What else?
okay guys I got my bags packed. The only thing not packed just yet is the laptop.
I got some socks, shorts, slippers, and underwear packed. The shirts are in the dryer. I have the mp3 player and PSP charged up and loaded. My toiletry kit is packed with my last two brushups, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, deodorant, shaving cream and my neosporin lip balm. I will pack a couple of movies to watch on the laptop also.
Is there anything I am forgetting, if so shout me up and clue me in. I will go to the hospital monday morning around 6 am. Maybe earlier due to a storm they are calling for hitting our area.
Shoot I even told my DOc at the physical yesterday that I would be by to pick him up if the weather was bad. He laughed and said he would take his wife's truck. ( I think)
That's great!
I think you have a good list there. I know everyone is different, but the laptop would so be the last thing on my list!
Make sure you have the oral care supplies and the lip balm. I don't know why, but this week I have now developed this weird oral health fixation and find myself brushing several times a day.
The one thing you may consider is a FAN!! Even though the temp was OK in my hospital room, I just could not stand the stagnant air. Fortunately for me, I was able to get a fan brought in to keep things circulating.
Good luck. Trust me that this weekend will pass faster than a bottle of mag citrate and it will be over before you know it.
i would bring only a fan and toiletrys ... ibrought all kinds of stuff but i never used any of it....you will be high from pain meds and when you are not dozing off you will be walking and trying to pee. then when you think you have time to relax they have to run a test or you have to use your breathing toy ... i have had major back surgey and rny.. i was in the hospital for 3 weeks with my bach surgery and i was in the hospital 3 days for rny..trust me if you carry all those things you won't use them and it will just be more to move back to you home with you after surgery...you think you will need these things now because you are thinking with a good mind...after the surgey you will be out there and you will have enough on you just to get used to the new you .. i know i felt differant right away....well batter up..good luck and we have been there.... it will be hard but keep your chin up and let us know if we can help because you get really down when you lose your best "friend food"... i would not take it back for the world... i feel so much better and so will you...
Total "Cut and Paste Re-Post" from the last few years
(skip it if it's of no help)
But maybe something useful in here....
"What to take to the Hospital and have at home After?"
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.
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.
[Lips will feel like Clint Eastwood's in "Good, Bad, & Ugly..."]
Small CD or tape player with headphones
And the music that makes you dreamy or happy.
Some 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"
Will gag you. Everything tasted like old pennies
To me when I first started having full liquids. (your mileage may vary)
And -
Some of the small Glad disposable
Tupperware-like containers for your return home.
Once you move to yogurt and cream soups,
You won't 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.
Don't worry about the baby spoon staining.
For some reason the soft rubber coated ones,
Stain at the touch of tomato soup.
Just wa**** with a little baking soda
And throw it in with the rest of the dishes.
It may look a touch dingy, but it's clean.
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.
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!
The SF Popsicyles ROCK!!,
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.
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 Monday!
Best Wishes-
Dx
Small CD or tape player with headphones
And the music that makes you dreamy or happy.
Some 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"
Will gag you. Everything tasted like old pennies
To me when I first started having full liquids. (your mileage may vary)
And -
Some of the small Glad disposable
Tupperware-like containers for your return home.
Once you move to yogurt and cream soups,
You won't 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.
Don't worry about the baby spoon staining.
For some reason the soft rubber coated ones,
Stain at the touch of tomato soup.
Just wa**** with a little baking soda
And throw it in with the rest of the dishes.
It may look a touch dingy, but it's clean.
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.
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!
The SF Popsicyles ROCK!!,
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.
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 Monday!
Best Wishes-
Dx 
I agree, bring as little as you need. I brought like 4 books and a bunch of magazines. The hospital didn't have a wireless or wired connection so the laptop wasn't going to be much use. 90% of the stuff I brought for "fun" or to occupy my time I didn't use. Just some movies and a little reading. Looks like you have the rest. Throat spray and lip balm are very important.
Most Active
Recent Topics
