LAVH: Bowel prep...only an enema?

I was just reading some of the tips for your care after surgery and I kept reading about the bowel prep. My doctor only said to do an enema. Nothing more. Did anyone else get away this easy? Am I missing something?

I'm supposed to have a LAVH but it might be abdominal if it doesn't fit.

Thoughts?

Oh and it seems I need to get some new underwear, a night gown, pillow pet and a grab nabber. Good to know!

You need to follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. Different surgeons want different things so please do no more and no less than what your instructions are.

You are lucky it's just an enama. Drs do vary a lot in what they require. I never got special undies or pillow and did fine, and some ladies prefer PJs. So if budget is tight, you might want to wait and see for those. Good luck with your preparing.

I only had to do an enema. I dreaded it but it was nice because it was over quickly.

As for the other things, I didn't get any and was good. Best of luck to you.

Out of all those "extra" things, the only one that I found necessary was the grabber. I did get some "granny panties" but could have managed without them.

New nightclothes nice but are not necessary, and I was advised not to bring my own nightclothes to the hospital, since the gowns there, while not pretty, have easy access for things like IV lines which are necessary. Besides, hospitals are full of germs, and they do provide a gown, stretchy panties to hold the pads, slippers with non-slip soles (well really more like socks with non-slip soles) and when I wanted to get up and try walking, they brought me extra gowns to use as a robe and prevent any "flashing"

The pillow pet is a cute way to have a small pillow handy; if you are the kind of person who likes stuffed animals you might want this, if you are not, any small pillow will work as well, I just used one of the neckroll pillows from my bed instead.

I wish you an uneventful surgery and a smooth recovery

As for the hospital things. I got a new bra I needed one anyhow then also got some slip on shoes and will get some new undies also something I need anyhow.

I too only have to do an enema although I have been taking some stool softened and also trying to drink more water to keep things easy coming out.

I just wear hospital gowns but when I come home I figure I might get one night gown just in case. I usually wear a second one backwards and then no one can see your rear. Also with my last surgery they gave me some of those gripper socks. No need for slippers either.

I forgot about the underwear. The ones I wear now go right nestle right in my section scar. If I end up with an abdominal it will be in the same spot. I didn't think about it because after my section I had the giant granny panties anyway.

We have a few pillow pets in the house so I'll just bring one along and if I need it I have one. I never thought about the grabbers though. My mom is staying with me afterwards and she said something about not bending over and I blew it off. I might need to think twice about that now.

When my I had my last endo surgery I complained to my doctor about the enema and he laughted, "Just be glad I didn't make you do the full clean out." Fair enough! I'll take an enema over a total clean out any day right?!

ETA: I'm not worried about a bra. I'm pretty flat chested so that's a non-issue. I can go without no problem.

Every doc is different. I had DaVinci total hysterectomy and was only asked to do an enema the night before. Not fun because I had never done one before but as mentioned, it was over in a hurry.

As for what you need, I bought some el cheapo big cotton panties but I would have been fine with my regular ones. The hospital had some of the disposable ones so I wore those for a couple of days just in case of spotting, which has been minimal. A panty liner is more than sufficient so far.

I did like having a sleeping bra at home because I am 34g and if I am lazing around in my pajamas or comfy clothes, I need some support and if I have to open the door for the UPS man or a neighbor stops by, I have a modicum of modesty in place.

I did not get a grabber.

I liked having a nightie because the first few nights, my pajamas and sweats were not very comfy. Only one pair was loose enough and had a high enough waistband. For a few days I rotated the nightie and that one pair of sweats.

The most important things I think you need at home--stool softeners, prune juice, Smooth Move tea, ginger ale, soups and other light meals/snacks, a hot water bottle, an abdo binder or some very snug yoga pants that support the belly--and of course some DVDs, Kindle/Ipad, etc. something to keep you occupied when you are not able to move around a lot.

Do not get constipated, not even close, stay ahead of that and prevent it at all costs. Pain killers cause constipation and you don't want that, better imho to error on the bit too loose side for the first few days.

Good luck and congratulations!! I am 3 weeks post op and feeling great.

In lieu of, or perhaps in addition to a nightie, a loose dress like a maxi dress or a t-shirt type dress that hangs loosely would work. I was living in my slimming tummy control yoga pants for about 2 weeks and I loved them.

I went today for my pre op stuff and they gave me a special soap to use the night before and morning of.They took blood and had me pee pee in a cup ask me 1000 questions and then said your ready to leave.I said what about a bowel prep that said nope your Dr doesn't do that.I was like YES thank you so much.I guess Im one of the very few to get by that easy.