Before Your Colon / Rectal Surgery

• If you take a beta blocker, you can take that the day of surgery with a sip of water. For all other medications, please ask your prescribing doctor on what to do.

• If you are on a blood thinner (or you are told to take aspirin by your doctor), this is typically stopped 1 to 7 days before surgery. ASK YOU PRESCRIBING DOCTOR HOW LONG TO HOLD YOUR BLOOD THINNER PRIOR TO YOUR PROCEDURE. 

• If medications change before surgery, call the Edward Hospital PAT department 

• REMINDER: Bring a Medication List and if you are Diabetic, check your sugars before you arrive   

• Please call (630) 646-8129 with any questions that you may have regarding these instructions between hours of 8:00 am-6:30 pm Monday through Friday. 

1. Milk of Magnesia
2. Dulcolax (oral or rectal tablets) - you will need 4 tablets of this
3. MiraLAX - 238g bottle (if doing Option 1 below)

3 Days Before Your Surgery

• Follow a soft diet (see below for more information on a soft diet). Continue this until surgery.
• At bedtime: Take a dose of Milk of Magnesia

2 Days Before Your Surgery

• At bedtime: Take a dose of Milk of Magnesia 

The DAY Before Your Surgery

• 10 am: Drink only CLEAR LIQUIDS starting now
• 2 pm: Take 1 tab Flagyl (Metronidazole) 500 mg tab and 2 tabs Neomycin Sulfate 500 mg 
• 3 pm: Take 1 tab Flagyl (Metronidazole) 500 mg tab and 2 tabs Neomycin Sulfate 500 mg. Start to drink the entire 238g bottle of MiraLAX. Mix the  bottle with 64 ounces of liquid (you can use Gatorade). You can mix it all ahead of time or do it as your go along. You can mix and match liquids as you would like as long  as they are clear and not red.     You need to finish all of the MiraLAX by11 pm.
• 4 pm: Take 4 tablets of Dulcolax (oral or rectal)
• 10 pm: Take 1 tab Flagyl (Metronidazole) 500 mg tab and 2 tabs Neomycin Sulfate 500 mg
• Nothing to eat or drink after 11 pm.

On the Morning of Surgery

• 3-3:30 am: Drink the 2nd 12 oz Gatorade (no red Gatorade and no low sugar 

                     Gatorade) with 1000 mg Tylenol and your morning prescribed home medications

3 Days Before Your Surgery

• Follow a soft diet (see below for more information on a soft diet). Continue this until surgery
• At bedtime: Take a dose of Milk of Magnesia

2 Days Before Your Surgery

• At bedtime: Take a dose of Milk of Magnesia 

The DAY Before Your Surgery

• 10 am: Drink only CLEAR LIQUIDS starting now
• 2 pm: Take 1 tab Flagyl (Metronidazole) 500 mg tab and 2 tabs Neomycin Sulfate 500 mg 
• 3 pm: Take 1 tab Flagyl (Metronidazole) 500 mg tab and 2 tabs Neomycin Sulfate 500 mg 
• 4 pm: Take 4 tablets of Dulcolax (oral or rectal)
• 6 pm: 1st Suprep:

1. Pour one 6-ounce bottle of SUPREP liquid into the mixing container
2. Add cool water to the 16-ounce line on the container and mix
3. Drink all the liquid in the container
4. Drink two more 16-ounce glasses of water over the next hour

• 10 pm: Take 1 tab Flagyl (Metronidazole) 500 mg tab and 2 tabs Neomycin Sulfate 500 mg
• 11 pm: 2nd Suprep: Repeat steps 1-4 as above. Nothing to eat or drink after this time except a sip of water with medication if instructed to do so.

On the Morning of Surgery

• 3-3:30 am: Drink the 2nd 12 oz Gatorade (no red Gatorade and no low sugar 

                    Gatorade) with 1000 mg Tylenol and your morning prescribed home medications

 CLEAR LIQUIDS include: Water Clear fruit juice without pulp (apple, white grape, white cranberry) Lemonade (without pulp) Clear broth Coffee or tea (without cream) Sports drink (not red, purple or blue); brands include Gatorade, Powerade, All Sport, etc. Carbonated soft drinks (7UP, sprite)  

SOFT DIET Includes: Non-alcoholic beverages, any Soft breads and rolls, crackers, cereals (must not have seeds, nuts, dried fruit, avoid coarse bran cereals). Cakes, pudding, (must not have nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or coconut). Fruit juices, cooked or canned fruit, banana or other ripe soft fruits without seeds. All lean, tender meats, poultry, fish Eggs, mild cheeses. Potatoes, white rice, pasta. Soups made with allowed foods from this list. Hard candy, seedless jams, chocolate, are all allowed  

HELPFUL HINTS: You may add crystal light lemonade to the laxative prep. We recommend adding it one glass at a time. It is better to drink the prep quickly-try using a straw. You may suck on hard candy or chew gum between glasses.