Thanks for the advice, Sera; the nurses said a lot of those things, but didn't elaborate as well as you.
You were correct, Brandye; I started improving (albeit slowly) on the fourth day. I should be able to drive tomorrow, even though I'm still stiff and uncomfortable most of the time. I'm glad to know I'm not an outlier on the recovery scale.
Justagirl, I imagine we must have had slightly different procedures, because I could barely fathom walking after two days, and riding a horse would still be way out of the question now! Or maybe my body's just a slow healer. Who knows.
I've got another question for the well-informed though: I do have an odor down there that I've never smelled before, and it's not good. It's very strong, and metallic, a bit like vinegar but not as sweet. It's been there for days, but there's no other signs of infection; no fever, no unusual discharge, no excessive bleeding. Do you think it's a "normal" smell that just never escaped from my vagina due to the hymen obstruction, something caused by the blood mixing with normal vaginal fluids, or something I should be very concerned about? I'm probably going to call my gyn about it, but she's very hard to get a hold of and if this is a common experience, I would like to know. Thank you so much for all your help through this so far!