Congrats SummerGal!
Yep the peeing is probably from the IV. I peed like a racehorse for pretty much the whole day of the surgery. In fact they stuck the IV in me early, and I had to pee 2x before the actual procedure itself lol. Then right after the surgery, they wanted to make sure I didn't have any urinary retention issues (possible side effect after surgery), so they asked me to go see if I could pee ... no problem there ... I swear I peed out the entire Pacific ocean ... I was in the bathroom so long that I had nurses knocking furiously to make sure I didn't pass out :)
For me the 2nd day was definitely more painful than the first. The first day I felt like superman from the anesthesia and actually sat on my ass all day playing video games, barely felt a thing. The second day I was sore and didn't do much sitting at all. You're right to keep ahead of the pain by taking painkillers IMO. Eventually you'll figure out whether you need painkillers, what kind, and how often, but better safe than sorry the first day or two if you ask me. Some people take opiates for a while after surgery (I did), but most only need them for the first couple of days.
Docusate sodium is a stool softener. Common brands in the US are Colace and Dulcolax. It wasn't very effective for me so I stuck with Miralax. I would say that if your current stool softener (I don't know what kind you're taking) is working, then stick with that. When it comes to diet and stool softeners, it's all about what works for you as an individual. If you have a winning combo already, I'd be inclined to not mess with it. Just my opinion of course.
The first poo is always the biggest fear after surgery. That's almost universal and entirely understandable. For me it wasn't too bad. Some pain, but nothing in-your-face like a fissure (bear in mind however that I had less work done than you did). The Fleet Enema I used right before surgery was WAY worse than the first poop. The enema thing stung to no end, whereas with the first poo (and actually the next few poos after that as well), my main disappointment was that it didn't feel like I was voiding my rectum completely. My turds came out in little pieces and it annoyed me that I couldn't just drop a nice big monkey tail and get it all out at once. I've heard similar complaints from others too.
The worst is over, and once you have that first turd, I think you'll feel a lot more relieved (pun intended :)). Recovery itself can sometimes be an up and down process, but you'll get a handle on it soon enough.
Cheers to your new caboose ... choo choo!

Congrats on getting your surgery over with Summer! Sounds like you had quite a bit of work done. You may be a little sore later. Do stay ahead of the pain and take the Miralax.
I took the docusate sodium ( brand name-colace) with my fissure before surgery. Hope's right, It draws water into the bowels just like Miralax but from my experience it's not really all that effective. I had to take about 6 and still didn't get very good results. Be careful about taking any other laxatives(that may have been prescribed) along with the Miralax. It may be over kill and cause the runs which from my understanding can be painful.
Take care, plenty of baths and rest!

Hi all. Just checking in. i guess i am three days out now from surgery and the pain isn't too bad. i am tapering off the prescription pain killers somewhat today. i haven't had a bm yet, the doc said if i don't by the 4th day, to take a fleet enema or milk of magnesia. bleck! how long did it take you all? i have been taking a prescription stool softener twice a day and mineral oil in fruit juice once a day. i am still in fear of going!

Hey Summer! I'm so happy to hear that the pain isn't too bad.
I had a BM a few hours after my surgeries, so I can't offer advice based on first-hand experience. But I have read about others here having similar issues. Sometimes it does take a while to get things moving again. Are you eating enough? What kind of food are you eating? Are you drinking LOTS of water? Starting to eat more and tapering off the painkillers will likely help get the BMs going. The MOM should also help too.
Don't worry about the first BM. It's really not nearly as bad as we expect it to be. I'm sure you'll be surprised. :D
Let us know how it goes - we're cheering for you!

Hey Summer,
I had my 1st bm the day after my surgery. What prescription stool softener have you been taking? If it's docusate sodium then that may be the problem.
I would definitely take the MOM and get on to taking the Miralax after I had my 1st bm. The enema doesn't sound like much fun after surgery.I know some have had to do that.
I stopped the pain meds after day two. I was taking the docusate sodium and everything was ok but not as soft as I would like so I changed to the Miralax.

Congratulations on getting the surgery over and done with - I'm so glad you're not in too muchpain.
I had a bm the day afterwards after both my surgeries, it was great to get it over with as the thought of it is terrifying! It's not so bad as the thought of it though! Take a pain pill half hour before going!
Yes, the movicol/miralax is wonderful stuff - I really can't imagine an enema after surgery - arrrghhh!

Boo! I thought I was finally going to have a bm today, but it wouldn't come out. i pushed a little but saw it wasn't budging, so stopped. my aunt is bringing me some MOM soon. How soon does that work? Does it soften also? I am in some pain I think from the straining. I just wish I could get the bm out finally. I think I would feel much better then. Ugh!

Hey Summer,
Milk of magnesia was pretty mild for me. It can be harsh for some and cause watery stools. It can take awhile to work, but should soften up whats to come later. It sounds like you may be a little constipated and getting the hard one out is probably going to hurt a little more than the ones to follow after the milk of magnesia.
I imagine you will feel better once things start moving.

ps...
I agree with Val about taking a pain killer 1/2 before.
I would definitely get on the Miralax as soon as you can.

Summer, that is a big "boo"! I hate in when the BM won't come!
I'm sure the MOM will work. I agree with Val and Dawn: a painkiller 1/2 before a BM, if you can do it, and get on a regular schedule of Miralax after you have your first BM. I took 1/2 dose two times a day - one in the morning and one in the evening. That was because I was already prone to loose stools. Some folks took a full dose two times a day (in the am and pm), others a dose and a half - at least for the first while post-op until the BMs sort themselves out. You can modify the dose according to what works for you.
Another thing I did when the BMs were a bit slow or difficult in coming out was squatting. I got a pile of paper plates that I keep in my bathroom and if it feels like things aren't moving as they should, I put some TP on a plate and put the plate on the floor, squat and poop on the plate. I know that sounds really weird, but squatting is a more natural position for pooping, and I find it does help. I just dump the contents of the plate into the toilet and put the plate into a plastic bag, so it isn't as messy as it sounds (well, it can get pretty messy if you have watery BM!).
Are you drinking LOTS of water? Do you think you should maybe try having soups for your meals for now?

I really hope you have that BM soon! Once you get past that one, things will be so much better!