I'll add things as I remember them. A friend told me to breathe and keep my lungs filled with oxygen, and flex my feet often when lying in the hospital bed. It will help blow flood - like in an airplane when you don't want blood pooling in your legs during long haul flights. You'll be lying down for at least 12+ hours from anaesthesia to groggy wake up. You'll know how deeply to breath because your incision will tell you that's enough.
You'll also feel the strong urge to cough to clear your lungs. You won't be able to stop the cough reflex. It's your body trying to clear the congestion from your lungs. Coughing will hurt. I'm not trying to scare you; this is a just a fact. When you feel the urge to cough, sneeze, laugh, hiccup, take hold of a book or magazine and brace your stomach. Really press the hard book against your stomach as you cough. The nurses will teach you this but they will hand you a soft pillow. A pillow won't help much. You need a hard surface for bracing your incision. Bring along a book and keep within reach. Or press your palms, hard, on your incision to brace it. They will also teach you how to rise and ease out of bed with as little pain as possible. They want you up and walking as soon as possible.
Ask for the epidural in advance so that when you wake up you won't feel any pain. That, and the morphine IV will keep you comfortable for at least three days until they remove it and allow your bowels to wake up. My peer patient told me the third day will be the hardest of all, and if I got past that I would be okay. I didn't ask what that meant. Until my third day: that's when they remove the pain management and you might be given Tylenol extra strength or something else. This isn't to scare you. Just to prepare you. I wish I had known this, I would have been better prepared for it. It will hurt without morphine but remember each day it will hurt a little less, and another tube or drain or catheter will come out. You'll be mobile without being tethered to an IV pole and tiny drain pouch! Ask for anti-nausea medication if you feel like vomiting. They do not want you to vomit and damage your new incision. Keep a notebook with questions as they come to you and ask your ostomy nurse/surgeon.
Set up and stock your kitchen and cupboards soon with everything you'll need. Cook and freeze casseroles so that when you get home cooking will involve defrosting a casserole and heating it. My family wrapped small portion meals in foil and froze them (chicken with potatoes and herbs, spices; fish and soft peeled vegetables.). Easy. For the kids too. You will need to eat soft foods, low fiber, low residue, protein and nutrient-dense foods to heal your tissues. You won't be able to lift anything heavy, including the kids! When you are ready for your reversal surgery, you will know what to do. Let go of the fear and anxiety. It's out of your hands now. Your surgical team will take care of you.