Carmen,
I had my retosigmoid about 7 months ago. I don't want to cause any panic, but here's a few things that I was not prepared for.
First, the balance issues. I needed a walker for about a month after I got out of the hospital. I probably could have borrowed one instead of buying a new one if I had known that I would need it. Once home, my wife had to have a friend install some grab bars in the toilet and in the shower. Again, I hadn't anticipated the need, or I could have put the bars in before surgery.
Other than toiletries and some pajama bottoms, I didn't need any of the items recommended to take to the hospital. My left eye wouldn't focus and wouldn't close by itsel after surgery, so it had to be taped shut. There was no way I could read any of the books that I brought along. One of the first post-hospital purchases was a supply of gauze eye patches, since they needed to be changed out a couple times each day.
For the first week home, I was truly an invalid. My range of motion was from the recliner (where I also slept at night) to the bathroom to the dining room table. I really could not do anything for myself. My wife stayed home from work, and my in-laws were there to help, because I could barely move, much less do anything like fix a sandwich or shower without assistance.
I had read many posting on this site, and I guess I was overly optimistic about the recovery time. I could not drive for two months, and did not drive for three because of eye and balance problems. I had an excellent physycal therapist who is a balance -problem specialist. He didn't prescribe very many things that I could do at home, other than walking, but the PT sessions did provide positive feedback that I really was getting better.
My motto now is " a millimeter of improvement each day." Its painfully slow, but we do recover.
Best wishes for a successful surgey and speedy recovery.
Wayne
