LAVH: Prep for surgery

My surgery is scheduled for next month. I was wondering what type of prep to expect the day or morning before surgery? Enema? Fasting for how long? I know the hospital will tell me when it gets closer but I'm curious now.

My prep was very simple. Eat lightly the day before and nothing to eat or drink after midnight. My surgery was at 7:30am. What you will discover from this site is that there are vastly different preps, vastly different recoveries and vastly different restrictions after surgery. I did call my doctor's office to ask if I would need a bowel prep - the answer in my case was no. I would call and ask that way you will know. Best of luck with your surgery and I wish you an easy recovery. Despite it being major surgery, there are many of us who get through this with minimal complications.

Hi StacieNY-

The other sister is right... it varies widely from surgery to surgery and from doctor to doctor. You will get explicit instructions from your doctor and hospital.

For me, I was to eat a light breakfast and lunch, and then clear liquid diet after that (clear juice, clear broth, water, black tea/coffee without milk products, soda crackers, or jello). I did a bowel prep starting at 4 PM (my surgery was at 11 AM the next day). I did not have to do an enema, nor did I need to use antibacterial soap. As I am hypoglycemic, my anesthesiologist wanted me to PUSH fluids of both water and clear juice until 7 AM the day of surgery.

Each doctor will be different, but I am also LAVH and my doctor's office printed the instructions before I left their office that day.

I don't have "bowel prep" scheduled. I do have to eat lightly the night before, take colace for 2 days prior to surgery, and I have an appointment with my GP the week before for blood tests and a pre-op physical.

Two weeks prior to surgery, I am to discontinue all daily use of vitamins, herbal agents, aspirin and ibuprofen. (However he specifically told me that taking it here or there for pain is ok if tylenol doesn't cut it - just not daily use.)

I may yet be contacted with more instructions, as I am still over a month away.

Good luck with your surgery!