Bowel Preps

I bought two Fleets enemas today, to use the day before surgery, but only because one of the RNs I work with recommended it. No one has mentioned a bowel prep to me. I'm wondering if it will be enough?!! I have my hospital preop visit tomorrow and my preop visit at the doctor's office on Tuesday. Surgery is Wednesday morning. Should I prepare by bowels in any other way? I've been taking a stool softner for the last week, because I'm constantly constipated with the second to third degree rectocele I have, anyways. And that's not working worth a darn. Any suggestions preoperatively?

Michelle M. - three days and counting

If no one has mentioned a bowel prep, then maybe it's not required. Not every doctor requires one. It was never mentioned to me and I was not given an enema at the hospital. They will let you know at either your hospital preop or your preop at the doctor's office if this is required. If you have a problem with constipation, you really need to mention it to your doctor. Believe me, it will not get any better after surgery. All those pain meds will slow you down and you will not be able to leave the hospital until you pass gas.

Hi,

Hopefully by noone mentioning this, maybe it means you don't have to do the bowel prep. Great if you don't. BUT I would definately ask my dr. because noone said anything at my pre-op at the hospital about such thing but my dr.'s office had told me a 10 oz. bottle of mag. citrate. So, PLEASE ask!!!

I had a bowel prep and was prescribed Go-Lightly (there is nothing lightly about that stuff). Not everyone has a bowel prep.

I would check with your doctor.
Good luck.

My doctor told me that while some Dr's don't require a bowel prep, it can actually make for an easier recovery. I don't know about you, but I can take marathon poop over a harder recovery any day of the week! Especially with your constipation, call your nurse, or if your Dr. has a 24 hour nurse on call, ask them. They are wonderful, and can help you get a jump start on your way! Good luck and God bless!

Please DO NOT do any type of bowel prep unless specifically instructed to do it by YOUR DR.

DRs all have their preferences about this, and to some extent it is also influenced by what type of surgery you're having and what they expect to find in there. For example, if they anticipate problems with bowel adhesions, they'll want to have you do a more involved prep than if they don't.

Doing a bowel prep can cause you to become dehydrated. If your DR is unaware that you're doing one, you can endanger yourself. If your DR finds out at the last minute that you did a prep when it wasn't ordered, your surgery can be cancelled - it's happened before.

For my hyst, I had to do one Fleet enema the night before and nothing by mouth after midnight, that's all. Then last year, I had colon surgery... I had an elaborate two day long prep involving no solid foods at all and drinking two big batches of Fleet Phospho Soda plus taking lots of antibiotics...... by the time I got to the castle for the surgery I was very dehydrated. However, the DR anticipated that (the prep was necessary because they were going to be opening my colon), and he had me show up an hour or so early and get on IV fluids so I'd be well hydrated by the time I got to the OR. Then a few months ago I had breast surgery; no prep at all, just nothing by mouth after midnight.

Please ask your DR what your pre-op instructions are... and good luck with your surgery!

s,
-Linda