please direct: what to take to castle?

i know i have seen this topic on here tons of time. i am about 2 weeks away--ohmigosh! and i am trying to prepare, or think about preparing. maybe someone could tell me where i can find this info?
thanks. i'll be back in a few days when more nerves set in. right now, just trying to keep normal and not fret.
just trying to figure out what to tell my students.
thank you sooo much!

I found this for you, I knew I had seen it before.
What to take to the Hospital

Take Care and Best wishes on your trip the the Castle!

Of all the stuff I took,.... and believe me I read all the posts and articles because I've never stayed in the hospital before other than a particularly nasty delivery 21 years ago, so I had no experience.
There were two things that were invaluable, EAR PLUGS and EYE MASK. I could not get any rest! I was on a general floor, there was a man down the hall screaming "NO, NO, NO" at odd times, day and night, with a nurse yelling back "don't do that you will pull out your IV!"
My roommate was an 87 year old woman with bowel repairs of some kind who couldn't hear. She was up and down all night with nursing help. with all the lights and sounds I thought I was gonna slit my wrists. I forgot the earplugs and begged the night nurse to find me some. She came back about an hour later with a set. Those along with an eye mask from one of the airlines that I had kept (who'd a thunk!) And aaaahhhh.....finally I got some sleep.
Try to stay calm in the next two weeks that's the hardest time period.
Best wishes on your pending castle visit and recovery

peg

yes the ear plugs and eye mask is a very good.. I had no idea and went home the next evening in tears due to not getting any rest.. That was the worse thing about the whole stay.. not being able to sleep. also when you are in there ask them if you are going to start any stool softners to help with the first bowel movement.. My favorite thing I brought along was my victory secrets lotion it smelt so good and made me feel much better.. You dont need makeup , curling iron.. any items like that .. You will not be in any mood to mess with that stuff.. I did have my Dh bring me my hair dryer only because my hair was longer and I needed to have it dryed.. I just took one shower there and no pampering .. just basic stuff.. Best wishes to you and before you know it all will be well.. One more thing , if your Dr. clears you to go .. it is much better to go when able. I wanted to stay one more night and turned out to be a disaster.. My dr mentioned to me that once you are doing ok they just dont come around much. That is is better to leave the hospital when you get the clear... I was at the U of Michigan hospital and that place is just busy crazy.. Well I learned my lesson and will follow her advice if ever a next time.. Good luck and be well..
Loreine

I recommend the bare minimum.

Hairbrush
toothbrush and toothpaste
toner and cotton pads for your face to freshen up with (it felt sooo good after sleeping off and on)
lip balm ( you won't believe how dry your lips and mouth will be)
easy slip on shoes/slippers that I wore to the hospital
candy for the nurses (they loved it, and I told them to make sure and take some home for the kids, the nurses and aides were very appreciative, plus, when my kids visited me, they had a little treat as well).

Of course, I took more -- such as a new robe, which I never used, because of the IV -- they used a hospital gown that I wore backwards as a robe. They supplied me with the mesh panties and lots of pads. I took a book - which I never unpacked.

I never took a shower there. The nurses didn't have time, and I wasn't up to doing it. I brought makeup ( what a laugh). I was so out of it from the pain medicine, that I dozed most of the time I was there.

Best of luck, and to you. Remember to think also what you need at home when you return from the castle. I had stool softner and prune juice on hand -- which was really vital for the first few days. I wish that I had something soft to sit on toilet with. I had a TVH, and it was really painful to sit very long on the toilet the first several days -- my hips and thighs couldn't take the pressure.

for all of the advice and the suggestions. i am keeping a list so i can go shopping. i would like to be as prepared as possible so my DH doesn't have to run around like crazy. thank you

After reading lots of post too.....this is what I brought.

Went and bought a cute sweat suit , soft socks, big undies, slip on slippers. wore them all into and out of hospital. That way didn't have to worry about cloths.

I did bring robe which I wore. Take wedding ring off if you can don't wear earrings , one less thing to worry about.

Brought magazines...(no books) hard to read on drugs for a long time.....

Bring shampoo, lotion, lip balm, liquid soap, brush and hair band something to keep hair back....tooth paste and brush.

I did bring a CD player only used it before I had surgery but it helped me relax.

Good luck, KIM

I say the most important thing is to take a RELATIVE!!! my castle experience was that once i was in bed--i was put on "IGNORE" by the nursing staff. i was symptomatic from anemia and unable to get up. they FORCED my DH to leave at 9pm my first night, and there i was---scared to death, sick as a dog, weak as a kitten, and the nursing staff was vocalizing what a whiny pain in ***** I was. GRRRRRRRRRRR

for my next surgery, i'm INSISTING that my DH stay with me 24hrs at least the first day post op.

Fluffy Lemur

Well i'm all ready to go to the castle on the 19th. The thing i that did was go into Walmart and bought sample bottles of shampoo,conditioner,lotion,Q-Tips,(gotta have those...lol), I figured it to be easier to pack than the bigger bottles. I have the lip balm,little tube of toothpaste. I'm a nurse and i'm going to wear my scrub pants when i go in,then to come home in. They have a drawstring waist and will be ideal. I see some of you ladies suggested the eye mask and earplugs. GOOD IDEA!!!...i never realized that sometimes us "nurses" can be loud at night...I'll certainly try to keep it down while on shift. LOL...

I wish everyone luck and hope that your stays at the castle are good ones..hope to see you all here when you're feeling better and let us know how u are doing.



Lisa