What do I take to hospital?

i found soft leggings and t-shirts the best.
as you need to keep moving.... my pj pants kept falling off...

and lip balm
and a non smelly body wash for the first day.... if your nausiated the sweet ones will make worse!!

I also think a bottle of bio oil. use on your face and neck to reduce the wrinkles as you loose.... i have lost all the laugh lines around eyes, and mouth and my forhead is smooth again look 10 years younger using it twice a day.

wendypicko wrote:

Thanks Lisa
Don't think i'll take a dressing gown but will put up with pj's not going out to buy nightie's as i just bought the pj's and i don't normally wear either, the pants have draw string so will loosen it off and hope for the best
Thx again

lol, you sound just like me, I dont wear anything so I bought 3 new nighties just for the surgery. I get all tangled in pj's

Thanks Lisa
Don't think i'll take a dressing gown but will put up with pj's not going out to buy nightie's as i just bought the pj's and i don't normally wear either, the pants have draw string so will loosen it off and hope for the best
Thx again

I didnt touch my laptop, magazines, ipod, suduko's, etc but I had complications & 2 lots of surgeries & didnt even turn the tv on until Day 8
I would still take them as most people recover well from the surgery & you might be bored.
Monitoring is mainly the 4 hours post op & then generally 4 hourly & the doctor usually only visits once a day.

I must go and check out Chemist Warehouse for the hoteeze! What a great idea!
Just wondering, I see in the list Magazines, laptops, dvd players. Is there alot of down time while you are there after op?
As a mother of 3 who is absolutely exhausted, I got butterflies when I read that. The thought of being able to read a magazine back to front excites me! lol
No seriously, is there down time or is it all doctors check ups and nurses monitoring etc?

Can I just remind you all that you will have drips and tubes and all sorts of things attached to you and an IV pole. Unless you plan on threading the IV pole through the sleeve of your jammies the best thing to wear is the hospital gown which has button up sleeves.
The less you take, the less you have to lugg home afterwards. Remember all the flowers you'll get, and you get to take your leg massagers home too. So I ended up with more to lugg home than I took.
My suggestion is to take 1 set of clothes for the trip home, loose fitting clothes. I just wore the clothes I wore into hospital, only had them on for 2 hours on the day of admission anyway.
A pair of knickers for each day your in.
I took my gown and used it like a cloak when walking the hallways late at night.
Some firm fitting non slip comfy shoes for walking with the physio.
Toiletries.
THe only thing I should have taken was perhaps some loose fitting tracksuit pants to wear on my bottom half under my hospital gown while walking the hallways.

I took my dressing gown & in the 9 days I was there didnt wear it.
When I walked with the physio it was just in my nightie & I had a picc line in my upper arm & a drain tube so it got to hard to wear the dressing gown.
I also bought nighties to wear not pj's as then there was nothing over my wounds & drain tube.

Does anyone know if you need to take dressing gown i plan on pj's with loose fitting elastic on pants or boxer shorts with tops and slippers but didn't want to drag along my big fluufy dressing gown any suggestions!!

Hi guys

They handed me those paper undies- like 15 sizes too small and I just handed them back and said - im not wearing those. Id rather have gone commando than wear those things.

The undies i had were just plain cotton, and were not going to be in the way- so I said to the nurse, look if they are a problem I will take them off- but I am not wearing those things.

So I was able to wear my own- they did get the antiseptic thing on them but they were ok.

I didnt get into trouble about it or anything so thats good.

I also took a lip balm, moisturiser and nighties- I tried PJ's but they were just on the uncomfy side with a swollen tummy. The first shower is good- I had nurses with me because I was nearly fainting and they used all of my own products. Felt awesome.

Also, your favourite pillow is the best. The hospital pillows arent so wonderful!

Good luck!

Nat

No knickers or bra to theatre

4 of my wounds were right on the waist line, so PJ's a tad uncomfortable.

I noticed you said a nightie. Are pj pants not a good thing to wear? Also do you wear a bra during the op or does it all hang out? and what about nickers - do they give you some or should i take some to wear?

Just take boxers or whatever you normally wear, and they will give you a hospital gown which is easiest while you're in there.

Hi all - just starting to get my stuff together ready to go into Calvary (ACT) on 26th, and was wondering what the recommended in-hospital attire was for blokes? I know hospital staff have strong stomaches but three days of me in my birthday suit might strain the friendship

You can buy those Hotteeze sticky heat pads at Chemist Warehouse too.

TAKE IN EARPLUGS.

Other patients can be amazingly noisy in the night!

We weren't allowed to take heat packs into the Ashford.

We were asked to take in any meds we normally take, and our scripts for them.

I reckon the day after the op you feel like crap- and the first shower you have is the best.. I took some LUSH shower gel and I reckon that I felt better cos i smelt awesome.
Heat packs helped, meds helped but a little bit of normal-ness and luxury in a crazy situation helped too.
I also took a small bottle of flat diet lemonade, my comfy nightie and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

If anyone doesnt know what lush is.. check it out www.lush.com.au

Morning all. I've just ordered some of the Hoteeze sticks for Clare. Sound useful to have around the house for back pain etc anyway :)
Lissa

fantastic list... thanks guys..

and I just ordered the hottezz.... they sound great!

ooooooohhh good idea!!! I lived on Ginger beer during all my pregnancies...it really helped!!! **off to buy some ginger cordial**

Hey all pre ops...... It may be worth taking a bottle of ginger cordial to hospital with you for the sipping stage, ginger is a known nausea reliever and it did seem to help me.
Always worth a try and it was suggested by my dietitian.
Good Luck :)

Great recommendations. I'll be packing my bag this weekend based on your advice and have just ordered some of the heatpads.
Thanks to all - Carrie

Hmmm just thought about a recent conversation I was having with a friend who gave me an idea about unwanted visitors whilst recovering....get the nurses to screen who comes to visit, the nurses can then come in and tell you who it is and you can decide if you are up to seeing them (or want to) and if not the nurse can just say sorry she's asleep :)

Its a much nicer way to say No I dont want you here right now...lol

Only my family and best mates are entering my room whilst I am in my glory!

What an awesome service!! I ordered these on monday night and paid via DD (our banks arent even the same) and it arrived via express post wednesday morning...that has blown me away

They are just fabulous.....could be bigger but because they stay hot for such a long time it's not a problem to use 2.
We had Japanese exchange students stay a few years back and they brought them with them, you could even use them as hand warmers in the colder areas in winter!

Hiya LindaBinda

to be honest i wondered about the wonderful wet towel heat packs & OH&S....
maybe we were given special treatment
cos the lady next to me was a staff member & nurse
or maybe they still do them at The Mater in Townsville

but it is a wonderful heatpack & can be easily made
up at home

I have never heard of the heatsticks
they sound great !

cheers all
Bella...xx