Osmoprep or bowel prep day before surgery?

[TheButterfly145 9]

Let me preface this post with - I am talking about the bowel cleansing prior to surgery, those with a weak consititution should probably proceed with caution... I'll try to be less than graphic whereever possible.

Ok, so my surgeon had me fill a prescription for Osmoprep that I am supposed to take the day before surgery in order to 'cleanse my system'. It's a full on regimen of pills that have to be take every 15 minutes or so with a bunch of clear fluids. Since I will have been on the full liquid diet for two full weeks prior to this I am not expecting it to be TOO much of a problem (since I won't have much that is solid left inside anyway.)

Has anyone else had to do this, been told this or gone through this? I have been planning on working the day before my surgery and need to know if that is a HORRIBLE idea or if I should be ok doing that. If I have to arrange to work from home so I am closer to a restroom then I may do that. I don't want to be caught in a bad situation at the office because of this stuff!

Thanks to anyone for your advice!

[Leslie 14]

Ummm...... I am shocked that you have to do that. I had a prep for o colonoscopy once and I would NOT work. You will not be feeling your best cause your stomach will be cramping somerthing awful!

I think I am glad I don't have your surgeon

[Disney 20]

I didn't have to do a prep before surgery but I did a few weeks after surgery which was HELL. When you can only sip, it's hard to drink all that nasty stuff. I didn't have to do the pills, though.

As for the cramping mentioned above, I didn't have it at all with the Suprep that I had to take. I'm not sure how fast the pills will work, but the liquid was immediate. At what time the day before do you have to start taking the pills? If it is at night, you will be good. I had to start drinking my stuff at 6 pm the night before.

Good luck to you! Sorry you have to do that, but you are right, you won't have much to lose if you know what I mean! My Dr. required 3 weeks of liquids after surgery so I didn't have to go much either!! Thank goodness

[TheButterfly145 9]

The instructions are to do it at 7am the day before. I'm a bit worried that I will be a complete miserable mess all day that day. Did anyone have to do a colonoscopy before surgery as part of preop?

[Disney 20]

The instructions are to do it at 7am the day before. I'm a bit worried that I will be a complete miserable mess all day that day. Did anyone have to do a colonoscopy before surgery as part of preop?

Ohh, that changes things! Wow, I just don't see how you will be able to work. I mean it will be possible, but you are right, you will be pretty miserable. But it can happen. Like you said, you won't have been eating much, so maybe you will be like me and not need to run to the bathroom but a few times and be done with it.

I thought you meant your DR had you doing this as a prep for surgery like some drs make you do all liquids a few days before, I didn't realize it was for a colonoscopy. I wonder why he wants to do that. I have never heard of that before VSG surgery.

[TheButterfly145 9]

I haven't done my preop yet, scheduled for Monday right now. I was just wondering if maybe the osmoprep was for that instead of for before surgery. However, I just read my paperwork and it definitely says to do it the day before surgery. Not forma colonoscopy. Weird.

[TheButterfly145 9]

I just got more information...

My surgeon's office said that the osmoprep does need to be done the day before surgery and that you HAVE to be home (in order to prevent any unwanted accidents). However, they said I can adjust and take at 2pm when I get home from work and then take the rest that night. On the paperwork I got it says to take some at 7 am and some at 7 pm - so now I get to wait and take at 2 pm and then at 10 pm with Clear Liquids only. I'll post again once I've been through it, just in case anyone else has to do this as well...

[Rootman 1,101]

Boy this seems to be overkill IMHO. It seems you should be relatively clean of most bulk by now with the liquid diet. I was told to take a couple of laxatives the day before. The issue with surgery is that a LOT of things have a tendency to shut down for a while after anesthesia, that and with sitting around pretty much motionless for days afterwards tends to clog the pipes. It's painful to be constipated, being constipated after surgery just adds insult to injury.

I'd go ahead and do it at the later time the doc suggested and be ready to feel pretty miserable (I almost said crappy but that was too much of a pun). When this stuff works you get explosive diarrhea and it feels like your insides are going to turn inside out and exit your bung hole.

Don't forget to sip a LOT of Water after surgery too, you need to keep hydrated and need to flush the remnants of the anesthetic out with the urine.

[myrori 55]

I had to drink a bottle of something from the store that was like 2 dollars, Magnesium citrus ? It is right in the laxative isle. The direction on the bottle was to take 2 oz, my instructions were to take the whole bottle. It was nearly as awful as I had imagined it was going to be.

[TheButterfly145 9]

Probably magnesium citrate - it works in a similar fashion to the Osmoprep and I assume you were pretty miserable drinking the whole bottle! Talk about CLEAN on the insides!

[kellyw74 258]

that is weird! I only had to do 2 tbs of milk of mag. it didn't even make me go! I was glad!

Sorry that you have to do so much!

Kelly

[carrierae 0]

I also have to do the osmoprep. I have to do mine 2 days before and then only Clear Liquids until surgery. Good times! Please update me. I am also planning on working until day of and want to know if that is actually possible. Thanks!

[TheButterfly145 9]

I called the doc to ask them if I would be able to work and they basically told me that I would be "risking the possibility of an unfortunate accident" which to me means - DON'T DO IT!!

They said I could wait until later in the day to take the first round of doses and to take only clear liquids with and after the medication. I am pretty nervous about doing it since even light laxatives make me horribly miserable. When is your surgery? I'll keep you posted on what happens with me.

[myrori 55]

Probably magnesium citrate - it works in a similar fashion to the Osmoprep and I assume you were pretty miserable drinking the whole bottle! Talk about CLEAN on the insides!

Actually NO. I kept waiting for something, then I called my daughter who had to take it for her bypass and she said she felt nauseous from it and it she made a bunch of trips from it, but there I was 3 hours later and nothing.

I think I went like 3 times and it was over. liquid diet for two weeks? Perhaps that is why,,, but I can tell you before and after whey protien produces stool on its own and constipation!

[medmgr 4]

Wow - this is a completely new one on me, I had my pre-op on Wednesday w/ surgery next Tuesday and I was upset about the fact they are inserting a foley catheter (yes I will be asleep ... but still, they will come take it out the next day when I am awakel!!!).

I have had a colonoscopy before, and I had to drink citrate of magnesium AND a gallon jug of saline like Fluid 8 ozs at a time every 15 minutes - at about 2/3 the way through I felt like I was going to throw up every time I had to choke down another glass - but as far as the cramps and the restroom went, it really was not too bad. I hope it goes easy on your system.

Good Luck :-)