Preparation for Surgery

Within an hour of being admitted, I found out explicitly many of the details I needed to know about my impending bowel prep. After bringing in two huge jugs full of Go Lightly, the nurse gently told me that patients often experienced difficulty keeping the contents in their system long enough to complete both containers. She offered to put a feeding tube down my nose and throat if my body rejected the Go Lightly. That was all I needed to hear before I immediately resolved to welcome each and every drop into my mouth. Jessica pledged to help in whatever way would be helpful...teamwork at its best!


It didn't take long before we both decided the contents needed to be renamed. Go Lightly, Run Quickly seemed so much more appropriate! We spent the afternoon energetically focused on using whatever technique was helpful in keeping me motivated to reach my goal... praying, positive words of encouragement, counting time between sips, laughing, crying, cajoling. The final outcome was finally achieved, just in time for a nurse to arrive with two enemas. By then I felt as though I had a thorough answer to my earlier question about a bowel prep. I learned one missing detail before sunrise the next day when I was awakened to receive an antibiotic enema. By the time I went to surgery, I'm pretty sure that I didn't have many bodily fluids left.


Before leaving for the operating room, I shared a quiet prayer with Jim and Jessica. I continued to experience a deep fear and anxiety, so upon saying my good-byes, I chose to visualize a white healing light of divine energy resting on my shoulder. This visualization filled me with a peaceful feeling that ran throughout my body. Even though I was entering into the unknown, I was at peace. What an incredible gift to receive! After surgery to remove the tumor, I learned they also had to remove a section of my bowel. Now I was thankful that I had entered the procedure with as "clean" a bowel as humanly possible. I felt like I had been prepared both physically and spiritually.