My surgery is Monday May 2nd @9am!! Yay! Any suggestions on packing for the hospital?? How long was everyone's stays?? My Doc said 2-4 days depending on how I'm doing! TIA y'all [emoji12]

I just stayed over night.

I took (and used):

An extra pair of undies to wear home. I just wore home the clothes I wore to the hospital.

Lip balm

My cpap.

My phone and charger.

Heating pad. (I actually forgot mine so my sister got me one at a nearby drug store. It helped with the gas pain in my shoulder, plus I was freezing.)

The hospital supplied toiletries, no slip socks, etc.

The best thing I took was my mom. She went with me and stayed the whole time.

wipies and chapstick were the two main essentials for me. and perhaps your own blanket, if you have a super soft, fluffy one. Very comforting.

Don't take extra cloths except for undies. You can go home with the same cloths you go to the hospital with.

- chapstick- your mouth will feel very dried and your lips will too as you can't have anything in your stomach after midnight except the gatorade they give you.

I would take 1 or 2 period pads just incase (I got my period the 2nd night while at the hospital and was told by the nurse that almost every girl who gets this type of surgery gets a period even if they recently saw their menses)

- someone to stay with you if possible ( my hubby went with me and even tho he was not as supportive and he was not allowed be with me in the room from 9pm-9am due to the reason I was in a shared room it still felt good to have someone in the hospital just in case ( over night he would stay in the waiting room on the floor I was in)

Last... I was in the hospital 2 nights 3 days

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I took 3 tops and 3 pairs of leggings + phone + laptop + toiletries but to be honest all I used was the clothes I walked in with, my phone and undies, oh and my toothbrush. pack light - I was in for 3 nights and only got dressed in my clothes on Day 3! You will be a lot more out of it than you think...... and wont care what you're wearing LOL

Am I the only one that has told my spouse to stay home? Drive me there, hang around during the day and tell me you love me, but then, go home and sleep in our bed! Don't stay up there with me... I'm good. Come back the next day and have time with me, but then go home and go to sleep in our bed...

I do have a friend that is a nurse in the hospital where I'll be having my surgery, and she's going to pick up shifts on my surgery days so she'll be there to keep an eye on me (and make me get out of bed and walk walk walk LOL)... but otherwise, I want my hubby at home at night.

I'm weird I guess

Am I the only one that has told my spouse to stay home? Drive me there, hang around during the day and tell me you love me, but then, go home and sleep in our bed! Don't stay up there with me... I'm good. Come back the next day and have time with me, but then go home and go to sleep in our bed...

I do have a friend that is a nurse in the hospital where I'll be having my surgery, and she's going to pick up shifts on my surgery days so she'll be there to keep an eye on me (and make me get out of bed and walk walk walk LOL)... but otherwise, I want my hubby at home at night.

I'm weird I guess

I must be weird too. I don't think there's any point to having my SO stay the entire time I'm hospitalized. Of course, we have 2 dogs that I'd prefer he was there for them instead. I am not the type who really wants anyone around when I'm feeling crappy.

JUST WEAR A MOOMOO LOOSE DRESS TO THROW ON AND GO HOME IN. THAT IS ALL YOU NEED THAT FIRST WEEK.

Pack very little primarily so things don't go/have the chance of going missing at the hospital. My stay was overnight so I brought my iPad (essential), new underwear, socks, and phone/iPad chargers.

I'm with most of the people here. Pack light. I packed like I was going away for the weekend, but I only used the following:

Cell phone and charger

Lip balm

Hand sanitizer

Gas-X strips

hair clip

My own pillow (big pillow snob right here...)

A small travel pillow (to hold against my tummy to support it as I got in and out of bed)

That was it. Everything else came home with me untouched.

Am I the only one that has told my spouse to stay home? Drive me there, hang around during the day and tell me you love me, but then, go home and sleep in our bed! Don't stay up there with me... I'm good. Come back the next day and have time with me, but then go home and go to sleep in our bed...

I do have a friend that is a nurse in the hospital where I'll be having my surgery, and she's going to pick up shifts on my surgery days so she'll be there to keep an eye on me (and make me get out of bed and walk walk walk LOL)... but otherwise, I want my hubby at home at night.

I'm weird I guess

Not weird at all. My dh stayed during the actual surgery and recovery, but once I was put in a room, I told him to go. We have a 9 y.o. Son, but even if we didn't, I don't think he would have stayed.

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My husband was with me prior to surgery, waited during surgery, and came to see me when they put me in a room. I was still pretty out of it, so I told him to go home. We have 2 dogs and they had been home all day inside and they needed to be fed. It was already 6-6:30 pm by the time I got in a room. I was in the hospital for 3 days (2 nights) and I told my husband to go to work the next 2 days and stop on the 3rd day and pick me up after he was done with work (he works right around the corner from where I was in the hospital). It worked out great.

Packing for the hospital, just take clean underclothes and don't worry about another outfit. Wear the one you came to the hospital in to go home. I was provided with a toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash, body wash, and body lotion by the hospital. I wore the hospital gown (well it was changed each day) the whole time there. They actually told me it is preferred because easier to check wounds and take vitals and such. I had a shawl/shoulder blanket, I brought a toothbrush and toothpaste just in case, and also had to bring some diabetes supplies. I also had my cell phone, charger, Nook, and a pair of slippers. That was pretty much it. You will be busy recovering, walking the halls, and laying in bed! If you like to listen to music, I would suggest earphones for your cell or ipod.

Good Luck!!! You're closing in now!

Don't overthink the bag. LOL I had all kinds of crap I never used. All you really need is your insurance cards, ID, underwear, loose clothes to wear home, a robe to cover your @ss flapping in the breeze as you walk the halls, slippers or slip on shoes, toiletries(although hospital provided some), chapstick(although hospital also provided some but I like my brand better), charger and phone, and I took my body pillow to get comfortable with. That was the life saver of all the things I brought! I can't emphasize enough how uncomfortable those hospital beds are, but with a good body pillow I was pretty comfy for my 3 day stay(had oxygen and waking up from anesthesia issues so I got an extra day) that's all you really need. I had all kinds of junk in my bag for "worse case scenarios" from listerine pocket packs, self cooling ice bags, self heating heat packs, ear plugs, eye mask, feminine hygiene products, sprays to make the hospital smell go away, pjs(which in the end I wore 1 pair home just because I didn't want to have to get dressed just to go home and put pj's on but the rest of the time I was in the hospital gowns and too out of it to care), socks, they put compression socks on me so my socks were useless, I mean I had a lot of crap! LOL

Definitely take a pillow so you can hold it against your abdomen on your ride home.

I made my husband put a pillow in the car so it was available to me on the ride home. Especially the way he drives!!! The one thing I did not pack that I wished I had was a brush or comb for my hair. Never even thought about it! I did have a hair tie band with me so I could pull my hair back, but I had to do the finger comb to pull it up. My hospital bed wasn't so much uncomfortable as it was too high to get into without a step stool, and in order to get back in it if I got out they had to deflate the whole bed (was one of those air beds) and then reflate once I was in. Can you imagine this being done how many times in the middle of the night if I had to get up and go to the restroom? I just made myself comfortable in the reclining chair in the room. It actually worked out better for me. I had plenty of pillows propped up around me and felt cacooned.

I used most of the things I brought. Pillow, pajama pants, toothbrush/paste, deodorant, brush and head band. Chapstick is probably the thing I used the most. I had a book with me, as well as an iPad and charger, but couldn't really focus enough to read. I also had my phone and charger, which I used quite a bit. Instead of a book, I should have brought a couple of magazines.

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