bowel prep in hotel?

I am scheduled for a dVTH on 4/18. The hospital is a 90 minute drive from my home and I have to be in the hospital on Monday morning at 7. Leaving monday morning to be there on time, with traffic risks is not an option, so I've reserved a room in a house on the hospital grounds for the night before, and for my sister to stay while i'm in the hospital.

So this is my practical questions. I'll have to do the bowel prep on Sunday, which involves a liquid diet, taking tablets and doing an enema. If I start with the tablets on Saturday evening (I think that is the instruction), will I be able to bridge the 90 minute drive to the hospital without "accidents"? Or should I do everything at home, including the enema and leave for the hospital late Sunday night after everything has been eliminated?

Also, I've never done an enema. How practical is it to do that in the hotel? Would I be better off doing it at home? Where do I get the supplies for that?

Insights and advice highly appreciated.

Fiddlebanshee, aka Jo.

From personal experience, I think I would do the bowel prep in the hotel as you don't know how long it will take to get "it" going, for one, and two...you may be pooping for a while. I didn't start my bowel prep until 4pm the night before my surgery because I had to be cleared by my cardiologist and he got stuck in procedures. Definitely wasn't going to start BEFORE seeing him, I had to wait. So I came home, drank bottle number one and pooped until at least 10pm. THEN I was supposed to do the enema, but by now it was midnight, I had to get up at 5am to get to a LOCAL hospital...I didn't do the enema (doctor said no problem but husband teased me about it on the way to the hospital - same husband who wouldn't do the colonoscopy until his doctor gave HIM a hard time). Even on the way to the hospital I was still pooping...not much...but still pooping little pieces and the stuff you have to drink. Even stopped in the hospital lobby to poop. Sheesh! So my suggestion is to get where you need to be and then do your pooping. The worst part of the bowel prep, to me, was just drinking the stuff, so take along a "chaser" (I used apple juice). Then bring stuff to do, watch TV, etc. Every now and then you will go "oops, time out for a poop", and then you go back to what you are going. You can do an enema in a hotel room, but not sure you really have to. I had my colonoscopy the following year and an enema was not even required! Go figure!
Anyway, good luck. It will all be fine!
Kim
LSH 6/2007

Just pack along your Tucks wipes and your A&D. Shouldn't be a big deal. Good luck.

I started my pre-op bowel prep at 3pm thursday afternoon, before my 10am davinci on friday. We had over an hours drive into chicago to the hospital, but by 10pm thursday night, i was passing "clear". I drank all 4 liters of the bowel prep that my oncologist prescribed for me, tasted like salty lemon water. Took about 30 mins to start working...continued drinking 8ozs every 15 mins like prescribed. I had nothing further by mouth after the prep drink. And was fine with the drive into the city.
I really did not have anything else by mouth until out of the recovery room and into my private room. DH had ice chips waiting for me. Which helped alot...and i gradually worked my way into room temperature water, and cranberry juice. Sipping the entire time.
You should be good doing it all in the hotel room. Shouldnt take more than 8 hours to clean you out.

the enema will be fine in a hotel, no worries
good luck

I did my bowel prep at work today. I figured the day would "pass" quicker at work. I warned people not to get in my way. I just had to do two bottles of mag/citrate, much better than go-lightly that I used before for colonoscopy. It is 7:30 and still pooping some brown, hopefully it will turn clear soon, if not tonight I am sure it will be fine by 11:30 tomorrow.

I am so glad I found this support group, I thought about a therapist, but it was too hard to get scheduled this quickly. My husband is totally non supportive. He shared my plight with his brothers and then I had to explain to his brother and SIL what was going on. It was so emotionally draining!

Just use pads to catch the poop, kind with wings work good, much better than cleaning upholstery.

I did my bowel prep in the hotel room. Worked out fine. We live an hour away from the hospital and given that surgery was in January and early in the morning, we weren't going to risk bad weather and roads.