twenty tips for a hospital stay
I was in the hospital for a week in March, for a major surgery. After I got out I thought of making this list, but I needed a bit more healing to be able to write it. This list is totally random, and very stream of consciousness. Maybe later, I can go back in and sort it by topic or something like that.
Here goes!
Bring the small things that bring you comfort.
I had one of the stones I usually keep next to my bed with me, to play with. I also brought my Rubikâs cube as itâs always next to me as well.Bring your own meds and related stuff.
I use inhalers and brought them, of course, but I also brought the kind of paracetamol I use, and the antihistamine I use. I even brought spray for damaged skin I always use, in case my back would get damaged from the ginormous plastic tape they put over the epidural. Removing it really harmed my skin, and they could spray it with my spray.Bring hand sanitiser. That one is a given, I think.
Bring something that will lower your stress.
Itâs amazing how many people want to touch you in hospital, doctors, nurses, people who draw blood. It made me really anxious at times. After the visits, I really needed to calm myself down. Doing sudoku on the phone, or putting a tiny jigsaw puzzle together really helped.Bring fun reads (also books youâve read before).
Donât try to read Shakespeare while you are in hospital, but try to grab cosy reads that make you smile and donât take too much energy. Being in hospital costs enough. Magazines are fun too đPut cosy games on your phone.
I have three games I constantly fell back on in the hospital: Neko Atsume 2 (and occasionally tried to get the few missing rare cats in 1, too), Animal Crossing Pocket Camp and Sudoku. Really helped me with #4 too.Bring a favourite, light snack.
Sometimes you are in pain, bored, and just want a treat you love.Bring moisturiser.
For some reason I get really dry skin in hospital. I had my husband bring some moisturiser on day three, and boy, that was a relief!Fill a small photo book with photos of people who stand by you.
Before a hospital stay last year, I asked my family to send me recent pictures they liked of themselves, and then asked my husband to print them, with pictures of us and our pets. Then put them all in a cute album. I canât even tell you how often I leafed through that album and smiled at all those I loved, and, in case of the humans, all I knew who stood by me. I was never alone.Bring a notebook and pen.
I first wanted to write: bring a journal, but a notebook and pen can work as that and so much more. Jot down things youâd like to ask your doctor when they visit next, or what you would like to do when you get home, or write out your anxious thoughts, scribble a poem, brainstorm a project, anything you can think of. Itâs so tactile and nice to write. And if you are a journal keeper, you could also journal in the notebook, or bring the journal you usually write with.Bring a small portable light.
Maybe itâs just me, but I had to have a light on throughout the night, because otherwise I would panic, not knowing where I was for a while. With that light on, I could see where I was and see I was in hospital.Download things you want to watch beforehand.
Wifi in hospitals is awful. Download your movies or shows the day before, so you can watch shows even with zero coverage.Write once, paste many.
Your family and friends of course want to know how you are. I made it so easy for myself by writing one update and then pasting it in my various chats etc, so much easier than thinking of something unique to write while your focus is elsewhere.Bring an mp3 player.
This was so nice! I have a mini mp3 player, I could put it on before surgery, to calm me down, and I could listen to it at night when sleep just wouldnât come, or when I was bored. I only have my favourite music on it, so I know that when I hit shuffle, I get something I want to hear.Bring charged PowerBanks.
This was a game changer for me. I always was dependent on where the outlets were, and sometimes my cables were too short and I couldnât reach my phone ever so easy. Now I bring two PowerBanks. I can charge my phone and e-reader with them, and then ask my husband to charge the empty one to bring back the next day.Bring a (travel) blanket.
Comfort is key. If you arenât warm enough, your blanket will be key to keeping you warm while also serving as something to remind you of home. A lightweight blanket is also great for when youâre in a chair or wheelchair. Great for when your legs get cold.Wear oversized cotton pyjamas or nighties.
I lost a lot of weight last year due to complications and most of that is still off. I brought those nighties (I still wear those) to the hospital and loved the way they were not tight anywhere. No pressure, no discomfort anywhere. And given my stomach was the surgery area, that was nice!Put your toiletries in travel containers.
Label them and then youâre good to go. I only brought a small toiletries case and yet had everything. I did that after I had a room mate last year who brought a small suitcase filled with bottles etc. When you are in pain and walking to the shower to get refreshed, the light toiletry case will be so much easier.Bring a water bottle.
In my hospital they had five rounds during the day where you could get things to drink, that was it, that was nowhere near the 2 litres my doctor wants me to drink daily. I loved having a small water bottle that I could ask the nurses or catering staff to refill for me when I wasnât able to do so.Prepare to be bored.
One of the signs that you are feeling better is that the days get so boring. Where before you were resting all the time, now you get a little bit of energy and want to do things. I had a lot of things with me in case I got bored. Several books, a Sudoku book, jigsaw puzzles, cards to write to family and friends, and of course my phone loaded with games and entertainment.