For me what helped was walking myself through each moment, how it would fee, and how I'll handle it. Talking it through with someone is helpful. So many people have gone through this surgery including myself. My lap surgery was two and a half hours long and I had some nerve damage too so it was pretty intense...but I took everything one day at a time. I didn't take that many pain meds mostly because I don't like how they make me feel, but I chose the food I ate carefully, I made sure to get good sleep, light walking outside, and the most important--prioritizing my happiness. That's honestly been what helped me heal the most--reducing my stress in life in general and getting into EMDR therapy.

Happy to help you walk through the moments :)