Worse fears came true!

Sorry you had to have a big surgical scar instead of laparoscopic "holes"....but on the upside: your hernia got fixed instead of waiting to have it done later.  Be careful about stairs, I was told not to do them for 2-3 weeks as altho mine was lap, I was seriously cut up inside like all lap patients, looks like nothing from the surface, but is serious inner surgery and takes 3 months for all internal stitches to heal, even for you.   Be good and gentle to yourself for those 3 months at the very least, and do not force yourself or you risk getting an  incisional hernia again by doing too much in the first 3 months......relax, get better..

Great advice..thanks! The stairs are an issue as I have kids and a 3 level home. It's hard to follow all the great advice, but I do try.

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time but you will not regret the decision to have surgery as you get farther out. I regretted it big time when i first had it done because i have zero pain tolerance and had a really hard time dealing with it. Some people are up and about a couple days later, some a couple weeks, me though, it took me over a month to feel alright again..it was rough but trust me, once you see the weight come off and stat losing, you will not regret this for a single second.
and dont worry about the 5lbs, its water. 5 lbs is nothing compared to what ive heard some ppl gain in the hospital!
hope you feel better soon

Thanks Alycia..You've done amazing so I'll try to keep that in mind!