Enema info

Hi everyone! Just so I know I go in on the 11th of this month and the thought f the enema has given me many a sleepless nights! The advice I have read is do it 2-3 hours before sugery is this correct? And if so how do you know you have done it right and gotten EVERYTHING out, not only that I have only bought one enema is it true you are supposed to do a round two? Any info at all would be greatly appreciated! And congrats to all that have had it done and good luck to all that will!

Your doctor is the one who should advise you how many you need to do, and when you should do it if he has instructed you to do an enema. I had to do one the night before and the morning of. Those were my doctor's instructions. Do check with yours as not everyone has the same pre op instructions.

First of all, I want to assure you we all have to focus our fears on something. My doctor teased me, because I was worried about what flavor of jello they would give me in the hospital when she was concerned about possibly finding cancer (she didn't). As she said, "you will be fine."
If your favorite "worry target" is an enema, then you really have nothing to worry about. I didn't need it or any other prep before, though, so you definitely need to check with your doctor. Why put yourself through anything you don't need to do before the surgery?
I had a TAH less than 2 weeks ago, and have felt much better than I dreamed possible from day one. I have just taken motrin since 4 days post op! I did develop constipation right after the surgery though, and last Monday my doctor suggested an enema. I had read on this site that women found laying on their side on their bed, with several layers of towels under them, worked. Obviously I wasn't going to do it on the floor/ in the tub! That method worked and I was fine within about 10 minutes! It really was not bad at all, and I would have no qualms about doing it again if necessary. And, yes, I've been just fine in that department ever since.
Just try to relax (easier said than done...I was a mess) and before you know it you will be on this side! My prayers and lots of hugs are with you!

I had to take that nasty liquid (can't recall name) that cleans one out a lot. By the time I did the enema, there wasn't much left and only did it once. I had bought a two pack. Maybe if you drink that liquid, sold where the enemas are, it will help you so that you needn't have uch to worry about.

Again, do be sure to ask your own DR what you need to do, and do exactly what he or she says, nothing more and nothing less, even if it seems like a good idea or everyone here seems to have done it. When your DR sees you in surgery, he/she will assume you followed the instructions precisely; if you didn't, there can be problems. For example, overdoing the bowel prep can cause dehydration, and if your DR isn't prepared for it it can mean your surgery gets postponed. Similarly, skipping the bowel prep when one was ordered can lead to infection depending on what the DR does at the time of surgery - this is particularly critical when the bowel is being worked on.

For my hysterectomy, I only had to do an enema the night before. I had another surgery a year later for which I had to do two days of oral preps with heavy antibiotics; I was very dehydrated when I arrived at the hospital, but my DR anticipated that and had had me arrive an hour early and receive IV fluids before going into the OR.

Good luck with your surgery!

s,
-Linda

Thanks for the advice had to do an oral fleet and that would be the nasty drink sestra1957 I believe was talking about! Thanks again for the advice it really helped calm me about this issue!