Question:
I see so many people advise pre-ops to bring fans to the hospital with them.

I am usually cold. That has been the case especially since I had pneumonia last spring. I nearly froze to death in the hospital then. I was so thankful they had heated blankets. Does everyone feel overheated in the hospital after WLS? Should I prepare for that or just assume I will be my usual cold self and not bother with a fan. Thank you for any advice you can give me.    — Julia O. (posted on September 18, 2001)

September 18, 2001
I am usually hot. I was so thankful to have the small fan my mother brought for me. Without it I would have been miserable.(I live 3 hours from the hospital!) My suggestion is to bring it anyway. Better to have it and not use it, than wish you could be more comfortable.
   — Mary H.

September 18, 2001
After hearing the advice over and over, I took a small fan with me to the hospital. (I'm three weeks post-op). It was a life saver! Most of my body was fairly comfortable, but my legs were miserable the first day because of the inflatable compression stockings. They are plastic and VERY hot. So, I had the fan blowing on my legs and that helped a lot!
   — Denise C.

September 18, 2001
I came out of surgery and found a fan already on me. The hospital I was at provided fans to all of its WLS patients. Maybe you just want to give them a quick call :)
   — CarolG

September 19, 2001
...I've never heard of a hospital that allows patients to bring in their own electical appliances...like fans....and I've been in the health care world for over 20 years. Any nurse worth her pay check would immediately confiscate the fan and hold it until the patient was discharged. I've never heard of anyone feeling over heated after wls, many people feel cold and if that's a problem, don't hesitate to ask for extra blankets. Hospitals are generlly kept pretty cool...that's why nurses almost always have sweaters or sweatshirts on.
   — [Anonymous]

September 19, 2001
I did not need a fan at all during my stay, and used a light blanket at night. My husband brought a fan with him, and kept it on constantly (he said it was a life-saver!). We were in the same hospital, so it was definitely a difference in our personal metabolisms, not the air temperature at the hospital. To the anonymous poster - I checked with the nurses about my husband's fan, they showed me where to plug it in safely. -Kate-
   — kateseidel

September 19, 2001
I bought a battery operated fan that didn't work. So it wouldn't have needed to be plugged in but then again, it didn't work. I was VERY hot after the surgery and would have been much more comfortable with a fan. I did ask a staff member if we could do something to cool down the room and all she did was open my door. They might try to keep hospitals cold, but in the summer on the higher floors it can get hot.
   — kcanges

September 19, 2001
I recently had surgery and I had flashes of HEAT and then times when I was freezing. People would walk into my room and said that it was an icebox yet I was just about comfortable. There was a temp control and normally I had it on high and set on 60-70. The nurses told me the hotness was sometimes caused by the pain meds.
   — Ilene M.

September 19, 2001
This is to the nurse that posted anonymously. I am an RN worth more than my paycheck and work on a telemetry floor that also has wls patients. I do not and do not know any nurse that takes away fans that are in good working condition. We believe in helping our patients to be as comfortable as possible to encourage optimal healing. I am also too busy caring for my patients, getting meds, educating, calling MD's, charting, and looking for little things like preventing pulmonary embolisms, etc..., to be the fan police.
   — [Anonymous]