Hey Guys,

I am getting surgery october 1 and I wanted to ask what are the things you had or wish you had in the hospital or at home right after surgery to make things easier?

Thank you in advance.

most people sleep most of the time they're there, so don't take much! Phone and charger for sure. Some people get dry mouth from the anesthesia and like having Chapstick and Biotene spray with them. Comfy, easy-to-put on clothes for the ride home (I wore the same thing home that I wore to the hospital). I also brought some basic toiletries, but I didn't need to because the hospital gave me a bag of them (deodorant, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste)

13 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

most people sleep most of the time they're there, so don't take much! Phone and charger for sure. Some people get dry mouth from the anesthesia and like having Chapstick and Biotene spray with them. Comfy, easy-to-put on clothes for the ride home (I wore the same thing home that I wore to the hospital). I also brought some basic toiletries, but I didn't need to because the hospital gave me a bag of them (deodorant, Shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste)

Thank you!

Do you need a robe at the hospital or do they have them there?

The hospital will give you a robe but I should warn you it will be HUGE.

I took to the hospital a small bag with:

• a pair of chanclas/flip-flops/thongs/jandals/whatever you call them, for walking around
• a spare pair of chonies (TRUST NO FARTS)
• my phone and a charger
• my reading glasses (for signing check-in paperwork)
• chapstick and Biotene spray
• a book (which I never touched, I was so tired I couldn't focus on text)
• a chaplet/rosary (which I never touched, didn't even have a chance to count back from 10 for anesthesia)
• my CPAP mask (which I never touched, I didn't stay overnight)
• my ID, insurance, and Covid vax card, all of which were inspected
• a spare t-shirt from the 'fat' pile so that I wasn't stretching fabric across my incisions

I also, thanks to this site, took a flat pillow with me, so that after surgery I put it on my belly and didn't have to buckle the seatbelt across my new incisions.

The hospital will provide your liquid diet for the time you stay there; mine was soup so salty it tasted like licking a bouillon cube, weird diet cranberry juice, some thick vegetable gruel that was disgusting, and water.

If you're female and it's even the slightest bit close to your period then bring pads. The surgery brought my period a week early (TMI, sorry).

Two things I didn’t see mentioned. I bought an extra long phone cord on amazon And was thankful I did so my phone and iPad could charge and reach the bed and also baggy pajama pants I wore under hospital Gown so i didn't have to bother with a robe.

I brought a bunch of stuff recommended by people on this site, and I only used the following:

iphone

6 foot cord and wall adapter

spare pair of underwear

I was there just about 24 hours. I barely was awake and they gave me enough blankets that I didn't need to use the one I brought. I was too nauseous to brush my teeth and too unsteady to take a shower. I wore the clothes I came in. I didn't need the biotene or chapstick because they kept making me drink small amounts of ice water before I could leave. They gave me another hospital type gown to wear on my back so I didn't need a robe (I don't even own a robe).

Great tips! I’m going to throw a pen/notebook, hair brush & power brick into my backpack. It should give me enough of a charge to keep my phone going so I won’t have to plug into the wall.

I brought headphones and they were helpful for screening out noise at night. I listened to music from my cell phone.

12 minutes ago, Jaelzion said:

I brought headphones and they were helpful for screening out noise at night. I listened to music from my cell phone.

Ooh yea. I brought my air pods so I could listen to netflix at night and didn’t hear the doors open amd close all night. Very good idea.

Super comfy clothes for the ride home, a pillow in the car for any road bumps on the way home, toothbrush, lip moisturizer (optional). I also brought some dispossable incontinent undies because I had read of horror stories of people who had loose stools... Etc. and I even requested they put one on me right after surgery before I woke up which they did. I didn't need them (thank goodness) but I figure one can not be too careful ?. I only stayed a night so I really didn't have to bring anything else but if I had to stay longer, probably earphones as well.

Edited September 20, 20214 yr by Tomo

I forgot that I also used my headphones for about an hour.

I echo the need for a long cord. The plug is typically on the wall behind the bed so there's a pretty big gap if you want it plugged in while you're on it.