I am 12 post-op, 7 days post-cauterization. my uvula is about 3-4x the size it should be, hanging down to my tongue. when will it be normal sized?

A few weeks: Since it's your uvula that's swollen, and you were cauterized 7 days ago, I'm assuming that you had a tonsillectomy 12 days ago with some bleeding 5 days later. It's not at all uncommon for the uvula to swell up and look like a thumb or grape in the back of the throat. It can often take several weeks for your uvula to return to normal size. After all, it's had a rough couple of weeks!