I had a hysterectomy on July 18th. My doctor framed it as a minimally invasive surgery (even though I had an entire internal organ removed) she said I would be feeling better 6 weeks post-op but could go back to work after 2 weeks.
Most of my community has been telling me things like “Get well soon” and asking “Are you feeling better yet?” I know they want me to be well but I’m feeling pressured to go back to what I was doing before my surgery, which was just smiling through the pain and not making my struggle visible.
At the time of writing it’s almost 3 weeks post-op and I hurt myself trying to do laundry yesterday. Way more bending than I should be doing.
I just want to scream at all my well-wishers and tell them to shut up. Because while most of them clearly just want a swift recovery, some of them feel like they have an agenda and want to see me get back to singing and dancing and being sunshine and rainbows.
I’m at the point where people ask me how I’m doing and I just change the topic without answering. I am emotionally drained by people who don’t understand that it hurts and frustrated with myself for not being a superhuman bundle of productivity. Before surgery I could on a good day get the work of 4 people done and now I can’t even do half the workload of one. I just want a nap, but there is no time for napping anymore.
Girl you absolutely have the right to take your time and heal. Respond to the well wishers, or don’t, but please do not feel that you have to jump right back into things. People don’t realize how exhausting and hard on your body having surgery is. Take your time and take care of yourself. 
I just recently had a major surgery done on my stomach. I got a lot of the well wishes and how are you feeling comments as well. After a while I just wanted people to leave me alone and let me heal.
I am stubborn and wanted to get back to normal life and I felt ashamed that I spent 4 weeks basically at home on the couch. I think part of the struggle with waiting to heal and not healing as quickly is the pressure others put on us to get well soon.
Just know that you will heal in your own time and it doesn’t matter how long it takes. Give your body the time it needs and as hard as I know it will be, try to take it easy and not overwork yourself.
Take it day by day and don’t be afraid to take a slower approach at work if you have to.