Question:
what to bring to the hospital
My surgery is in 2 weeks. What should I bring to the hospital? What should I have ready when I come home? — cuppaloopy (posted on December 13, 2009)
December 13, 2009
make sure you have your chapstick at the hospital. a small fan is also a
good plan. your slippers are a good idea for walking the halls and feeling
as comfy as possible. for coming home you wanna make sure you have some
protein, isopure drinks are good for when you come home initially. i hated
the taste of it alone so i got crystal lite singles in the flavor of the
isopure and put that in there and honestly i had no problems at all
drinking it then. i also got a little glass measuring cup to use for my
drinking glass. looks almost like a shot glass but will help to keep you
on track w/liquids. i didn't like protein shakes when i moved to that
level so i used protein pudding. i cheated and made it in the blender.
remember while you're in the hospital to use your pain pump so you can get
up and get moving. makes a world of difference. you don't have to go far
just make sure you're moving some. it'll go well i'm sure. good luck.
— Julzizhr
December 13, 2009
I had to attend a 3 hr pre-surgery class. We were told not to bring
anything to the hospital. They were right. Everything was provided.
Johnnies, bathrobe, bootie slippers, toothbrush and paste. You might want
a hairbrush. And yes, use your pain pump every chance you have. Didn't
have pain and that is why. I had surgery on a Thursday and was home
Saturday.
Once you get home you will need several things. Protein powders, small
measuring cups, pudding, applesauce, broth, tea, pill crusher, and an empty
detergent bottle for needles if they have you using injectable blood
thinner at home. Pudding and applesauce are great to put crushed pills
into so the taste is masked.
I am 5 days post surgery and have not had that "full" feeling yet
but am being careful. Have some soreness but not intolerable. Most
abdomen discomfort seems to be gas. Best of luck on your upcoming surgery.
— Cynthia T.
December 13, 2009
I also just returned home on Saturday from having surgery on Thursday. The
others are right on with what to take to the hospital and what to have on
hand at home. The only other thing I would add is taking a comb/brush for
your hair. It made me feel more "human" when I was out walking
the halls. I also packed just basic makeup to put on the day I came home.
A word of advice for the post op test to check for leakage of the new pouch
and attachment -- BE SURE to ask for something for nausea before you go
down for the test. That stuff you have to drink is NASTY!! I don't know
that I could have gotten it down without the Phenergan beforehand. But
YMMV. ;)
Also, I found that the crushed medications will go down MUCH better when
mixed in with a medicine cup full of yogurt. There was just something
about the consistency and flavor of the yogurt that makes it palable. You
can ask for a supply of medicine cups when you're discharged. They sent me
home with a couple dozen 1 oz. cups and about the same amount of larger 4
oz. and 8 oz. plastic cups.
— Mountain Mama
December 14, 2009
thank you all for this. I am scheduled for a VSG at the end of this month,
and getting a little antsy. I will have my pre-op with my surgeon this
thursday, so now I have a list of questions to ask. Thanks!
— pshock
December 14, 2009
All of the answers are correct. My friend told me to wear the hospital gown
so I wouldnt get blood and gunk on my good sleepwear. They had a toothbrush
and toothpaste. The only thing that ever came out of my bag was my
hairbrush. I had a very bad hospital experience and had to ask for
anything. As I was leaving the last day with my gown and robe on, they gave
me a container of crushed ice and that was the best thing they did for me
at Vanderbilt. I took my crocs because I wear them everywhere and they were
great for walking the halls.I wasnt even given a bath or shower while there
and I couldnt eat the broth they brought. Use your pain button. My could be
pushed every 6 min and that helped. Best of luck. Suzette
— suzette N.
December 14, 2009
All good advice - please bring a pillow or 2 - if for nothing else than the
ride home - every little bump in the road is going to feel like a canyon!
And make sure you take pain meds right before you leave so you are as
comfortable as possible. Plan on loose, stretchy waist pants for the first
while. No matter what - sip, sip, sip and STAY hydrated - you don't want to
head back to the hospital because you didn't drink enough! If water doesn't
taste good, try 10 Calorie Vitamin Water, Crystal Light, low cal Gatorade,
Skinny Water, SoBe Zero anything w/o calories & carbonation just go
easy on caffeine. I'm 3 months out and I live for crushed ice in my drinks
- I'm a regular at Sonic, because they sell their ice by the bag - yes its
strange to pull up and only order 4 bags of ice, but have you read their
menu? Thank God they didn't open until AFTER my RNY! lol Good luck to you!
OH - if you have EVER had nausea with anesthsia - tell them ahead of time -
they will medicate you from the start with anti-nausea meds - this saved
me. I have had uncontrollable vomiting after every general anesthsia
procedure - I got quesey a couple times (they promptly gave me more meds)
but I made I never threw up. I can't imagine what it would have been like
without the anti-nausea meds!
— Diane324
December 14, 2009
I had major itching as a result of the anesthesia...my son brought me a
back scratcher that I would have paid $100 bucks for! After that, I was a
happy camper. Yes, bring lip stuff too.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 14, 2009
Along with everything else people posted for you to bring, is the less the
better, but DON'T leave home without a pillow for your abdomen. You will
need it for the ride home when the driver doesn't see a pot hole in the
road and hits it, you will hit the roof. That hurts. So hold the pillow
over your stomach while driving and press down on it to hold everything in
place so you don't jar your stomach. This helps a lot. I was in one day
and out the next day, so I really didn't bring much. You can always have
someone bring you what you need, but don't plan on being in there more than
one day.
— Kristy
December 14, 2009
I had my surgery 5/29/09. I took the normal stuff such as toothpaste,
toothbrush, change of clothes, slippers, hairbrush, mouthwash. I really
wish I would have taken chapstick with my because it was much needed the
day after. My lips were so dry they hurt. I really don't remember what else
I took with me.
When you come home, be sure to have broth, sf jello, water, crystal light
packets. Pretty much everything you'll need for the 1st 2 weeks post op.
Also, I don't know if you'll have this problem, but I needed to sleep on my
couch. I couldn't sleep on my bed. It was near impossible for me to get
comfy. You may also want to keep an extra pillow and blanket on your couch
for post-op as well.
Good luck! :)
— Nina15137
December 14, 2009
The hospital I stayed at gave me a blanket to hold on my stomach. It was
super plush and thick and I couldn't feel any bumps. Well maybe it was the
blanket or the pain meds I requested 5 minutes before I left who knows. lol
— Nina15137
December 15, 2009
Hi... I brought my slippers, my pillow, my cel phone, something to do in
case you can't sleep and there is nothing on tv. *** See how your pain is
before you start putting yourself on the morphine.... I never had to touch
it. the morphine will put you in LA LA Land.... ******
Each person threshold is different. I had surgery at 10am, was walking
around the nurses station by 8:30 that night. and that was only because I
had to stay in recovery cause they didnt have a room for me yet. I would
have been up way sooner. You'll be fine.... At home, sugar free popsicles
are the bomb... and taste sooooo good.
— MarthaJ0110
December 15, 2009
Post OP question: Were you restricted from climbing stairs when you arrived
home? What other activities were restricted? And if there were no
restrictions on climbing stairs, were you comfortable climbing stairs? My
bedroom is on the second floor, there are 13 stairs.
— Ascrappy
December 19, 2009
For the question about climbing stairs -- I was told I could go up and
down stairs as long as I wasn't carrying anything up and down the stairs in
my arms. My laundry room is in the basement at the house and I didn't know
if I'd be able to climb steps before I went to the hospital for my surgery
so I made sure it was all done and caught up beforehand. Today -- 9 days
out -- I did laundry but had my son bring everything up out of the dryer
for me to fold and iron.
— Mountain Mama
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