Casco Bay Surgery

Bowel Preparation for Surgery

Hospital:

Date: Time:

Arrival Time:

Goal of Bowel Preparation

To clean out your intestine of all solid material. This allows us to do your surgery more easily and with a lower chance of infection.

Five Days Prior to Surgery

No aspirin or aspirin-containing drugs (such as Alka-Seltzer) or blood thinners (such as coumadin). These can cause you to bleed during or after the operation. Continue to take all of your other usual medications unless instructed otherwise.

One Day Prior to Surgery

1. Clear liquid diet as soon as you wake up: water, clear soups, broth, Jello, Kool Aid, coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, fruit juices without fibrous material or pulp. DO NOT eat or drink milk or milk products. No alcohol.

2. Start drinking one gallon (or one liter) of Colyte at 9:00 a.m. Drink approximately one cup every 10-15 minutes until the gallon is gone. This causes watery diarrhea that will clean out your intestine thoroughly.

3. Nothing to eat or drink after midnight.

Day of Surgery

1. Nothing to eat or drink the morning of surgery. You may take your usual medications with a sip of water unless instructed not to. 

2. Give yourself a Fleets enema one hour before leaving home for the hospital. You should buy the enema at any pharmacy in advance.

If you have any questions or problems, please don't hesitate to call us.