Help - crazy lady on the loose shopping!!

All right - even my doctor admits I'm nuts! I am going goofy trying to get ready for my surgery. Does anyone have suggestions of what needs to be bought prior to surgery?

I am looking at:

Chillow
Swelly-Belly Band
Grabber thingie
donut pillow
satiny jammies - biggie size
lots of books
fanny pack to put on rails in hospital to hold stuff
lip balm
ABSOLUTELY no makeup

And prior to surgery - should i get the brazillian wax???

Please help me before i burn a hole in my credit card! Thanks

I don't know what to tell you to buy, but if anyone answers her, can you help me too?
I was thinking of the Swelly belly band and the ab no strain but i have no Idea what they exactly do?!? I am having a TAh and BSO and reconstruction...will I even be able to use the band?

Hi Tracy,

I used the Hystersisters list, What to take to the Hospital as my guide. I found it very helpful. You might also like to read through the Hints for your Hysterectomy forum for some great tips and hints.

I would certainly ask your doctor before getting waxed. Every doctor is different in their instructions and most will tell you not to shave or wax before surgery for risk of infection that could postpone surgery. Some ladies do have a waxing done a number of days before, but it's best to check with your doctor first just to make sure.

s, Deb

I am going in next Wednesday, and I did order quite a bit from the Hyster Sister Store. (Thanks for existing!) The abnostrain is interesting (I have yet to set mine up yet.) It is a "pull yourself up" tool. Now (not to ruin the fun of owning one of these babies) but if you do *not* get one, then you should have a long scarf, towel or thick rope THAT HAS KNOTS IN IT or something to attach to the bed (down the center and under the covers) to help pull yourself up with your arms (or at least that's the idea.) Just as the instructions say with the abnostrain, you should practice pre-op to strengthen your arm muscles and get used to what needs to be done post op.

Personally, I like the abnostrain over the other options because it has (for lack of a better term) "no slip handles" attached to a very strong rope-like thing. If you have no one around to help you post op (or even if you do,) it is probably a wise purchase. I know it is for me. Remembering what I went through with my gall bladder surgery (and that was supposedly easy,) the concept of the abnostrain is something I find very useful. I remember the pain all too well from that surgery and would like to avoid it (or at least minimize it) as much as possible.

Also from the HS Store, I also got the grabber thingy, the Chillow, the tummy pillow, the Deluxe Princess Package and raspberry scones.

I also bought a raised toilet seat, a donut pillow, body pillows, slippery knee length sleeping gowns, a wedge pillow for helping my legs to stay just a little bent while in bed (I have bulging discs in my lower back too,) the little rail bag for the hospital (full of goodies I found on the "what to bring" lists on this site,) magazines and no-concentration books (in anticipation of not having too long an attention span in the Castle.)

I think the single most helpful piece of advice I got on this site is to prepare because once you are home healing, you probably will not feel like going anywhere. While I know I will probably not be as prepared as I would like, I am pleased with the options and ideas presented on this site. If you have the time, I encourage you to explore some of what other hyster sisters have said. They have some neat ideas too, like the one about bringing a gift for nursing staff and a gift for the surgeon. I feel like a heal that I didn't think of gifts myself, but they certainly make a lot of sense. I hope the nurses like truffles, and I hope my doc likes his scrub cap. All told, probably less than a $10 investment, but it sure makes me feel a lot better that I can do something personally for the folks who I know will help me out a lot.
Good luck!

Hey Tracy a grabber thingy is a good idea, even if you have someone there helping you, ou'll notice wanting to do little things for yourself. I didn't purchase a SwellyBelly Band, but the hospital had something very similar, it was a Godsend! Just helped give extra support, I don't know if they all have the binders, so purchasing one would be a good idea. Chapstick/lipbalm is a MUST.

I wouldn't bother with too many books. In the castle it's hard to focus, plus with the meds you doze off a LOT. Maybe just 1 or 2 and leave the rest at home. I also bought satiny jammies, since I had some discharge I only wore the tops in bed, then threw the pants on for walks. And I only wore the 1 top, then put on a regular nightgown at home.

Oh Oh Oh! A BACK SCRATCHER!!! I thought I woulod be ok without one...the second day at 5 am I was going nuts with those bags on my legs!! Backscratcher became a lifesaver.

I wish I had agrabby thingy cuz I dropped thing all the time, and a back sctatcher and lip balm is a must. Getting out of bed is hard, but getting of the pottie or a chair is easy. No need for giant grannie panties, just bring old stretched out ones.

Oral B brush ups ( little things you can wear on your fingers to brush your teeth) in case if you throw up and feel to weak to get out of bed, they get rid of that yucky taste and grimy feeling off your teeth. I brought my own mint tea bags, it helped sooth my tummy. I brought 2 lip glosses just in case one dropped and went under the bed. I wore extra big pajama bottoms with drawstring so my butt was hanging out when walking the halls, I had to wear the hospital gown the whole time, my I.V. didn't come up until the last day. My own pillow. I wouldn't bring a book, it really is to hard to concentrate, maybe some magazines.

I personally shave the night before ( I had no idea some for some sisters it was a no no), so check with your doc, mine personally had no problems with it.
Good luck!!

I have been doing some shopping too and picking things up here and there. I bought new slippers, a new night shirt, some oversized panties because I know if my doc does a TAH instead of a LAVH, I won't want anything remotely tight around my belly. I have a back scratcher that I already use all the time. I had surgery on both shoulders and I can't reach all the way up my back with my right arm. I love my back scratcher! It was the best dollar I ever invested.

I make my own soap, lotion and lip balm so I'm well stocked with that. I'll be wearing sweat pants to the castle and since I won't be in them long, I can wear them home. I'll also wear my slip on sandals because I doubt I'll want to tie my shoes afterwards.

I'm sure I'll go to the store a few more times before next Friday.

a grabber is a must! I have a chair by the side of the bed to help me up and down-after the first few days that will get easier. I didn't take much to the hospital- leave the books at home! you'll do more sleeping than anything else. most of what I took stayed in the bag! all I used was slippers, robe, hairbrush, brush ups, and chapstick! if you are a "side" sleeper make sure you have plenty of pillows-with enough you can sleep on your side.

Casperkat, I wouldn't recommend doing any waxing or shaving "down there" before your surgery. Let them do that at the castle. There was a lady on here a couple of months ago (can't remember her name) who did shave ahead of time and almost got her surgery canceled because she broke out in red bumps and they were concerned about infection.

They did my shaving after I was "out," and I never even knew about it until my DH saw me naked for the first time after surgery and cracked up at the little "moustache" they left. Trust me, you aren't going to know about it and you won't care either. Don't wax!

I wound up taking a ton of stuff to the castle that I didn't use. I did use lip balm and face cleanser towelettes. I took some saline nasal spray with me and used it (I tend to get "dry" in a/c). I took more nightwear and panties than I needed. I really did overpack!

I have a grabber thingie that we got at Wal-Mart, and I used it a few times those first few days I was home. It was a wise purchase. I didn't get any of the other gadgets, so I guess I can't miss what I don't have.