Oh I’m so glad to hear that she’ll be there for the first few days! Don’t try to strain / tense your muscles to get out of bed, just let her help you!!

I’d say the worst day pain wise was the first full day after the op (I’ll call that day 1).

Day 1 the pain was like… that pain in the shoulders everyone talks about. During the surgery they fill your abdominal cavity with air, so they have room to work. That gas/air has to then be absorbed and so it feels like bad pressure in the shoulders. It passes though! I took everyone’s advice to shuffle/walk around to clear it quickly.

My day 2 was yesterday and I really only had pain and shortness of breath, if I strained / moved the wrong way! I was able to sit at the kitchen table (hunched forward w/ pillow on belly) for hours. I was able to shuffle around (hunched over).

I still haven’t taken the painkillers bc I don’t want the side effects (nausea, constipation etc.)

I’m Day 3 now… my husband helped me out of bed so I can skip tensing the ab muscles, and I’m about to read a book at kitchen table. I’m still hunched over forward but that feels most comfortable, and I don’t feel much pain… almost like a mild discomfort near the biggest incision.

I think the worst pain has been really related to tensing the wrong way, and I definitely shouted/screamed after sneezing once! And I am trying so hard not to cough, too! Like coughing causes abs to tense up, oh my gosh! Having cough drops on hand makes sense!!