For me it was two days in the ICU followed by nine days critical care and final day in general room before being released for home. CRITICAL to get up and walk as often as possible so listen to the physical therapy team. You won't feel like it at all but I'm convinced taking those actual steps every day helped save my life. I was on IV for hydration/nutrition for about nine days before graduating to minimal clear liquids and at least another week of that diet once I returned home before stepping up to Cream of Wheat/Pudding/etc. This is a brutal operation that really kicks your butt so I emphasize again that PT as soon as possible is critical. Because I walked as often and as far as possible in hospital we over prepped for my return home with the purchase of a walker frame and ramps at home. By the time I was released from the hospital I had my careful shuffle down and we could have saved that money. Pain management was exceptional in the hospital so the biggest challenge I faced was complete exhaustion. Plan to spend the first month home napping a lot. I think I was able to carefully shower by myself after about five days at home and began walking around the driveway the second week. Some manageable pain from the incisions for three weeks and some nerve pain damage in my right chest that persists to this day six months later. (Surgeon says eventually the body will reroute.) Once I was released to solid food I was able to physically swallow pretty much like normal although there is a slight difference that is hard to articulate. Fluids go down slightly differently and everything makes me burb. I experience what I think is "dumping syndrome" at least every couple days, a blood sugar imbalance with horrible sweats, probably tied to how much or how quickly I eat and I'm still struggling to get a handle on it. I continued to lose weight slowly for months after the surgery due to lower appetite and smaller meals but my weight has seemed to stabilize this week at 175 lbs which is pretty healthy for my 6 ft. frame. I used to enjoy craft beer breweries but carbonation is a problem now so that was a hobby adjustment. Fruit juice, especially citrus seems the easiest to ingest. I'll circle back to having a very cautious and compassionate surgeon and medical team that kept me on iv's and then clear liquids until they were absolutely positive my throat had healed and who encouraged and worked with me to regain mobility the second day out of surgery. This is a long path to recovery and after several months I am probably at 80% of "normal." I still take a nap every day now but I'm 67 and that may not be surgery related 🙂 Feel free to message me if I can answer any specific questions about my experience. I need to pay forward all the kind people who guided me.