I came across a great list of suggested items to take for surgery, but since I'm travelling (7+ hours air) I was trying to slim my suitcase down.

1. did you carry on?

2. If you carried on what were the necessities?

--I want to take my laptop because I want to be able to watch a movie or two but I haven't been in the air in 12 years so i don't know if that's really necessary.

-- shampoo/cream rinse, etc. are the travel bottles acceptable for carry on or is it the total amount of liquid?

I see you are in Maryland, what airline are you flying? I will try to help you plan this....this is do-able.

(socks for the cold feet and I hadn't heard of a support hose requirement, other than if you are prone to clots....hmmmmm...will have to go read my info (am not with Dr. Kelly, so maybe this is his thing).

Yeah, my first step is to measure suitcase then alot of questions will answer themselves.

thought about socks but then I have to bend over and put them on. Told this is not a desireable thing to do. I can usually slip my sneakers on and off without bending over so that would be my first choice over just socks and flip flops (not to mention a little more "attractive".

Thankyou for allyour input.

my surgeon had me wear the support stockings until after my flight home at 8 days post op. I did wear flip flops with them because the toes were open in the stockings. As soon as I touched down in Memphis and got in my son's car...those hose came off! I hated them but also know they are necessary.

It didn't occur to me they would be open - toe. lol that makes sense.

I flew non-stop from Dallas to San Diego via Spirit Airlines (3 hour flight). Spirit is the budget airline that charges you for carry on bags. You can carry one personal item onto the flight. Personal items can be up to the size of a book bag. I brought my college book bag which has a laptop pouch built in. I had someone come with me for surgery, so he was able to carry the bag onto the plan for the flight home. If you are going alone, I would suggest a bag with wheels since you won't be able to lift too much weight.

My bag was completely stuffed. I did not go shopping for souvenirs while on my trip, but if you do, you may want to plan some extra space to ensure you have room to bring things home.

A book bag is pretty small. Here is exactly what I packed:

1. Laptop, charger and ear buds
   
2. Quart size zip-lock bag with the following toiletries: (3oz shampoo, 3oz conditioner, deodorant, travel size tooth paste, bar soap, 3oz mouth wash).
   
3. Quart size make-up bag (minimal make-up, hair brush, toothbrush, pantyliners)
   
4. Medications (about 3 pill bottles plus gas strips)
   
5. Heating pad (I didn't find this necessary, but I did use it to try to relieve gas)
   
6. Cell phone and charger
   
7. Wallet and passport (I left my purse at home and just took the essentials in my wallet which I packed in the small outer pocket of the book bag with my phone for convenient access)
   
8. Two travel space bags (these are the little bags that use suction to compress your clothes. If you buy the travel space bags, you don't need a vacuum to create suction. You simply pack your clothes in the bag, seal it like a zip lock bag, then sit on it to push out the extra air). For clothing:
   

• 7 underwear (really, really glad I had a couple extra pairs)
  
• nightgown (not needed if you don't mind the hospital gown)
  
• loose fitting pants (sweat pants, which I wore under the hospital gown)
  
• two additional pairs of slacks (I only wore one of the two pairs)
  
• four shirts
  
• pair of thick slipper socks (never wore)
  

Some things that I did not pack:

• Shoes & socks - I wore flip flops onto the plane, around the hospital and hotel. They were easier to slip on than the slipper socks that I brought. The hospital provided a pair of slippers, but they were too big for me. (See the above post about Ted hose having holes at the toes)
  
• Hair dryer - I have long hair, and I was glad that another patient who had surgery the same day I did had brought a blow dryer which she let me borrow (Thanks, Jennifer!). I washed my hair the day I left and once after surgery. The hotel (Lucerna for Dr. Kelly) provided a blow dryer.
  
• Sports bra - I wear a 40F, so I need the support. I didn't pack an extra bra, and the one I wore on the plane had an underwire. Luckily, Jennifer gave me one of her extra sports bras which I didn't need until it was time to leave the hospital. I wore it the entire time I was at the hotel and a few days after I got home)
  

I do not use my laptop during flights. I don't find the tray table to be very comfortable at my size. I was happy to have it while in Mexico to communicate with people at home, read the news/Facebook, and to watch videos on Hulu & Netflix.

I am in TJ now. One thing that surprised me was the suitcase carry on size limited one carryon and one personal item....yeah right. i saw families with 4-6 items. which just meant the people that got on the plan afterwards, if there wasn't enough room, had to stow their baggage afterall.

my little suitcase on wheels fit the dimensions required but there were much, much bigger bags being brought onboard.

Also, I packed an outfit for each day but in the hospital (Kelly) you are required to wear their gowns (you can get an extra to use as a robe. so i could have saved two outfits.

in Dr. Kellys case you can ask for a fan. When i first arrived the hospital was typically chilly but when i woke up i found i was hot the rest of the time. Omar was a life-saver with a fan.

If you can bring someone, do. it was alot more isolating than i thought. there were no other sleevers with me. Nurses spoke limited english but they also had work to do so even if they spoke perfect english i don't think it would have mattered. I was more lonely than anticipated and I typicaly enjoy my time alone. None of my contact methods (skype, etc) was working correctly. This is the one thing i would have DEFINATELY changed.

If you are a crystal lite user bring it. wish i had. don't particularly like gatorade or vitamin water so it's making it harder to get liquids down.

GasX-i never had any real gas pain and maybe its because i ate these strips like pez. don't care for their flavor as it makes me queasy (mint flavor) but i will take queasy over pain anyday.