I am having my surgery on 9/9/13 and I would like to know what are some things people love having handy? Maybe even some hospital stay must haves??

My must haves for at home in the kitchen:

--digital food scale

--immersion blender (some people use blender bottles with the little wire balls in them to make their shakes but I HATE them)

--mini food processor/chopper (for puree phase)

--32 oz. Bubba Keg - fill it with ice and Water and sip! Keeps your drinks SO COLD.

Must haves in the hospital:

--phone and charger

--lip balm

--loose comfy clothing to wear home (I brought an empire waist dress and a cotton sports bra that fastens in front). Also make sure you have a pillow to put between you & the seat belt on the ride home.

--very basic toiletries such as tooth brush and deodorant.

That's it! I brought my Kindle with me too but ended up really only reading when I was waiting for surgery because my surgeon was running late.

Good Luck on 9/9!

There's a great thread on the pre-op board with regards to what to bring to the hospital...I think it's one of the first threads...I brought very little and spent a lot of time walking the hospital floor.....I brought a dress to wear home--make sure whatever you wear home it is very lose around the mid section as you will be swollen.....a small pillow to wear under the seat belt on the ride home.

I have an old scale that I like a lot...weigh everything...I'm 4 weeks out...initially I used my son's baby spoon and a tiny fork....but I've graduated to big girl utencils LOL

I recommend music and earbuds. The noise in hospitals never cease. I listened to music all night long and it helped. Also, my iPhone, I set an alarm for every ten min. To remind me to PUSH the pain med button. And lip balm was a life saver too...

Other than the stuff above. You may want to take a robe since you'll be walking the halls. I would ask the nurse to saline lock my iv so I could use my robe and walk comfortably. And I also bought a clip on desk fan at target for $10 ( it's with the dorm stuff). It was an incredible idea. I clipped it onto the side rail so it could blow in my face. The pain meds made me really hot. As well as when the anesthesia was wearing off and when I started drinking Water I would get nauseas... The fan helped. I also asked the nurse to leave me several alcohol pads in the room. Smelling it when you feel nauseas really helps. I would carry alcohol pads with me when I was walking the halls (started doing this after I gor nauseas walking and had to stop at a random nurse's station and ask her for some).

Good luck!

I didn't need much in the hospital except ear plugs so I could sleep. At home, don't over buy or over prepare. I bought all kinds of stuff I never used or ate. Get free samples of protein shakes (there's a thread on here about that). Just read as much as you can so that you feel prepared. I definately feel like I knew what to expect thanks to these boards and was fortunate to have a smooth recovery. Good luck.