Truthfully, is there a way to avoid it? Would it make sense to have a dose of miralax and water bottle with me? My drive is about an hour, including the stop off to fill the prescription.
What suggestions do you have?

You won't have much in your stomach going into an op and if it's rectal, you may have to prep with an enema anyhow. Eat light the day prior and ensure some good fiber is there. Post-op, take a fiber supplement twice per day along with Miralax in between. That's been working for me so far for 6 weeks. I didn't have a movement until 36 hours post-op so it takes some time to get new foods through the "pipes".

Jojo,
It's really not necessary to take Miralax on the way home or drink water. I live an hour away from my CRS too...
Keep the same regimen the day before surgery that you always have that made your bm's soft and regular, and then do the same thing after your surgery day when you are able to eat and drink! You may want to up the stool softener just a little when you get home from surgery.
Here's what I did the day before surgery-
ate a normal soft fiber diet and took stool softeners around 8pm, then after surgery I ate about 4-5 hours later and took my stool softeners around 8pm again. I was taking colace at the time and took a couple more than normal. I made sure after I got home to drink plenty of water also. If you feel like drinking water on the way home, then that should be fine if you aren't feeling nauseous.

Thanks Tim;
I'm suspecting it may not take me as long as some others because of the bariatric surgery I had, my insides are different. The majority of my small intestine are by-passed so it a pretty direct shot to the bowels.
Also the reason I chose (among other things) to proceed with surgery. Because of the malabsorption, I produce more waste than normal folks compared to the amount I eat, so I needed to give this area the best chance to heal.

Thanks, Dawn. I'll keep that in mind. Quick question, would it make sense to have a cold-pak with me or ask for one (or an ice pak) to apply on the way home to perhaps limit the swelling? Or am I over-thinking it?

Hey Jo,
Yeah Hon, to be honest you're over thinking it, Lol. I did the same thing!!:)
You can just start the ice when you get home. You shouldn't be feeling any pain or swelling and riding in the car with ice against your butt won't be that easy. It'll be fine til you get home. Just lay down in the car and stay off your butt as much as you can.
You should get post-op instructions from your CRS after surgery. As it was mentioned before, don't put the ice directly on your skin! I can't remember exactly how long I was told to keep it on but it was something like 15-20 minutes then leave off for ?? minutes.... I may have the post-op instructions somewhere around here and can let you know, but I'm pretty sure they will tell you all that.