Well the day has arrived , a day I feared would happen. it is now ONLY A FEW DAYS UNTIL MY SURGERY. Now I wonder, am I truly ready?
I have packed, repackaged everything. least twice,
I have gone back and re-read all the other postings for five,years.
Slacks- 1,2, or3 pair?
socks- shoud,i take any soft,ones or just b wear the non skid they provide in bed ?
I know the hospitals keep those,rooms cold.
Should I pack a bed. jacket, sweater. or carry a mictongiber or knitted poncho to,keep my shoulders warm?
Charger for my cell phone, is a 6 foot cord long enough or should I check Staples or Wal-Mart for,longer ones.? Make sure if I am going to work with what I have now, don't take the one that one that makes the boopity boop boop should if bumped while plugged in.
Do I also take my tablet or a paperback or two to read to alleviate boredom between walks.?
Disable wipes, do I assume they may have these or take my hypoallergenic ones? Will they laugh if they see the kiddy frogs?
A notebook and decent non-skipping pen so I can journal? PaperMates soy-based ink is good.
List,of phone # to call when surgery is done.There are 5 or 6 who asked to be called. And surprise, PCP gave my son his answering group # as well as his personal cell in,case Tomkitten had reports out of office hours.
And high school classmates, they sent an unexpected card, 10 signatures, 10 personal cellphone # And e'mail addresses! Was I wrong, did they actually like,the fat geeky nerd-girl I once was ? I sure didn't run around with the cheerleaders, majorettes and all the football teams girlfriends, I read, studied and stayed at home with my parents. Didn't even single-date until into college.
Former boy classmates came up and asked. at class- reunion, " Why didn't WE date you in school? you're such a nice person after all!" Finally told one of them, who I i had unrequited crush on back then. " I really wish,you all had,broke,my,poor late Mama's heart too!
Do you realize neither of the 2 Lesbians in the c o add ever asked me out either?" No don't try to kiss me NOW, you are 50some years too late.
Do,i take any makeup, well at,least lipstick,and shadow, or am I expected to,look like a large dog chewed me up and then barfed on me?
Hairbrush,comb, shampoo, conditioner and soap. Will,i,be taking a shower there or waiting until I get home.
Which reminds me , better have,my shower chair and Squatty Potty in place for,my return. At least my landlord relented long enough to threaten eviction until later in the month.-----
Quite A Story There!
I have my GasX, will get my biotene, have,my slippers and robe in there.
My ID, wouldn't you think if they scheduled me for surgery they ought to KNOW who I am? It's not like this is a free tattoo,that people stand in,long lines for. And what have
I forgot? I forgotten my,insurance cards and a Medicine list, although those also should be on file. And it's not like I went out and bought supplements insurance from,Happy Henry's Insurance-a-Rama at the very last minute

dOh I must take,my red legal sized envelop containg the green bracelet. the GOLDEN TICKET that guarantees,entrance to the sacred halls of the 8th floor Bariatric Unit with its attached operarating,theatres, BUT WHAT HAVE I FORGOTTEN ?

You are so prepared and you're going to do great!! Congratulations and don't forget to update us on how it all goes!!!

I wore into the hospital what I planned to wear out - a large, long, loose-fitting dress that would be easy to get on rather than pants that I'd have to button near surgery site. As long as your pants are loose and soft (or worn a little lower) you should be good! I don't think you need more than one pair besides the ones you're wearing if you want to change!

I appreciated having a longer cord - mine is one of the cheap 10 ft cables you can get at target/walgreens/etc.

If you like podcasts/audiobooks, I'd download a couple for post-surgery. I found that I was lucid/awake enough to want something to pay attention to, but groggy enough that keeping eyes open to focus on tv or a book was more than I really felt like.

I went with the socks they provided, and asked for an extra blanket if I got cold. A cozy sweater is a great idea, but just make sure it's not a pull over because you will have tubes! It should be something large/baggy enough and that you can get on one sleeve at a time, I think.

I did not shower there or worry about makeup, but then again I never wear makeup so that's up to you! I showered the day after I got home, but I was only in the hospital one night. My surgery was 7:30am Monday morning and I was on my way home around 1pm Tuesday, so it was a quick stay!

Best of luck!!! You're going to do great!!

(Edited to add additional answers )

Edited September 2, 20188 yr by AEdoesRnY

1 hour ago, Frustr8 said:

dOh I must take,my red legal sized envelop containg the green Bracelet. the GOLDEN TICKET that guarantees,entrance to the sacred halls of the 8th floor Bariatric Unit with its attached operarating,theatres, BUT WHAT HAVE I FORGOTTEN ?

You have forgotten to relax and trust your team!

Don't pack a ton of stuff. In between walks, try to sleep. You're going to be loopy as all get-out anyway. Don't buy anything new like a phone charger for one night. You're overthinking - big time. Buying more stuff might make you feel like you're getting prepared, but it's not necessary.

No regular socks, they won't let you wear them. Bring a hairbrush, toothbrush. Don't bother with makeup.

I wore the hospital gown for my entire stay. I didn't want to bleed all over my clothing. You might bring a shawl for your shoulders. Any type of garment with sleeves is a pain because you'll have an IV.

If you use hypo-allergenic wipes, I'd bring those.

Just take a deep breath, you're going to be fine. We're all in your corner!

You’ll be just great Frust! All I used was a brush, pair of sweatpants, hair elastic, phone charger , biotene, and a toothbrush. Don’t bother with anything else - you won’t need it! You’ll either sleep or WALK!

Thank,You @Orchids and Dragons and @AEd i we RnY and@Biston WLKC you 3 just took the last of my" colley wobbles" awayI Mucho b etter and feeling strong again. Kudos for,you Friendship!

Wear out what you wear in ;)

Wishing you best of luck with your surgery, Frustr8. Sending you lots of positive vibes and prayers. Stay strong!

Looking forward to VSG!

I packed so much and didn’t use any of them. I brought my own cozy socks but after surgery i didn’t care what they put on my feet lol. I was actually going through a hot and cold war in my room. Everyone was freezing and i was burning up but no fever. But the hospital has plenty of warm blankets to go around. I think my phone was on the charger once the entire time I was there. I didn’t want to write anything lol i slept for the most part or was walking by the time i got back i was tired again lol. Showering would all be up to you. They have a bench in the shower so it’s all up to how comfortable you are with a nurse or cna being in there with you. One thing i recommend is bringing your own heating pad. It took them forever to get me one. (High demand in a hospital). On i like my own chapstick brand not whatever they gave me at the hospital lol. I’m sure you won’t be thinking of makeup lol. At surgery check in they will ask for your insurance card and id. I wore exactly what i wore to the hospital (loose dress) home. I didn’t call anyone in the hospital but my cell and hospital phone was ringing off the HOOK lol. So when i was up for it i took a call. Sorry my answer is all over the place! Good luck on surgery and speedy recovery!!

Wow, you've put a lot more thought into it than I ever did! And I tend to over-plan things...

Don't overpack. It's just more stuff you need to lug home. Surgical glue can't get wet for like 48 hours so don't plan on showering at the hospital. I took one pair of comfy pj pants for under my hospital gown. Wore comfy pants and a t-shirt home. Had a phone charger, brush, hair ties, biotine spray and flip flops. Oh and my id. Less is more!

I overpacked as well. The reality was I only needed the following:

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Chapstick (this is super important!)
Robe (don’t wanna show your butt to everyone like I did the first 18 hours)
Clothes to wear home

I had my kindle for reading and didn’t crack it open once. I don’t think I even bothered with my cell phone. I stayed pretty up on the painkillers and slept through most of my stay and if I wasn’t sleeping, I was walking the halls.

7 hours ago, insta_adventurer said:

Robe (don’t wanna show your butt to everyone like I did the first 18 hours)

They were unkind to you. They could have given you another gown to wear like a robe and you would have been golden.

On 09/03/2018 at 09:01, Orchids&Dragons said:

They were unkind to you. They could have given you another gown to wear like a robe and you would have been golden.

Well, I had a robe, but the first 18 hours I was so hopped up on painkillers and so sore that I just gave zero effs about who saw my butt. ?? However, I realize that most are probably much more modest and less of an exhibitionist than me ??

My roommate luckily was my surgery buddy who is also someone I’m incredibly close with... I remember saying to her, “sorry you have to keep seeing my butt!”

27 minutes ago, insta_adventurer said:

Well, I had a robe, but the first 18 hours I was so hopped up on painkillers and so sore that I just gave zero effs about who saw my butt. ?? However, I realize that most are probably much more modest and less of an exhibitionist than me ??

My roommate luckily was my surgery buddy who is also someone I’m incredibly close with... I remember saying to her, “sorry you have to keep seeing my butt!”

I don't know how I managed to stay modest after having 4 kids, but I did. In fact, when you have twins, anyone who's not busy on the floor comes to watch. There were probably a dozen people with a bird-eye view of my hoo-ha, by the time I delivered. For all I know, even the custodian got an eye-full!

Edited September 3, 20188 yr by Orchids&Dragons