Hi @me75 , welcome to Connect. How are you doing? I know prepping for this procedure can be overwhelming, but the feeling of standing tall afterward was so worth it for me, and I hope you'll be as excited as I was! My scoliosis surgery was from T3-L1, and the hospital stay was basically a cycle of napping and walking (can't emphasize enough how much walking helped). Some patients use a walker at first. I tried it, but it felt kind of awkward. If you do use one, just remember not to bend over like you might be used to seeing people do when using one.
Pain was moderate for the first couple days and usually mild after that. I recommend setting a pain goal, the threshold level where you want to be taking something for it, so you've got a plan for keeping it nice and stable and won't have a cycle of highs and lows; my nurse had me do that on day 1. Meds made me sleepy, but they were effective. The physical therapy sessions were short and basically involved a little walking, learning to stand up and sit down, and after a few days, stair climbing. (Your upper leg muscles get a workout with everything after this surgery.)
Best wishes for a successful procedure. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be praying for you.
Hugs,
geekygirl9