YIKES!!! I HAVE A SURGERY DATE
Congrats -- WOW -- really soon!!! For my LD, I did jello, crystal lite, protein shakes, and broth. The best broth EVER is Mrs. Grass with the golden egg. Strain out the noodles and the broth is fantastic -- but it had to be Mrs. Grass -- the Lipton was awful~~~ Bring your own pillow and if you have a favorite blanket -- bring it too. Chapstick is a must and your favorite lotion. And other stuff like special face soap you might use, tooth brush, shampoo/conditioner, etc. I just wore the hospital gowns because I didn't want to have any "fluids" stain my own -- I used them when I got home. The slippers they give you are the sock type with anti-skid bottoms -- if you don't like those, bring slippers too. Good luck!!!!
Fitness is not about age or a size -- it's really about an attitude and life style!!!
Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments that take our breathe away~~
Congrats on getting your surgery date. The things that I loved having the most while I was in the hospital were:
My own blanket, Chapstick, and slippers ( do not like socks too hot). This is really all that I needed I brought alot of stuff I did not use. Best wishes,
"You can't love if you don't love yourself"
It’s different for everyone,
But-
There Are certain things that I was
Grateful that I had at the hospital and
At home upon returning.
I’ll just spill out a mixed list of these.
Take what you want, and ignore the rest.
(a lot of folk say- “forget about it!” You won’t use a 5th of that crap!”
And probably not….Just stuff I found useful…)
At the hospital-
The typical toothbrush, hairbrush stuff, and-
The Fan (A oscillating Fan, not an admirer.)
And Chap Stick are tops of My list.
Small CD or tape player (I-pod) with headphones
And the music that makes you dreamy or happy.
Some even suggest ‘ear-plugs’ to block out all of the hospital noise.
Baby wipes also head the list as do those-
Dental sponges for washing your teeth
Withou****er or toothpaste, while you are NPO. (this is only for some)
Brush-Ups? And another brand
That I can’t remember the product name,
But they were great.
While you’re at the hospital “snag-up”
Some of those little 1oz pill cups they always bring your meds in.
Back at home they are instant measuring devices.
I also brought a couple of extra pillows from home,
Propped them under my arms at the elbows.
Don’t think I could have slept, even on the morphine without them.
On my last trip to the hospital
I had one of those little soft “bean bag pillows”
I don’t know the name, but Wal-Mart sells them.
They feel wonderful.
Go ahead and get a “baby spoon” too.
I know it sounds ridiculous,
But when you first start having even “cream soups” and yogurt
You want to make sure that you are taking insanely small bites
And the baby-spoon does help in that.
Get the rubber coated baby spoon.
Most of them are that type anyway
And when just home from surgery, any “metal taste”
May gag you. Everything tasted like old pennies
To me when I first started having full liquids.
And some of the small Glad disposable
Tupperware-like containers for your return home.
Once you move to yogurt and cream soups,
You might not be able to use up a full container in a day.
I’d just plop a can of tomato soup into the container,
Take out the large table spoon of it to put in a bowl,
Add the water to the bowl and throw it in the microwave.
Put a date on the lid of the Glad Container and pop it in the fridge.
That way I wasn’t re-heating the same
Thinned down soup again and again.
And I also knew what I should eat
Before I opened another can of something.
A large heating pad was helpful at home.
The hospital would not let me use my own,
But they provided one.
Don’t “stock up” on any food item that you think
You will use, because your sense of taste
Will be screwed up, and something you think you
Like now, may taste like crap Post-Op.
Also "reading" is pretty much out the window.
Many find that they don't have the attention span
To make it through a cartoon let alone a book chapter.
Rent some funny movies for when you get home.
Anything that keeps your spirits up and helps the time pass.
There will be that sticky residue from the tape for your IV.
I was in the hospital for quite a while, so it became an issue.
Those fingernail polish remover pads worked great.
Just make sure to wash the site thoroughly after
And use some good Moisturizing Lotion,
The acetone in fingernail polish remover
Can really dry out a patch of skin.
I’ve seen people recommend just Baby-oil,
But it didn’t do it for me. Could have been the arm hair.
Most recent- WD-40!
(a Men’s Board addition- experts with tape gum stuck in hairy arms!)
The SF Popsicyles were wonderful,
So was the SF Jell-O.
The most important thing to take to the hospital however,
Is an advocate.
A spouse or family member
Who can see to it that you are getting excellent care.
Those poor nurses are run ragged going from room to room,
And even when you have the best floor staff in the world,
Typically understaffing stretches them thin.
Having some one there to ask-
“The pain meds for this room were due
And were asked for 20 minutes ago,
Is there something that could be done to expedite this?
“Is the Dr. on the floor yet?
“There seems to be some new redness and swelling
Around the IV site. Could you come look at this?
The bed dressing in this room wasn’t changed
This morning as it usually is, is there someone we should call?
Someone who is CALM, Rational,
And Who loves You!
Is the greatest thing to have at the hospital.
You will then be more than a blinking light on the panel
To a staff member who is already facing a row of them
And each case may be a life and death situation.
Once home, I was very happy to have rented a large
Recliner! Without it I’m not sure I could have slept.
Foot Scrub. Yes, An exfoliating Foot scrub lotion/cleanser.
My skin was beyond dry once I got home.
It was as if my feet were trapped inside of 2 or 3 layers of dead skin.
Nothing felt as good as getting all of that dry dead skin off.
As the first couple of weeks wore on?
A hand exercise, Stress reliever ball.
A little “squishy” rubber ball that I would squeeze while watching TV
Or anytime. It gave my fore-arms exercise and in fact,
These little devils do relieve stress.
At night I was thankful for my sleep aids.
I had asked my Dr. for something
To help me sleep back at the hospital
And he had given me Benadryl. It helped me to sleep and it
Counteracted the maddening itch caused by the Morphine.
Once home, I was able to have a Benadryl
At night and fall softly off to sleep.
I used a “sports bottle” to get in my sips of water,
And I never left it out of my reach for the first 4 months.
Oh, ---New battery in the TV remote!
OK that’s everything that I remember
Being Grateful that I had.
I’m sure others will have others….
Have a Great one!
Best Wishes-
Dx
