Canadian Experience - Abdominal hyst my experience

Hi Everyone
I got my surgery on a cancellation date and was given 2 days notice. It all happened so fast it made my head spin.

I am 46 and I had an abdominal hyst taking all but ovaries, including a growth the size of a grapefruit in the wall of uterus and another the size of a tennis ball along with many other smaller growths. I therefore really didn't have many options open to me. I had this done on Thursday April 15 at 1:30. I stayed in hospital until 9pm on the Sunday the 18th. They got me up at 5:30 on friday to try and get me walking. The first attempt did not go to well. After a dose of pain meds in to my IV I was able to take about 5 steps and then nearly threw up.
I was suffering from nausea. They tried a number of different anti nausea meds in my IV but what seemed to work the best in the end was good old gravol in a pill.

My IV site was not good. They have a hard time finding my veins as they are small and deep, so when they put it in, it was right at the crease in my elbow, but if I bent my arm it shut off the flow and the machine started to beep. It became the bane of all the nurses and myself. They did not want to pull it out and try another site incase they couldn't find another vein. I was getting antibiotics through the IV which is why they needed to keep it.
Then they wanted me to pee on my own. I was full of IV liquids I had been drinking massive amounts of water but it just wasn't happening. Then on the evening of the 17th the flood gates opened. The nurses were happy. I was told I could go home the next day.
On Sat night the fire alarm went off in the hospital and no one seemed to be doing anything so I thought I better go and find out. No worry they said it goes off about once a week and they will tell us if we need to leave. Reassured I went back to my bed.

With it being a sunday no doctors had come in to check on me. We waited and waited finally a resident came in and checked everything she said they could take out the drain tube. The nurse came back to do that and she couldn't get it out. She went to find the same resident who also could not get it out. I now had to wait for the Dr to come and get it out but she was currently delivering a baby. She came in and after about 3 or 4 min of pulling and pushing she got it out. I should add it did not hurt as it was all internal.
It was 9 pm now and I was sent on my way. I must also add that the nurses were excellent.
I was now home with my sister to look after me. I was no longer taking pain meds except the odd tylenol. I had some bruising to start with but by day 7 my whole abdomen was red from bruising lasted two to three days and then started to clear up.
I had my staples out on day 6 but major bruising had not shown up by then.
I had first BM on day 5. They gave me stool softner before I left hospital and I have to say the pain was excrutiating. After that any more were less painfull but I had to take more softners.
It is now almost 3 weeks past and I am still limited as to what I can do. Definately nothing strenuous and have not driven yet. I find I can't walk too far and not too quickly either.