Any suggestions?

Hi. Just 3 days ago, I was diagnosed with a 19cm x 14 cm mass in my abdomen. Yesterday, I met with the surgeon who will remove it and perform a complete hysterectomy next Wed. I'm scared, but I want it out. I'll be recovering mostly on my own, because the husband has to leave the country for work the day after I get home from my surgery. I'd appreciate any advice on getting through those first 2 weeks out of the hospital on my own.

I know what you mean!!! My husband's a funeral director/ coroner he was lucky to be there for my surgery. Take it slow and try not to do something that you can't or you'll regret. Make meals/soup put them in small freezer containers that will be easy for you make. Put all your bottom shelf items on the counter so they are easy to reach, line up all your movies/books, mostly relax and heal. Remeber, this is your time to heal not take care of the house. Have a friend or neighbor help you with that.

Good luck!!

Definitely have someone you can call that can come over on a moment's notice. I used a neighbor lady who is retired. I barely knew her, but I was very glad to know she was there if I needed her. Keep your phone with you all the time, but put it on silent to minimize interruptions of your sleep. I found it helpful to have pockets to carry it and tissues, etc around when you get up.
Being by yourself can be good or bad. The only reason I say good is because sometimes you long for quiet and time to rest and if there is someone else there all the time, you might not get the rest that you need. 'hearttoheart' had good suggestions about having ready made meals to eat. I ate a lot of oatmeal, toast and tv dinners, it helps to have disposable plates/bowls/silverware, because you should not be doing dishes. I was not very hungry the first few days home, but I had a couple of people bring by leftovers of their dinners, that was nice to have the homecooked meals. One of those grabbers would be nice for you to have since there will be noone to pick something up if it drops on the floor. Make sure to have a week or so worth of clothing, I bought a few pairs of pjs a size or 2 larger than normal and a couple of packages of larger underwear that would not ride where my incision would be. You will not be able to do laundry, so change your sheets and have fresh washcloths and towels available. Go around your kitchen and bathroom and see what you can reach, if you have to stretch your stomach to reach higher items, move things onto the counter,etc where you don't have to stretch. Keep separate pillow and blanket on the couch for sleeping there too.
I hope these suggestions help and I will post more tomorrow if I think of any.
I will be thinking of you. The important thing is to follow your doctors instructions and allow yourself to heal.

Another good idea is to stay in the hospital until you can get in and out of a flat bed without assistance! Make sure you can do that before you go home.
Of course, a lot depends on what type of surgery you have (mine was SAH, and it took 4 days in the hospital before I was able to go home...and I'm glad I was there that long!). If yours is laparascopic or vaginal, you will be up and about a few days faster, although your body will still need as much time to heal.
Even with the big incision, I was pretty self-sufficient within a day or two of arriving home. You will definitely NOT be able to reach anything below about knee level for a couple of weeks, tho, so hearttoheart's and 86gmc's suggestions about moving stuff onto the counter are spot on.
Pre-prep your 'recovery room' at home so you can just crawl in between the sheets when you get home. Make sure you can reach everything you might want or need without having to twist or stretch, at least for the first few days.
Oh, and have a back-up plan in case you need to stay in the hospital longer than planned, perhaps a friend who could give you a ride home if your husband has to leave on his trip before they let you out.
I'll write again if I think of more. Good luck!

One thing that made me more independent was renting a hospital bed that stayed in the living room. That way I didn't have to do stairs and I was close to the kitchen if I needed anything. Being able to raise yourself into a sitting position is one of the hardest things after surgery and the adjustable bed really helped with that.