I've had pretty rapid improvement over the last few days. Last Wednesday night (day 13), I felt that I was starting to turn the corner and that my surgery sites weren't so fragile anymore. Yesterday (day 18), I was able to quit using gauze because the discharge had dropped considerably. Today (day 19), I actually went shopping for a few hours with minimal discomfort.
I'm still having pain and blood with BMs, but I feel better almost immediately afterwards.