I think everyone's experience is different and so I'll just explain what happened to me (RARP was May 12th) and see if any of it helps.
I went in the night before with just a pair of jogging bottoms and T shirt but was immediately put in a gown. Hospitals are very noisy to ear plugs and face mask helped but to be honest, I didn't get more than an hours sleep and was woken at 5am for BP/Temp and blood test. Walked into the operating theatre at 8am and work up 5 hours later in recovery.
I was fitted with inflating bags on my thighs (anti DVT) which are noisy and prevent much sleep but not much discomfort until I got back on the ward.
Very little pain from the op or the scars but the shoulder pain was really bad the next day so ask the nurse to get him on analgesics asap before it starts - probably they will give him IV paracetemol. The pain from the catheter when in bed is not bad but when you get up and it all starts swinging about (not the penis as that has shrunk to a little nub in my case LOL) it hurts the end of the penis. I have seen videos of guys in the USA who have a stick on patch on their thighs to hold the catheter pipes but it was never offered to me.
The next day I was walking around carefully and took an unassisted shower - that takes it out of you so take it easy.
Released from hospital that afternoon - NO driving with a catheter so he will need someone to bring him home.
I was given painkillers (paracetemol), anti-spasmodics, anti coagulent (Lovenox) injections for 28 days, compression stockings (which I wore one day and never again - just make sure you walk around every half an hour or so rather than sitting down all day) and some dressings for the 5 small and 1 larger holes in my abdomen. I have a nurse that comes around every day to inject me but I have heard that most people do it themselves - it's dead easy to do.
It was stressed that keeping the catheter clean and sterilised at all times is VITAL - so I have antiseptic and sterile pads for that. I was given day bags and night bags - the day bag straps to your leg and you empty it from a valve at the bottom when 3/4 full - again keeping the valve sterile after use and I have a night bag (2 litres) that attaches to the bottom of the day bag with the valve open - generally this was 3/4 full in the morning. Just a case of closing the day bag valve and emptying the night bag and disposing of it. I used a new day bag and night bag every day but it depends on what you are supplied with. Again, keep everything sterile after touching it.
The abdomen wounds healed quickly with no pain - stitches are dissolvable.
You should be drinking 1.5L of water per day at this stage to keep it all working.
Catheter was removed after 7 days - the nurse pushes some water up the catheter into the bladder, then releases the water filled ballon that keeps the catheter inside the bladder and the slowly withdraws it from the penis - a weird feeling but not in the slightest bit painful - actually a relief to get it out :)
As a side sleeper, sleeping with a catheter is mostly on your back to if you are a side sleeper then be aware of the back pain you will experience.
Then you have to wait for an hour or so until you are peeing - blood in your urine is perfectly normal although I was lucky and didn't have any.
You will have zero urine control at this point so you will need the 6 waterdrop Tena pads for the first couple of days and nights - I haven't had any leaking outside of the pads.
After a couple of days you will start to get some control over peeing - think of 'shortening your penis' and that action will use the muscles to hold it in. Standing up will create a dribble to begin with and standing at the toilet, it can start to flow without any control but this will improve over the next couple of weeks. Now I am on 2 waterdrop pads and they are more than sufficient.
Constipation is a concern so things need to move within 2 days - you cannot strain, it has to come naturally and so I took a senokot tablet the day after I came home and everything has been regular since that day - it can be a little painful the first couple of days but not for long.
So a couple of things that I have discovered - there was very little pain from the operation - the main pain was the swinging catheter, the first bowel movement and the shoulder and back pain - all can be controlled with regular paracetemol (don't wait until the pain starts, keep it going every 6 hours (1000mg tablet)). Getting control of peeing is firstly a case of thinking about that 'shrinking the penis' action when you go to stand up and holding it until you get to the loo, Try and hold it in for a few seconds before you release it. Urine flow is fairly slow for the first week or so but by week 3 you will be peeing like a horse!
On a more sensitive note, the penis is shorter after the op - not sure yet by how much as after 4 weeks there is no sign yet of an erection although I have started to be able to make my penis twitch which is a positive side and although penetrative sex is completely out of the question, I randomly discovered that you don't need an erection to achieve an orgasm - it's quite an interesting experience as it's a dry orgasm (although you may release a little urine if your bladder isn't empty) but it was one heck of a relief to know that something is still possible.
Meeting the consultant to get histology reports on the 24th so fingers crossed.
I hope that helps a bit - as I said, that was my experience and others may have been different - I'm 62 and 15 stone for comparisons.