What were you happy to have with you at Hospital - ThinnerTimes

Upnorth · 03-20-2008, 07:40 AM

What were you happy to have with you at the hospital or on hand at home after the surgery? What if anything do you wish you had brought with you to the hospital or had on hand at home for after?

Just trying to get prepared for surgery on the 24th... I'm a planner and this is throwing me for a loop! Thanks for your helpfull tips

fisher1000 · 03-20-2008, 07:52 AM

I didn't need all the stuff I took. The main things I needed were:

Clean Underwear
iPod
Chapstick
Toothbrush

You can wear the clothes home that you wore when you were admitted. They will give you shower stuff. If you want a book or anything, take it...but I couldn't really concentrate to read.

Hope this helps!

-Mike

soon2bthin · 03-20-2008, 08:02 AM

Like Mike said toiletries are provided. Chapstick was a lifesaver for me. It just seemed like I stayed so dry. I honestly was happy to have my hubby stay with me in the hospital. The first couple of days I felt pretty crappy, but the second two I was glad to have him there to talk to and keep me company. He was a huge help as well. I didn't have to call the nurses for every little thing. I did all my shopping to have everything i needed at home post op. Hope this helps. Good luck with your surgery.

Cassie

Olusha · 03-20-2008, 08:28 AM

I did sleep a lot, but otherwise felt fine in the hospital. Glad I brought a book and my laptop...slippers too.

Vim&Vigour · 03-20-2008, 08:35 AM

Hej Upnorth Planner!
As you are a planner, I assume you to be female!
Good questions!

FOR THE HOSPITAL
Definitely a vaporiser: Evian mineral water spray - to help combat dehydration the first 48 hours until you can drink.
wet wipes and hand cream,
a cellphone and contact telephone numbers
a pashmina/shawl for keeping it soft around your neck, smells of home, is yours, keep it across your shoulders for added warmth and elegance
a bit of lipstick for perking you up.
a good hairbrush to freshen up every now and then
a menthol mouth spray for feeling of freshness and before visitors
a room fragrance (a few pumps after a longed for fart!)

FOR HOME
soup poured into ice cube tray
water with lemon juice into ice cube tray
new book(s)
spaced out appointments for manicure/pedicure
after a few weeks out an appointment for a hairstyle/cut
invitations to friends for dinner (bring your own)
have friends over for coffee (rather than meals)
thank you notes/stamps at the ready
something nice planned for you and your partner

Good luck and enjoy the journey!
Cheers,
Vim

cnvh · 03-20-2008, 09:11 AM

I could not have survived at the hospital without Chapstick... but then again, I NEVER leave the house without Chapstick, so this was a no-brainer for me.

Bring (or wear) a set of loose, comfortable clothes for the ride home. Also, bring at least one pair of some kind of sweatpants/pajama pants/baggy shorts to wear at the hospital for walking around-- they'll probably want you to keep the hospital gown on as a top, but you should be able to wear bottoms, which will make your necessary walks around the unit MUCH more pleasant (no chance of mooning!). And bring an extra pair, just in case your incisions "weep" a little-- that happened to me, and my PJ pants got a big old nasty stain on them-- gross.

Also, bring a good pair of slip-on shoes (Crocs) or slippers with a tread, for walking around the unit.

If you bring reading material, don't make it anything "brainy," because you'll be in and out of it a lot and probably won't be able to concentrate well. Magazine(s) would probably be better than a book.

Bring your toiletries-- when they finally let me get a shower the day after surgery, it was pure heaven-- and I'm glad I had my own soaps, shampoo, etc.

To be honest, there really wasn't much I needed at the hospital besides this-- most of your time will probably be spent taking frequent naps (I don't say "sleep," because there's no such thing as a good night's sleep at the hospital), walking, and watching TV. I don't remember being bored-- I just remember thinking the whole time, "what I wouldn't do for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep"-- but nope, the nurses are in poking and pricking and squeezing and prodding, every hour or two. Ugh!

soon2bthin · 03-20-2008, 09:14 AM

I also took my own pillow and blankie. I never travel anywhere without them. They seemed to may what rest I did get more peaceful as well.

Cassie

cnvh · 03-20-2008, 09:29 AM

As for what to have on-hand at home:

--A variety of bandages, including medical tape, gauze pads, and the biggest Band-Aids you can buy. I used these to keep my weepy port site (the one right where a pants waist-band would rub) covered.

--A thermometer (duh)-- you should check your temp at least once or twice a day for the first week you're home.

--SMALL containers for eating and storing food (I found some little 3-oz containers by Rubbermaid; they were perfect), also baby spoons-- for forcing yourself to eat tiny bites of food.

--A sample of some different kinds of protein supplements-- don't stock up on something you like pre-op, because you might hate it post-op. But keep some options on-hand.

--Some broth and SF jello/pudding/etc. (Again, you won't need a lot-- don't bother buying BJ's/Sam's Club sizes!) Some people like SF popsicles; I stocked up on them but never liked them post-op.

--FF dry milk-- you can add it to lots of stuff to add protein and calcium, and it keeps forever.

Dayanara · 03-20-2008, 10:11 AM

I was thankful for magazines. I was passing in and out of sleeping for the first while that my concentration was not good enough for a novel, I would forget what I had just read.

I picked up 4-5 of the latest magazines and just went through those.

Also having music was great too.

Corrine · 03-20-2008, 10:36 AM

Did anyone mention Chapstick!

My own pillow is about the only other thing I can recommend as being really useful. Great in hospital but a blessing to cuddle on the bumpy ride home.