No bowel prep, but I have a bm question...

Just returned from pre-op and I don't have to do a bowel prep

However, I have what I think is a simple question, but do not know the answer. They want me to eat light right after surgery until my bowels start functioning normally again.

So my question is if I eat things like Jello, soup, etc. wouldn't that take longer for my bowels to get back to normal than if I ate things like oats, prunes and Fiber One bars?

I am deathly allergic to docusate sodium, a very commonly prescribed stool softener but am not above drinking as much prune juice as necessary!

Thanks for the help. Petrified of going to the Castle on Wed., but happy to not have a bowl prep.

Diana in OR
TVH 7/21/10

Eating light is a pretty vague term. I interpret it to mean avoid meat, fried food, maybe heavy carbs. Not everyone may agree with me. I think prunes and fiber are OK. Esp if you can't take colace. But your Dr may have some specific light diet ideas not like mine. I think if you know what foods get you moving, I'd go with them. Best wishes on your surgery.

Good luck. I'm going in on Wednesday too. Just had a pre-op with my doctor. Also told NO bowel prep. She even recommended going out for a nice dinner the night before because afternoon surgery often gets pushed back. Little worried but she has a good point.

Wishing you the best of luck.

For me, "eating light" meant bland foods. Not too much fiber (raw veggies and fruits, whole grains), which can actually irritate the system. Maybe some fiber would be a good thing, but especially if you're not used to it, a suddenly high-fiber diet could create more problems than it solves.

I ate some of my "comfort foods" like scrambled eggs, applesauce, pudding, mashed potatoes.... Just not really big quantities. Cereal also falls on the light menu most of the time.

I have never had any significant luck with stool softeners or laxatives. They just don't agree with me! I have found that drinking coffee and water, and doing a whole lot of walking, are just as effective. Keep moving and your system will tend to move better.