My surgery date got confirmed last week and now I'm spiraling a bit about the bowel prep part specifically since my endo involves the bowel. Everyone online says something different and my clinic's instructions feel vague. If your DIE involved bowel excision, what did your prep look like the day before and did it actually make things easier after?
I completely understand why u r spiraling about it 😞. With bowel endo, the prep can feel scary but basically the aim is to empty the bowel so the surgeons have a cleaner and safer area to work in. Usually the hospital gives a specific laxative/prep & instructions about when 2 stop eating & what clear fluids you can have, but it can vary depending on the type of bowel surgery planned.
I would honestly follow ur surgical team’s instructions rather than random experiences online, because one person's prep may be completely different from another's. I was anxious about this part too, but once u understand why they are doing it, it feels a little less scary. You have got this
The bowel prep was honestly one of the things I was most anxious about before surgery, especially knowing there could be bowel involvement. I remember having so many questions about what I could eat, when to stop eating and whether the prep itself was going to be worse than the surgery. I discussed all of this with Dr Jay Mehta before my surgery, and having the steps explained properly made it much less overwhelming. I’d definitely ask your team exactly what they’re expecting from your bowel prep because it can depend on whether a bowel excision is actually planned. The prep isn’t exactly fun, but knowing what to expect makes the whole night a lot less scary.
The bowel prep was honestly the part I was dreading way more than I needed to. I kept reading completely different experiences online and worked myself up over it, but once I actually did it, it was more the exhaustion and being stuck near the bathroom all day than anything else. I’d definitely ask your clinic to spell out exactly what they want you to take because the vague instructions would stress me out too.