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Question about prep before surgery

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 1/30/2008 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
My surgery is booked for Feb.11th and I will have to take the prep. the day before at home. Just worried and need advice from anyone else that has had resection surgery due to stricture and had bad experience with the prep. The prep itself is soo disgusting as everyone knows! and I'm a bit aprehensive about drinking the 2 bottles of Citro-Mag. I was up all of last night in agony with cramps and vomiting, and I'm worried when I drink the prep it will be too much for my system to handle, and (everything) won't be able to gush through the narrowing? Just wondering what others experiences were like and if I should try and sip the prep drink slowly over an hours time like the surgeon suggested? Or just down the vile stuff with my nose plugged!? uggh...I'm dreading it. Thanks for any input..you guys are great!
Posted 1/30/2008 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
I just had a flashback reading your description of downing the vile stuff and I almost threw up! That's months later. I can't tell you how much I hate the stuff, and I've yet to find a solution on how to take it. Slow, fast, neither way works well for me! Maybe one day they'll actually create a product that doesn't feel like you're taking poison.

Good luck. Hopefully someone will come along with some advise -not just sympathy. (or in this case empathy -I can feel the effects with you -lol)

Bev
Posted 1/30/2008 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
I just had surgery done in September and I can not drink the prep stuff they give you. I was able to take pills prescribed by the doctor but I cannot remember what they are called, sorry. I will think of the name. I guess the doctors give their patients these pills to take to use before tests tht requires prep and surgeries. I am sure if you ask your doctor he will know. You will have to take like 20 tablets though. You can drink water though to swallow the pills. I think I even drank orange pop. I can not help you on the citro mag and how to drink it because I can not drink it.

Good luck on your surgery. I hope everything works out. Let us know.

Janet
Posted 1/30/2008 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Smile, if you're really worried about your prep (and rightly so) perhaps your GI or surgeon if you could change it a bit. I've
done both go- lytely and phospo-soda and I definitely prefer the latter. I know they all have their own preference, but if you
explain your fears, maybe they'll work with you. After all, if you throw it up, it's not going to do the job.....

Good luck for feb 11th.
Posted 1/31/2008 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
I prefer the bottle of Phosphosoda too. Its way less to drink and works just as well. Make sure its cold and have something like gingerale to drink afterwards to wash the taste away. Also the gingerale will help to settle your tummy. Good luck with your surgery. I will definetly keep you in my prayers.
Posted 1/31/2008 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
assuming it is the same prep for a colonoscopy as for surgery, my GI gave me 2 tricks that helped me last time I had to take the prep. I was already sick as a dog and not keeping down water, so I was very nervous about the prep. he suggested:
1. use sugar-free lemonade flavored crystal light. it won't hurt the prep and offsets the awful taste a bit (of course, now I can'tn drink crystal light anymore because of the association....)
2. sip it from a straw. I, personally, can only get the stuff down in small doses and my GI said that sipping from a straw limits the air bubbles you swallow, so that makes it easier for some people. may or may not be true, but hey I will tell myself anything to make it easier.

good luck!
Posted 1/31/2008 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
I just had surgery to remove my terminal illeum, right colon etc.  I did the osmo-prep tablets. It is a lot of tablets to swallow but you can wash them down with any liquid you choose.  I found water to be the easiest but that's just me.  My surgeon also gave me compazine tablets for nausea which helped a lot.  Like you I was already pretty sick and wasn't eating or drinking much at all for a couple of weeks before surgery.  I was so dehydrated by the day of surgery that when they asked for a urine sample, it looked like I  poured tea into the little cup. That kind of freaked me out but after some IV fluids it returned to normal.  I also had to take Neomycin and Flagyl three different times on the day before surgery to make sure my bowel was more bacteria free.  I was really worried about taking antibiotics on an empty stomach so the compazine really helped, keeping me from feeling like I was going to vomit.  You should also ask your anesthesiologist about a Scopalamine patch before they take you to the OR.  It is for nausea and works for 72hours before you have to remove it.  That was my biggest request to the anesthesiologist "please don't let me wake up sick and vomiting".  I hope your surgery goes well.  Keep us updated, good luck!
Posted 1/31/2008 4:42 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of your replies! I did ask the surgeon's office if I could take the pill form prep instead and they said this surgeon prefers the Citro-Mag because it gives the best results. I know I can get the dreaded stuff down...ughh...I can taste it already! But I'm more concerned about the strong spasms and all of the liquid trying to go thru the narrowing too much at once and vomiting stuff back up. Oh well...get her done!!! Thanks for the advice on the nausea patch, I have never heard of that before and will definitely be asking for that. 12 more sleeps to go!

Shelley

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