Gut Motility + Anaesthetic ...

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'm having a GA in about a month. I am worried my guts are going to go wrong - my father ended up with a colostomy after a knee-replacement, and both he and I have IBS-style symptoms.

What can I do to make sure my gut motility doesn't go wrong? The op is an eye one, so I should be able to move around a bit afterwards, which will help.

I tend to have a high-fibre, lots-of-water sort of diet, and have no gut motility issues at the moment. Do I stick to high fibre before the op? Or will that make things much much worse?

What connects the GA with gut probs?

Opiates slow gut motility - this is why after a CS, they wait until you poo or fart before letting you out (generally).

GAs are worse than spinals for this sort of problem, unsurprisingly.

I told the consultant about my father's history and he said I almost certainly will have to stay overnight after the op.

I never really considered that!
If it's any help, i had hideous ibs in my early 20s and was no worse after GA.

My IBS is a lot better these days, too.

Anyone around with specialised knowledge this morning?