Mostly alone at the hospital what should I bring?

Hey Sher---I brought a bunch of busy work & books & my computer...never took anything but my cell phone out of the bag to text & that was it.  We have three kids & my husband spent a lot of time with them while I was in the hospital.  He did stay w/me the day I went into surgery & that entire night, but the next day I told him to go & pick up the kiddos from their Godmother's house so they could get back to their normal schedule. 

I agree that the Morphine (or whatever it was...such a fog) pump really was about all that interested me....lol....just waiting for that little button to light up so I could pu****!  Until that mean Dr. Houston came the 1st day after surgery & said I could be discharged & had them take the pump away.....sheesh! LOL!!!  But, really, I went in on Tuesday morning---had a 10:30am surgery----was up walking by 5pm that night--pretty far down the hall & back----the hardest part was being really thirsty & not being able to have anything by mouth for the first 24 hours.  The nurses bring you these sponges that you can wet & wipe your mouth with....that helps, but it's not a cure.

The next morning I woke up & they brought me clear liquids.  Forget about it. Oh, wait, I think I did have the popsicle & remember thinking that it was the best popsicle ever created....it tasted so good after having a dry mouth for a day!! But I gagged when I looked at the Unjury.....I stressed a bit b/c I was convinced I would get my 60-80gm of protein in day 1 & always....ha! Joke....nope, just try to stay hydrated....you will get the protein in soon enough.  And, the protein I bought for the hospital---Nectar in Fuzzy Navel---well, I loved it before surgery, but after (tastes change!) even the smell of it made me nauseous.  So, just try to go w/the flow & do the best you can. 

I felt no pain the day after surgery.....and Dr. Houston said I could go home the next day (Thursday) if I wanted to.  I did, of course, so he unhooked me from the pump on Wednesday & Thursday I went home.  Now, Wednesday night there was some silly stuff that happened.....I won't bore you with that---migraine, etc.....but, still, I was home in my own bed by Thursday afternoon.....I didn't really feel "pain"--just a little discomfort, until I was home a day or so......after about 4-5 weeks all the pain was gone & I was back doing everything I did before, pretty much.

So, I'd pack very, very light (because you won't feel like unpacking for quite some time) and enjoy your little mini-getaway!!!  The TV is enough to keep you entertained & you will really, really just feel like sleeping in between the nurses' visits!

CONGRATS!!!  Good luck! xo, Micheala.

You got it down pat Sher, a robe, slippers, chapstick, and maybe a pillow (if you don`t like the hospital pillows). The only thing I did when I wasnt walking or drinking was sleeping. You will do great,and we will all be praying for a fast recovery. It will be over before you know it.

I too spent alot of alone time in the hospital so my hubby could watch our daughter. she was 2 when   I had surgery (just turned 3 in April)  I liked the alone time. best rest I've had in a long time !! do NOT bring alot of stuff. your days will be filled with sipping/walking/sleeping. I lived in the hospital gowns.( didn't want to get any yucky stuff on my gown). just used my robe for walking. don't worry. you will be fine. the hard part is when you get home keeping little bodies off your tummy !!mine kept trying to climb up and bounce on mine !! ouch.  explain to her that your tummy is sore and please don't jump on it. . good luck and we will make some room for you on the losers bench.  

Hopefully your slippers are comfy and easy-on, easy-off.   Bending down to get into slippers isn't really fun right after surgery.   Be careful with the pillows - keep your own, preferably colorful pillowcases on them.   Otherwise, they might end up in the laundry and you'd never get them back.

I pretty much specialized in hitting the PCA button and sleeping whenever I wasn't up and doing something or walking.   That still sounds like a sound postop plan to me.

Hope everything is textbook-smooth and your recovery is comfortable.   Like mine.

Dennie