Hey Spooked,
This is certainly a scary time for you, but a lot of us have been through this surgery and can give you some input. I suggest you read the thread on the sticky at the top of the page called "post surgery tips." It's chock full of great suggestions that will make your recovery easier.
This is a big surgery with a long recovery. If it's what you need, though, it will be well worth it. It will take months for a full recovery, not weeks. It can take up to a full year or more to completely recover, but you'll see progress all along the way. You'll probably be in the hospital for 4-5 days, then go home and mostly stay in bed for a few weeks, with trips to the bathroom and times of walking. Walking is very important, as it gets the blood circulating around your spine. It's essential for getting bone growth going. I recommend that every time you get up to use the bathroom, you walk for as long as you can tolerate, maybe only 10 minutes at first, then lay back down and watch movies until next time you need to get up. They'll give you some pretty strong pain meRAB, which you should keep in your system all the time for a while. Even if you feel like you can taper off, you're going to have ups and downs and are better off taking your meRAB on schedule. If you don't, the pain will eventually get ahead of you and it will take longer to get it back under control. You'll heal better if you aren't using your energy to just get through your pain. Get yourself a little notebook to keep track of your meRAB, what you took, how much, and what time. You'll be groggy and it will be easy to lose track, so do keep a record of every med you take.
My best tips for you are to get a satin type bottom sheet for your bed and slippery pj's. That will make turning in bed much, much easier and less painful. You won't be fighting friction to turn. Put a plastic garbage bag on the passenger seat of your car for the ride home from the hospital for the same reason, so you can slide in and out more easily. Also put a large zip lock bag in there in case you get nauseous on the ride home. You can zip in the mess and no one will have to clean anything up.
The very most important piece of equipment to have is a grabber tool. You won't be able to bend, lift, or twist for quite some time, so a grabber tool will quickly become your best friend. You never realize how often you drop things or have to really reach for something until you can't. Even just lying in bed, the remote is going to slide just a little bit out of reach and you won't be able to get it. With your grabber tool, you won't have to be calling someone else constantly to fetch things for you.
You're sure to have lots of questions as you prepare and as you get closer to your date. Please ask away! We're not doctors, but we've been where you are now and are happy to tell you what our experiences were. No question is too big or too little. We'll be honest and not sugarcoat things, but this group is great for encouragement and support.
You'll be okay! Prepare as well as you can ahead of time and take a deep breath. You'll be so glad to get on the other side of surgery and just be able to rest and recover.
Wishing you the best,
Emily