Hi everyone! My surgery is Tuesday, I am nervous and equally excited. Wondering if you can help me pack my hospital bag - what should I bring? How long was your stay? Any tips/advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Nic x

Hi everyone! My surgery is Tuesday, I am nervous and equally excited. Wondering if you can help me pack my hospital bag - what should I bring? How long was your stay? Any tips/advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Nic x

I have heard a few tubes of chapstick are important.

something to read, do would be good - chap stick - gasx- slippers - phone charger - loose clothes - plus the normal stuff. I stayed two nights. First day was mostly sleeping and walking. Day two, walking sipping, day three walking sipping.

Make sure your laundry is done at home, your room is ready for you to get in bed because bring in the hospital is not restful, they check your vitals, draw blood and generally wake u up all the time. you are going to be tired when you get home.

Good Luck!

I really over packed based on recommendations here. Most hospitals provide those slipper socks and robes. I brought some pajama pants to put on as soon as they would let me.

Gas-X strips are the one MUST HAVE. One small box at a minimum. Phone and charger, a small laptop (like ulrabook or netbook) would be nice or an iPad/tablet. But honestly I brought all that and found that what I felt like doing could all be done from my phone and I slept far more than I expected to. Chapstick is good, the hospital was great about keeping liquids, Jello and such coming through faster than I could go through them.

If you need or use a CPAP bring that and some distilled Water for it if needed. I brought some sugar free breath mints, not that they are probably well advised, but your mouth will get dry at times and dry mouths usually turn into stinky mouths. A book or magazine to read might be good to, but while I brought several I never touched a one. Everything I brought fit into my computer bag/backpack and even then I was well over equipped.

Basically, everything I'll take will fit in my small travel backpack - my CPAP (only because I'm required to take it - my sleep apnea is quite mild and I don't use the machine as much as I should...) Smartphone and tablet (which has a keyboard add-on), plus chargers - having been through three previous major surgeries, while I will be tired and not very energetic, I will want to read a little (yay, e-book and e-magazine library!) and might want to listen to some music or answer an email or two. I'll probably bring a comfy robe for walking the halls - I know I could just wear another gown backward, but I know from experience I will find my robe soothing. Plus, it can serve as a lap-blanket if I'm sitting up. Gas-X strips and lip balm. Underwear and socks for the trip home - I don't mind wearing the hospital non-slip socks for the duration of the stay, but they just are NOT comfy in shoes . I'll wear yoga pants, a loose top and slip-on shoes that will be sensible for wearing home, too.

I probably won't bother taking much in the way of toiletries unless I hear otherwise from my bariatric team - I'm only expected to be there for one night, and my experience with hospitals is the major things like soap, shampoo, toothbrush and paste will be provided. Plus, I'll be 30 minutes from home - if I desperately need something my husband will bring it to me, or I'll do without for a few extra hours.

The surgery bag is a must. But I wish I had packed a "just in case" bag. I had complications and went to the emergency room twice before my big leak fiasco. It wouldn't hurt to have a secondary bag at home just in case you need to make a trip back to the hospital for fluids or anything. You don't feel like packing after surgery and what's it hurt to keep an extra bag sitting around for a week or two? Good luck!