List of items to take to hospital
I know this is long, and some items may not be needed, but thought I would share. I found this on a profile and thought it was great.
What I'm taking to the hospital:
toothbrush and toothpaste
wear sweats to the hospital and wear home
baby lotion (the smell of it is very soothing)
hair brush/comb
antibacterial hand cleaner
scrunchie for hair
sandals with velcro fasteners (I hate slippers) or thongs
sleeping socks (I like my tootsies warm)
pair of shorts to wear when the foley comes out
pull-over shirt that I modified with snaps down both sides (I don't like wearing hospital gowns)
chapstick or lip balm (post-op your mouth will feel full of sand and lips will be very dry)
The Enquirer and other rag mags
your eye glasses and case
notebook and pen
child's sippy cup
CPAP machine (if you use one)
a few dollars for the phone and TV deposit
address book with all my phone numbers
ladies bring sanitary protection or if you forget the hospital will supply you with pads, but they won't have the sticky strip to keep them in place
if you think you'll have a hard time wiping yourself after surgery, you can go to a dollar store and invest in a pair of tongs or a large wooden spoon to wrap the toilet paper around. It might save you an embarrassing moment with the nurses. It inexpensive and later you can just chuck it
if you are always too hot, check beforehand to see if you can bring a portable fan or if the hospital will provide one for you
I brought a disposable camera so I could take before pictures and after
I also made up a paper to give the nursing staff when I'm taken to the floor. You'll be asked to give those medical history questions again so I gave them this:
It has my name, age, BMI, DOB, SSAN, height, weight, address, home/fax/cell/work phone, work address, e-mail, religion, blood type
Spouse info: name, work title, work address, home/fax/cell/work phone, e-mail
List of all my doctors: Primary care, bariatric surgeon, gastroenterology, pulmonologist, cardiologist, ob/gyn, ophthmalmologist, otolaryngologist, orthopedic. Include all addresses and phone/fax numbers
List all of your medical conditions
List all drug/latex/tape/food/dye/seasonal allergies
List all current medications, what dosage, when you take your pills and on your surgery day annotate what drug you took and when you took it
List all your over-the-counter (prn) medications and any vitamins and herbs you take:
List you surgical history: Type of surgery, date of surgery, surgeon(s), place of surgery
Other hospitalizations: Reason for admission, date of admission, place of admission
Immunizations: List any you have had, date of immunizations
Childhood diseases: List which disease, date of disease
List recent diagnostic test: Type of test, date of test, who performed test and place of test
List other diagnostic tests: Type of test, date of test, who performed test and place of test
Other: List if using a CPAP machine and its setting. You will have to bring it to the hospital
Very last entry in big bold letters: I HAVE AN ADVANCE DIRECTIVE
Marla
Marla, that is one impressive list. The last item is really pretty important. We should all have advance directives in place. We should have a health care surrogate who knows what our wishes are in case we can't answer for ourselves.
Thanks for the list. I'm off to buy an Enquirer NOW so I have one ready!! HA!!
Pre-Op Jan
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