Bowel Prep?!

Ladies, I've been reading a lot about bowel preps. What is this all about? I haven't been in for my pre-op appt. yet. I have surgery next Tuesday.
Can someone clue me in on this, and does everyone have to do it? I'm scheduled for a TAH.

Thanks so much,

Lillee

Imagine if you had a "flush" lever, like a toilet has, installed on your abdomen...

It's stuff you drink that completely empties your digestive tract. It can help make laparoscopic surgery easier, 'cause if your intestines are empty, they are smaller, and give the surgeon more room to work. They can make things safer, too, 'cause if there's a nick in your intestines, stuff doesn't leak out, and it can be repaired easier. Or so I've heard.

The two kinds I've heard of around here are magnesium citrate, which is a little bottle of stuff you drink in one shot (I think, I haven't done that one myself), and GoLytely, which is 4 liters, drunk in 8 oz doses, every 10 minutes. Not delicious, but not disgusting either.

I had to do the GoLytely kind. (Also lovingly referred to as GoLikeH*ll or GoHeavily.) The idea with it is that is empties you out without messing up your electrolytes or dehydrating you. The results are pretty dramatic, and you don't want to make any plans that evening. But I never felt sick or crampy with it. Once it's done its job you feel pretty normal - I was able to sleep fine, and function the next day pre-surgery, and didn't feel like I'd had the flu, for instance.

My doctor told me to just have fluids only (no solid food) for 24 hours before taking it. That's not generally required, but I'd sure recommend it. I think that's part of the reason I never felt "sick" with it. Afterward you stick to just clear fluids until after your surgery.

Sounds hideous, but really it's not so bad.
[Edited by HorseWoman on 12-13-2000]

Hi there. I'm just over a week post-op, & did have to drink THE GREEN MONSTER (Mag Citrate). It is about 8-10 ounces or so, carbonated, very bitter (they had cherry flavor available at my pharmacy, as well, but opted for the lemon). I have read COUNTLESS horror stories about this stuff, so was prepared for the worst. My surgery was at noon on Tuesday; I was instructed to drink it at 3:00 in the afternoon on Monday. (A little aside here -- I began subbing 1-2 meals a day with a smoothie from Jamba Juice the week before surgery, hoping it would add as a "pre-cleanser" of sorts, so my experience may be different from someone who was eating normally) I didn't find the stuff that horrible at all -- it took about 3-4 hours before anything happened. I had several trips to the bathroom (maybe 6-8), a little of the burning sensation that you experience with diarrhea (which I handled with some diaper rash cream), & a peaceful night's sleep. The next morning, I had been instructed to use an enema & a Betadine douche, so I felt pretty darn CLEANED OUT!

Definitely recommend the clean-out, whichever method you opt for it can only help the situation. I did the Golytely and started it a 4pm the day before surgery. The directions said to start at least 4 hours after your last meal. A friend of mine who is a nurse said that if I only got through half the gallon it would probably be enough and that was really about all I could stand. Sure enough 5-6 hours later all that came out was mostly clear fluid. My doc didn't require it, I opted for it and she even said afterwards that I had bowel sounds back quickly and it was a good idea to do it. Also you won't have to deal with that first BM after surgery right away.
Look at it as a good way to start fresh!
Best of luck to you,
Maggie
SAH for fibroids Dec 1st
"The path will wait while you remove the stone from your shoe"

My doctor didn't have me do any sort of bowel prep, but I voluntarily only took in clear liquids for 36 hours prior to surgery, to make sure I was "empty"! Good luck!

One kind of bowel prep that wasn't mentionned, but is often prescribed by doctors, is the fleet enema. Usually its a little bottle of liquid that is administered directly in the rectum and which produces and almost immediate cleansing action. I just did this one an hour 1/2 ago and was really dreading it. But it wasn't that bad, and the effect is almost immediate (2 to 16 minutes, or so the bottle said - was more like 30 minutes, still not as bad as spending several hours in bathroom - which is what happened with the green bottle )

There is also an oral kind. Someone metionned it here, and I saw it at the store.

Day Before Surgery

Clear Liquid Diet - NO RED JUICES

1 PM 1 and 1/2 fluid oz of Fleet PhosphoSoda mixed with 4 oz water followed by one full 8 oz of approved clear liquid.

3 more 8 oz. glasses next 2-3 hours

6 PM 1 and 1/2 fluid oz of Fleet PhosphoSoda mixed with 4 oz water followed by one full 8 oz of approved clear liquid.



I am wishing for the M o M and the Fleet Enema already :-(

My bowel Prep Orders!

Liquids only day before surgery


2 fleet enema's evening before

10 oz bottle of Magnesium Citrate

YUCK!

Do you think he is trying to tell me I'm full of sh**?LOL
[Edited by lifino on 12-14-2000]

That's something you might want to mention to your doctor, or at least to the admitting department. I asked admitting when they called the night before my surgery, as my doc had said nothing about it (I would have know nothing about it at all had it not been for being at this site!). She checked and sure enough, I should have been ready to have one.

I was given a Fleet laxative (not the enema, thank heavens!). I said to my hubby, hey, how can this one little bottle of stuff do that much damage? My hubby (whose had this junk before) grinned and said, you'll find out! And did I ever! I spent half the night getting up. It wasn't that painful or..er...explosive...but when it comes, you better be near a toilet! My DH, of course, innocently asks in the morning, so, did you get up in the night? Smart alec!

Anyhow, I would check with someone to be sure, sometimes I guess in the paperwork, etc. done to get you in, they might overlook it and heaven forbid they cancel you surgery because you didn't have an empty belly!

Well, I went for my pre-op appt. yesterday and the doc said she wanted me to do the golytly thing plus a fleets enema She was impressed that I came in so well
informed so I bragged about this wonderful website and all of you greaat sisters! She also asked meif I would like to have a spinal because I would recover faster and have less bleeding. I said YES!!! Going "under" has been my only major fear. She said she is also going to use some kind of special leg stockings to help protect me from possible blood clots. She seems to be very thorough and I feel like I'm in excellant hands! Not only hers, but God's. too
Thanks for all your info,

Holly (Lillee)
4 days to go