I had a total abdominal hyst almost 6 years ago. I had never been in the hospital for anything and to say I was scared would be an understatement. So, whittlewoman, I can understand completely where you're coming from.
I had my surgery on a Fri morning and was home by Sunday afternoon. I followed my doc's orders during recovery and didn't have any problems. It took a while to get my hormone issues straightened out after the surgery (I hadn't started menopause at the time of surgery) but eventually that worked out too. I found a lot of support at a website www.hystersisters.com, the gals there were terffic and really helped me out a lot.....to the point where I ended up being a hostess on the site for almost 5 years. It was discovered during my surgery that I was loaded with endometriosis, adenomyosis, and had a cyst on my left ovary. My periods were extremely heavy and painful. Life got much better after my hysterectomy!
Hang in there, the anticipation is worse than anything. I will wish for all the best for you. Keep us informed as to how you're doing.........before, during, and after surgery!