how long after surgery does it take to pee?

I had a bilateral hernia repair by keyhole surgery done on September 19. I was told I had to pee before they would discharge me. I was down as a day patient and had the operation at 9.30 a.m. I managed to pee at 6 p.m. but it wasn't easy to relax and my bladder area felt tense. Much improved after a day or two.

I had double open hernia surgery. The doc told me if i didn't pee by midnight on day of surgery, I had to come back to the hospital to have a cathader inserted. I wished myself to pee by about 11:30 PM. It was my biggest fear. It was tough to relax the bladder. Pain of standing hurt so bad that I almost cried, but peeing didn't hurt one bit.