I had a sub total abdominal hysterectomy 15 months ago to deal with a large fibroid.
I actually felt a lot better after surgery than I had initially envisaged. Of course there was pain but less so than my C-section. I had a morphine drip for 2 days & then paracetomol & diclofenac. I found the latter was needed for about 3 weeks to keep the pain manageable.
I was in hospital 5 nights but could have stayed 3. I opted to stay in longer as I had no-one (adult) at home to help me.
You probably won't feel hungry, but you need to eat small amounts to get your bowels moving again. Drink plenty of fluids. I was catheterised for 24 hours but out of bed 18 hours after surgery & pottering very slowing.
Do not underestimate how tired you will feel for several weeks. The key is to do a little each day but don't overdo it. No (heavy) housework or lifting for 4 weeks. I did start walking outside after about a week but not far......I increased it each day.
Tips: Sleep when you need to & don't overdo it.
Try & have someone around for the first week out of hospital- you may need help preparing food & drinks & won't be able to carry much!
Any offers of help from friends & family should be utilised. I hate a messy house so one of my friends popped in every couple of days to vacuum for me.
If you have older children at home, educate them to help/tidy up/cook etc to ease what you would usually do.
After 3-4 weeks I felt much less tired & was walking to the local shops (though couldn't carry much back!). You won't be able to drive for about 6 weeks.
By 6 weeks I was fully mobile but still tired easily.
I returned to work after 8 weeks.
For the next 2-3 months I still had twinges of pain which are very normal & improved with time. Normal painkillers did the trick to control the pain.
My scar was vertical (navel to bikini line), due to previous C-section scar. Initially it did look quite scary, but it healed very well & 15 months on is now just a silvery/white scar. Obviously still visible, but not prominent.
I feel so much better for having the hysterectomy- less tired, more mobile, less conscious of my swollen tummy which reduced drastically. I kept my ovaries but not my cervix, so I've not entered menopause so can't tell you how that might make you feel.
I hope that helps & that your op goes well. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask/PM me.