Did your Dr. Require you too..........

follow a regimen the day before and the day of surgery? I haven't heard anyone talk about any requirements except the 2 week liquid diet. Well my Dr. don't require the two week liquid diet he just require you not to gain any weight within those two weeks. He does have other requiremetns though,  the day before surgery around 1pm  I am to take magnesium citrate (liquid laxative). Then I have to take 1 Avelox pill one day before surgery. I have to wear a transderm patch behind my ear the night before surgery and keep it on the next day. I have to take a shower with Hibiclens the night before and the morning of. After I take my shower I cannot use anytype of lotions or perfumes. I have to take a nexium at 9pm and one at 11pm the night before surgery and I have to take Reglan 2 hours before surgery.
Was this required by your Doctor.

My doctor had me do a 10 day liquid diet.  On the last day of the liquid diet (the day before surgery), I could only have clear liquids.  At noon that day, I had to take magnesium citrate.  I think I wasn't allowed to have anything 12 hours before the surgery (though I can't remember exactly).  I had to take a shower the morning of my surgery.

Good luck!!

i had to go on liquids 14 days before surgery. Do the magnesium Citrate at 4pm the day before surgery and nothing by mouth after midnight. All that other stuff sounds kinda crzy to me..but every doctor has his/her own requirements.

Not really.. I was on a required very low-carb solid food diet a week before surgery just to de-slick the liver.. The day before surgery I was allowed to eat whatever I wanted for dinner, provided I had NPO by 10pm as to allow the stomach to be completely empty by the time I got the OR (I had surgery in the early afternoon). He doesn't do a bowel prep as they are not going anywhere near the intestines and he feels that can add to post-op gut motility issues?.. I can say mine started gurgling the evening after surgery (they come in to listen and make sure the intestines are waking up) and I had a normal BM a few days later. I was given an antibiotic to take the night before as well as a sleep-aid. Every doc has their own protocol it seems..

I have to do a lot of the things that you are doing.  My surgery is on Wednesday morning, so I am doing the 2-days of clear liquids.  (after 2-weeks of the liquid pre-op diet, that is to shrink the size of your liver so that they can move it out of the way to do the surgery.  It also makes the surgery safer.).  I think everyone has to do the Mag. Citrate.  I will do it tomorrow afternoon.  They told me any time between 12 and 4.  So, I am going home at 3 PM tomorrow and doing it.  Don't want to do it while at work.  No food or water after midnight, tomorrow night.  Don't have antibiotics yet, but they will probably start them with an IV when I get to the hospital.  I will have them when I go home.  Wasn't required to do the shower, but I will.  It helps prevent infection.  Don't want lotions, so that tape can stick to you properly.  The nexium is for prevention clots.  I will have injectable anti-clotting agents at the hospital and at home.  I also have been off of my estrogen for a month, and will not start back up until a month after surgery (also to prevent clotting).

Each doctor has their own procedure.  You should follow your doctor's instructions.  If you have any questions ask him/her.

Nexium is for heartburn, GERD, etc, NOT clot prevention. That is coumadin. And you'll probably have the inflatable stocking things while you're at hospital. They're annoying but hey, certainly no biggie compared to throwing a clot! Trust me, I've had them.

Even when you shower with the Hibiclens at home, they are prepping you at surgery too, not to worry.

I didn't consider any of the preop instructions either not doable or silly, I feel that having this surgery is a privilege that only a few of us can afford to do and by God, I was going to do EVERYTHING they asked me to.

People go without food every day. People go without shelter and showers every day. I knew that I could survive this gift of surgery.

Like Nike says, just do it. ;-)

Woops, I miss-read that.  For some reason, I was thinking of naproxin. 

I actually liked the inflatable stockings, weirdly enough! The compression was comforting to me for some reason, I dont' even know. Early on my third morning in the hospital (they kept me 2 nights) the nurse offered to take them off but I didnt' want to just yet. I'm in the minority, I think!

I didn't have to do the mag citrate since they didn't do anything with my bowels. I was told in our pre-op class that that is only for RNY patients. I would double check if I were you!

Thanks for the replies. I guess every doctor is different. Seems like no to programs are exactly the same.