help!! surgery this wednesday and took an ibuprofen!

[ec82]

ugh!!  i think i might've done something horrible!  right now, i'm waiting for a call back from a nurse on call after business hours for my doctor/surgeon's office about this, but i'm scheduled for a laparotomy to remove my dermoid cysts this wednesday at 11:30 and a few hours ago, around 2pm, i took one 200mg ibuprofen.   thing is, at my pre-op meeting with a nurse on this past wednesday who got my history, she gave me a card explaining the day-before-surgery stuff and the NPO after midnight instructions.  i have never got from my dr. nor from the pre-op nurse, any list of things to avoid during this week before surgery.   i took an ibuprofen to kill my headache i had this morning, and got paranoid, decided to look it up online, and it seems most sites from hospitals/surgical practices show a week's period to avoid taking NSAIDs while some sites suggested 3-4 days, which maybe would put me in the clear?   don't have my doc's phone # (shes only available during office hours starting tomorrow morning).  i'm terribly worried about this!!  

[Totie]

I had a laparotomy done almost a year ago. I did not have to follow any special diet.

Now afterwards I did get on Miralex due to it will be painful on having BM at first. Make sure you have a small pillow that you will be able to press against  your stomach.

I only stayed two days in hospital but was off of work for about 6 weeks. Please be sure NOT to do anything like lifting, twising, driving. Please be very careful.....and rest up.

[ec82]

thank you thank you thank you so much!  i feel a lot better after reading that and i just called my doc, or the nurse who arranged my pre-op appointments rather, and she said that it was ok but asprin was the most important thing to actually avoid since it's a blood thinner?    

now i'm sort of wondering what to do with this bowel prep business.....  i might have to call them back, asking if i should stick to a no fiber diet or a mild diet today/2-day-mark-before-surgery, and do the clear liquid diet tomorrow?   i was reading some other surgical sites today....  and some sites, such as colonoscopy procedure sites, recommended a 2-day clear liquid diet :T     some sites even recommended not eating metamucil or popcorn a week before surgery (and to avoid dairy but stick to mild foods?)?    i usually eat fiber at work, here, and the reasoning in my head is that maybe since fiber is slowly digested, it might not be good to have my fiber one yogurt and fiber bars i like to snack on at work before i start the prep tomorrow?  i was prescribed two doses of these pills to take tomorrow afternoon...

[Totie]

I have had many surgeries and have taken aleve, tylenol, advil, & motrin nights prior to them. (Not all at one time of course). They did not tell me or ask me if I had taken anything, and there was not a problem, BUT, not everyones body is the same.

I did not have any issues.

[MarieMichele]

You should be OK.  Nobody even mentioned the medicine ban prior to my own laparotomy.  I just had to go on a clear liquid diet (coffee or tea with NO creamer would be clear liquid) the day prior and no food or water (or medicine) starting at midnight the night prior (roughly 12 hours prior to surgery).  They asked what prescriptions I was taking (none) and I just mentioned I would take Advil, aspirin or Tylenol when needed. Nobody told me not to take them, just to not swallow ANYTHING in those 12 hours prior to surgery.  Stomach must be completely empty for a successful surgery.

Clear liquids are juices like apple or cranberry juice, but NOT orange juice (it has pulp).  Other clear liquids are water, soda, Gatorade/athletic drinks.  No milk or cream or any other liquids that coat a glass or that you cannot see through, that have fruit pulp or dairy or cream in them.

Don't take Advil again but you should be able to take Tylenol until the day before surgery if you have a headache.

[Jennyrose]

Hi there! I got very conflicting info from the pre-op nurse and the doctor's office. I was told I could take Tylenol by one and the other said "no". Think of all the people who have emergency surgery, or who are waiting for surgery but in pain and take pain meds which may have Tylenol or other NSAIDs. I would certainly tell them, but make it clear it was only one and you shouldn't have any problem. I had a migraine the day of my surgery and had to make it to 4:30pm with the nausea and extreme pain. Usually I take Excedrin. That was really a rough day. Fortunately, bowel prep was not required for me. I hate that whole procedure.... When you call them tomorrow, ask for specifics again and take notes!! I wish you the best.

Jennyrose

[ec82]

and to add, i never even got instructions on what to {NOT] eat the day before surgery, this tuesday, when i'm having my bowel prep at home...only on friday did i find out that i was to be on clear liquid diet (sorry if this sounds dumb-- this is my first time with surgery and i have to say, my experience with my doc and her nurse, and the pre-op nurse, has been really disorganized)