by Jojo1 » 04 Jun 2013, 10:43
To answer your specific questions:
Will the stool be soft? That depends on you. The medicines they give you in the IV and for pain afterwards are narcotics, so they are constipating. You'll be fine as long as you start back on the softening regimen immediately (like within 2 hours). When I got home, I munched on an apple, drank plenty of water and did a full dose of Miralax (I prefer that to the colace-type products). I did a dose of miralax each morning and night until my first movement and because of that, it was soft. I stopped the narcotic pain meds and switched to tylenol the day after the first movement because I was terrified of what it might be.
Will I feel pain when sitting down? Yes, you will feel some pain and a lot of discomfort and tenderness when sitting down. For this reason my doc advised not sitting directly on your tush for at least the first week. I did a lot of lying on my side instead of sitting and began to easy into it at some point during the second week. After that you just have to use your judgement and don't be afraid to take it easy if you're still tender . . . give it time.
I'm scared of surgery much like anyone but I'm worried about that first poo after surgery. This is the same fear that literally EVERYONE has. People are oftentimes more afraid of that than the surgery itself. I can't tell you not to be afraid because I was, I was terrified. But I can tell you that if you continue your regimen as before surgery (with water, fiber, miralax, etc.) immediately after, you should be fine.