Empty bowel before CT scan

Posted by jimbsmith @jimbsmith, Oct 1 10:06am

Suggestions on emptying my bowel before my CT scan. The nurse says this is very important. I don’t want to screw it up.

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Miralax early in the morning and small Enema in your pocket. Many of us carried them while going through radiation. Sometimes S doesn't happen and you get thrown off the table to empty your rectum. After a few weeks of hitting your rectum it doesn't respond on command. Told RO once I used one and he had issue with it. He asked me the next week if I had to use one and told him I wouldn't tell him even if I did. They might write a good plan and program but some of them are clueless in the rest of the process.

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I was told that a bowel movement in the morning before treatment was sufficient for SBRT (I did have a hydrogel spacer inserted before treatment) and that an enema was not recommended. My morning latte generally does the trick triggering a BM.

Now after therapy completed 2 days ago, I do a constant feeling of slight rectal pressure and more frequent soft bowel movements (with one episode of fecal leak today ☹️) but I am sure this is normal and will improve with distance from the immediate radiation effects.

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Profile picture for rbtsch1951 @rbtsch1951

I was told that a bowel movement in the morning before treatment was sufficient for SBRT (I did have a hydrogel spacer inserted before treatment) and that an enema was not recommended. My morning latte generally does the trick triggering a BM.

Now after therapy completed 2 days ago, I do a constant feeling of slight rectal pressure and more frequent soft bowel movements (with one episode of fecal leak today ☹️) but I am sure this is normal and will improve with distance from the immediate radiation effects.

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@rbtsch1951 Thanks A lot For The Information

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Hi I went to Memorial Sloan Kettering and they wanted for me to have clean bowels so the radiation will be put in the correct place, and the rectum is in the position it needs to be. Told me to take Metamucil every day in the morning and gas-ex in the evening and the morning of the treatments. Also needed to use Fleet enema in the morning before each treatment to ensure everything is in the correct place. While in the waiting room, it wasn't unusual for people having to clean themselves up again prior to treatment.
Fleet isn't anything like prepping for a colonoscopy. for the most part, put it in and within 1/2 hour you're done. It's really not too bad.

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Profile picture for tjv1156 @tjv1156

When I was getting daily radiation, I used to use the "deep squat" method. The simplest way for me was to lift the toilet seat, balance with hands , get my butt way down, and kind of lean back.

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@tjv1156
Please post pics / vids!

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Profile picture for tjv1156 @tjv1156

When I was getting daily radiation, I used to use the "deep squat" method. The simplest way for me was to lift the toilet seat, balance with hands , get my butt way down, and kind of lean back.

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@tjv1156 Did the same - but bought a Squatty Potty on Amazon. Same idea but my butt wasn’t frozen by the ice cold porcelain when I had to go🥶

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Profile picture for rbtsch1951 @rbtsch1951

I was told that a bowel movement in the morning before treatment was sufficient for SBRT (I did have a hydrogel spacer inserted before treatment) and that an enema was not recommended. My morning latte generally does the trick triggering a BM.

Now after therapy completed 2 days ago, I do a constant feeling of slight rectal pressure and more frequent soft bowel movements (with one episode of fecal leak today ☹️) but I am sure this is normal and will improve with distance from the immediate radiation effects.

Jump to this post

@rbtsch1951 Mine got so bad I couldn't make it 20' to the bathroom a few times. My rectum is somewhat destroyed. No prostate no spacer. They all say no enema but they aren't the ones getting thrown off the table.

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