors will have you out of bed about 2 days after surgery which is an improvement over the 6 days I spend in bed. For entertainment, you should bring something relaxing and light as you may not feel like concentrating on something difficult. Computer games, reading, music or movies are a good option.
The day of surgery you will not receive any food or fluid, you will be prepared for surgery which may involve shaving, you will be given medication before surgery and then you will have surgery. You will remember before surgery and when you wake up, it will seem that surgery only took a few seconds. You will feel no pain during surgery. After surgery you will want to sleep some more and their will be pain. I didn't request any pain medication but if you hurt, tell the nurses and they will take care of it. There is no reason to feel pain that you are unable to tolerate and now they are very good at controlling pain.
When you are allowed to walk, try to walk as much as the doctor permits. This will help you avoid losing strength and will permit you to take better care of yourself after you are released. You will want to sleep 12 hours a day and may want naps. Get all the sleep you want as it will help you to recover.
After you are out of the hospital, it would be best if you had somebody you can call on for help if needed. As long as you don't demand much from your body you should be able to take care of yourself. Plan simple meals and if you have a freezer, stock up on frozen foods that you would eat so you limit your shopping to things like milk, fresh fruit and other items that wouldn't keep that long.
I returned to work after 2.5 weeks which was a mistake as I lived in total exhaustion. I was taking care of myself, doing my shopping and I didn't have anybody to help me so it can be done but it's best to have a backup plan in place.
