what will i need?

i am going for my vaginal hyster (leaving the ovaries) on 4-30-01 and i was wondering what i need to take to the hospital and what i need to have waiting at home...i have ordered my pillow (will i need it with a vaginal?) and i should only be in the hospital for one night so i really don't need a gown...........will i need pads or anything special? i am so nervous guys.....i will probably be the one to back out...........some of the experiences on here are so scary...........thanks for listening....rhonda

Checking out the pull down menu on the home page under "Ladies In Waiting" There are several posts with good pre-op and post-op hints that will help a great deal. I'm scheduled for a May 7th hysterectomy and I go in daily to pick up new information. I'm two weeks out and getting more jittery. This site helps so much. Good Luck!

Yes i recommend the pull-down menu also - that's where I found my info.
Make sure you have something big and comfortable to wear at home (not too much elastic, nice and easy in the waist
Good luck to you Rhonda. Stay strong.

Rhonda - Yes, you'll need a tummy pillow for TVH too...you'll have lots of internal stitches. You'll need the pillow to laugh, sneeze and cough throughout recovery. You'll also need it to wear underneath your selt belt on trip home from hospital and after you get clearance to drive again.

I overpacked going to hospital...here's what I took that I used: CHAPSTICK, loose clothing to wear home (I wore short cotton gown and bathrobe), slip on slippers, robe, pads, socks, pencil and paper to write down what nurses and drs. tell you (pain meds had me in a fog)..and toiletries.

Hi Rhonda!

As the other ladies mentioned, the pull-down lists are great!

I agree with Dot - I definitely over-packed for the hospital. I didn't use most of what I brought, just my chap-stick and toiletries, and clothes to go home in.

As far as clothing at home, I found men's pajama bottoms great, because they came up well above my incision (I had an abdominal). I also liked their pajama tops, because they buttoned up the front, and I didn't have to get anything over my head (it hurt to reach my arms up to pull something over my head).

Make sure you have plenty of easy to fix food at home, and lots of juice. Drinking fruit juice will really help with the gas, and getting your digestive tract working smoothly again.

IMPORTANT: Anything you might possibly need at home (clothing, toilet paper, pads, cups, silverware, etc.) needs to be at waist-level! You will NOT want to have to bend or reach to get anything! The house may look cluttered for awhile with everything sitting out on counters, but, believe me, it's worth it!

Good luck!

Something that people are not mentioning and that I found to be very important: Some kind of Lifesavers or hard candy. The aneth. can make your mouth so dry you can't even make spit hardly to suck on the hard candy!

I had a TVH on April 9. I wore home exactly what I wore going in. I had a totebag with me. I put in a couple pads. You may or may not need them. Every woman is different in this area. I had a minor discharge and needed a panty liner, however, hospital already had me on one so what I took wasn't necessary. I certainly didn't need "pads" the most I needed was liners. In fact, I was told if I needed more than that to call the doctor. Your discharge is supposed to be no more than a mild to light moderate period without changing pads or liners more than a 2-3 times a day.
I took a robe with me but didn't use it. Also had a nightshirt but didn't use it.

I wore slip on bedroom slippers with non-skid soles to go home. You won't feel like bending over to get your foot into a shoe or to tie a shoe lace. I had a belly pillow which I did not need for coughing but did use to help prop up my arm that had the IV in it and that was more comfortable. There were a couple of times I coughed at home and a belly pillow was nice but not mandatory. I didn't feel any pain after surgery. I have coughed and discovered that it feels as if muscles up around your nose run in a straight line right down to your pubic area and ovary area. I feel a tug but no pain.

I took a tooth brush, toothpaste and hair brush. I got out the next evening, I felt pretty weak and working on my hair or makeup was NOT a priority.

Best things. Lip balm and hardy candy!
Best of luck!
Miranda

Hi Rhonda!

I know you're scared, and you would be nutty if you weren't! I don't know of anyone who said, "Yes, today I get to go have major surgery..."

I had a TAH/BSO last Monday. Talk about scared to death. I was. I was to report to the castle at 6:00 am for a 7:30 surgery. The night before (Easter Sunday nite) I was a complete and total basket case, and it was not in celebration of Easter either! I cried, no I sobbed, and told my dh to call the dr. that the operation was off. I was not going to go through with it. I came up with all different excuses....I need a second opinion, maybe the fibroid is not as large as the dr. thinks,....etc.
He let me rant and rave, and then comforted me as I cried some more.

But, here's the truth....the anticipation of the surgery is SO MUCH WORSE than the actuality of it. At least that is what I experienced. I worried myself sick, and yes, I read some of these posts and sometimes I wish I would not have read them. However, this site has saved me, really. I needed these ladies to tell me that my fears were warranted but that it would be OK. And they were right. Don't read the negative stuff. When you get the idea that what you are reading will be scary or negative, don't read it!!

I can tell you this...my doctor prepared me well, as did this site, but no one but you will understand until it is over. My doctor thought I had one large fibroid, perhaps two. I'm 47 knocking on menopause door, and she (yes, my doc's a woman!) told me that I needed to get rid of these 'broids and that I might as well have the whole thing. I agreed. To make a long story short, once she opened me up, she found not one, not 2 but 6 large fibroids which did not appear on the sonnogram. WOW! No wonder I looked as if I were 4 months pregnant. Anyway, the largest of the tumors was sitting on my rectum....I knew something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what it was....though I had a nervous stomach or something.

So, try, try to remember that there is a power greater than you that is taking care of you and your health. I pray that your surgery will go as smoothly as mine. I am one week post-op and feeling really well. I go to the dr. Wednesday to get these staples out, and I will feel even better than I do now.

Know that each one of us is thinking of you and looking forward to hearing all the GOOD NEWS when you get home.

Hugs from Texas,

Michele