What to take with me???

The one thing that I really wish that I had at the "castle" was a HEATING PAD!

My back was so sore from the way that they positioned me in the operating room! OUCH! A heating pad would have felt soooooo good!

That's just my 2 cents!

Good Luck to you!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Isolde I plan to take some bottled water with me. I have a filter on the tap at home and I am used to drinking filtered or bottled water. I don't like the chemical aftertaste of just straight tap water.

I absolutely HATE our tap water. We are on city water and we are the last house on this line. When I run water in the sink it smells like bleach water. We just buy cases of water from the grocery store. I'm not drinking this stuff I don't care how GOOD for me that say it is. I personally believe if it smells that bad it can't be good for anyone to drink.

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Hi Jodie,
All of the suggestions I have seen are very good. I wasn't in the hospital long enough to shower so didn't need any of that stuff. Slippers and a robe were all I needed for clothing and I wore lose fitting sweats to the hospital that I wore home. Water is a great idea but the cell phone is a must. I didn't take mine because I thought we couldn't use them in the hospital but I was wrong. Good luck!!

Jodie, I had a TVH and I can tell you what was the MOST important thing...Olay Daily Facial wipes. They are a God send. That way you can always wash your face up without even leaving your bed. I also would recommend some type of hard candy. Your throat is dry and it helps to moisten it up. As far as pads go, I brought my own because the ones at the hospital were the HUGE things and I really didn't need them after a few hours. I was cleared to go home later the day of my surgery, but I decided to stay the night. I went home later the next morning. I really could have gone home the night before, but I was so looped up on pain meds, I didn't feel like going anywhere. I brought my own jammies & put them on as soon as I could. More comfy and easier to get around in (no BUTT sticking out!) Good luck! I hope you have as good of an experience as I did!!!

Meri

I ended up staying an extra night and two extra days after my TVH. This was because I needed the catheter an extra day and the dr wanted to make sure I could pee well on my own before I went home. Nurse said it was 50/50 on the pee thing. I wonder what your doctor will do if you can't pee? Some people go home with the catheter and bag but, yuk, I would have hated that!

(1) You aren't forced to stay in the hospital gown if you are mobile. You may feel more human if you have a little more cover-up than the gown provides when you are walking around the ward (and you should be doing this if you are able). I felt much better in my own night shirt and XXL PJ shorts.

(2) Use the shower for pain relief if you can. The warm/hot water on your stiches provides instant relief. It helped me more than pain meds after the morphine from the epidural wore off after 24 hr. (only if your Dr allows it, of course) I even used the shower for relief when I still had the catheter in! Don't hesitate to use it as much as you need it.

I brought a book - and was thankful I did. I had something to read before surgery, to keep my mind occupied, and I was one of those people who absolutely could not sleep on morphine, so I ended up reading from 2:00 a.m. until 5:00 a.m. The nurse put my book and glasses in a small bag and tied it to my bed, so it was right there when I got to my room later.

Your favorite pillow and chapstick. Make sure you apply underarm antiperspirant before you go. I had to wear the castle's gown, rather than my own, and I found their cotton robe much less constricting than my big fuzzy one.