D.J.
Hi K.!
I am 3 weeks post-op, so I have experience on that end but I don't have little ones at home. My "little" one is 15 now.
Surgery went great, it was at noon but I didn't go home until about 4pm. They were waiting for me to pee on my own. I couldn't so they sent me home with a catheter. I had it for 5 days then went back to have it removed, and I was able to go just fine. BUT I got an infection (they think it was probably from the cath) so I had to do more antibiotics and the pills that make you pee orange. After those pills were gone I was 2 weeks post op and was having a really hard time going more than just a dribble at a time every 5 minutes or so - so it would take about 45 mins to go! Ugh! So my doc put me on another pill that I take for a few weeks that is supposed to stop the bladder spasms that were causing the problem. Since then No Problems! Yay!
I work full time outside the home, and I only took one week off work since I sit at a desk all day. I was really surprised how much it would hurt to sit that long. I did a lot of walking around during the day just to get the pressure off from sitting. That discomfort went away this week. I wasn't supposed to drive for one week, plus not if I was still taking the pain meds.
Also, I have a tri-level home, and I never had trouble with the stairs other than being careful the first few days because the cath bag was strapped to my leg. And I was also told no lifting for 1 month. The first week I didn't do any lifting, but after that I did lift a few things that I probably shouldn't have. I think they say one month so when you heal nothing slips out of place.
Good Luck! You'll love the results! I had a sneezing attack this morning and actually laughed when I realized I was heading for the bathroom but didn't need to! :o)