Tips for surviving bowel excision op

[Starry]

Hey x I am due to go into surgery on 18th July for a bowel- cervix endo nodule and have a bowel prep the day before. All survival tips and advice greatly appreciated x

[Hidden]

You've done the bowel prep before, is that right? So you know what to expect from that. They will probably give you laxatives to bring home to take after the surgery (I had 2 weeks of movicol). Be warned that it took a few days for my bowel to get going again after the surgery and when it did it was very painful so make sure you've got decent supplies of pain relief. Other than that, it's one day at a time at first, and be as patient as you can. x.

[Starry in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Jo, no not had a bowel prep before. An enema when I did a sigmoidoscopy is as close as it got. Did you get by on OTC painkillers? How long did it take you to start to feel human.?

[Hidden in reply to Starry]

Sadly not on OTC, I had to go back to hospital for pain relief but they got it under control pretty quickly and it was fine. It took about a month for me to get back to sort of normal but I had a much bigger surgery so it may well be easier for you.

I didn't realise you hadn't had the bowel prep for your sigmoidoscopy. OK. I was always given moviprep, so I assume that's what you have. You need to follow a low residue diet for 2-3 days before you use the prep (basically no fibre so no fruit and veg but you can have white bread, white rice, eggs, cheese etc). It really helps if you don't get constipated during this and I was advised to up my usual dose of laxatives in the week before the prep. Something like lactulose or senna is fine and you can get both of these OTC. On the day of the prep I didn't eat anything. They will give you times to do the prep and tell you that you must follow them but there is some flexibility in this - I found that it worked better for me if I started the first dose earlier because it always took so long to start working. Once it gets going you need to be very close to a toilet as it's literally like water. Wipes and vaseline are helpful as you may get sore. I didn't find the taste particularly unpleasant (it tastes like sherbet lemons) so didn't chill it or drink it through a straw or any of the other things I read on the forums. You'll need a lot of fluid to drink with it. I recommend lemonade or apple juice (I drank litres of apple tango), whatever it is that you like, but get the normal version not diet. If they've told you to drink a second dose on the morning of the surgery it's important to do this as it will make sure your bowel is properly empty. Expect to feel very washed out and shaky on the morning of the surgery - this is the after effect of the prep and it's normal.

[Starry in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Jo. Picolax is what they have given me. Overall pretty similar instructions no fibre, fruit and veg etc. Going to be interesting, being a veggie on it!

Hubby said he'd do it too for solidarity, but I think he'll change his mind when he reads it!

[Fabbird]

I've done Picolax and I'm veggie. It's just like Jo describes. Given how washed out you can feel I suggest hubby doesn't do it too!

[Starry]

Lol Fabbird a bit above and beyond the call methinks. Bless him for the thought.