Packing my hospital bag

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

Margaret Thatcher

Having surgery is one of the most stressful events you can prepare yourself for. Outpatient surgeries can be even more stressful. If you have had many surgeries like me, I have learned what is necessary to bring whether if surgery was inpatient or outpatient. For those who are not aware, outpatient surgery is when you are allowed to leave the hospital the same day of your surgery. I have had a couple outpatient surgery’s, however, most surgeries were inpatient and I was kept overnight. Whenever I am told I am having an outpatient surgery, I ALWAYS make sure I pack a hospital bag just in case something happens and I have to stay in the hospital overnight. I had an outpatient surgery once and enough blood to need to have a blood transfusion and I developed a fever. The hospital decided to keep me overnight, however, I didn’t have a hospital bag. I didn’t think anything of it but when I was told I was staying overnight, I was freaking out because I had nothing with me. Family members made trips from my house to bring my phone charger, computer, and several other things I wanted. I learned from then on out to ALWAYS pack a hospital bag no matter what type of surgery it is!

This time round, the hospital said that if everything goes smoothly (fingers crossed), I should only be in the hospital one night. However, I am going to be extra cautious just incase I have to stay overnight more than one night, since Cincinnati isn’t right down the street.

I only have one night left before I leave for Cleveland and I pretty much packed my hospital bag, however, I thought I would just say what I pack to maybe help some of my readers! One thing I never forget is a blanket. Hospitals are cold! Typically for surgeries, it is required that you have to report to a hospital two hours before your scheduled surgery time so you can get into the hospital gown, IV inserted, go over medical history, etc. Sometimes there’s a chance a surgery could be delayed an hour or two if an emergency case comes in and takes priority. That’s happened to me before and a blanket has helped and kept me warm when I am waiting for surgery.

Another necessity is my stuffed animal cat, Allie, who was in my surgery blog a little over a year ago for my leg surgery. She has been with me through every surgery and I always have her lay next to me in the hospital bed when I am being operated on. I also got a new favorite stuffed animal. My boyfriend, De’Lon (who was the subject of a blog post two posts ago and if you haven’t read it yet make sure you do!), got me. He got me a stuffed Spider-Man to keep with me when I am in the hospital. Since I’ll be four hours away, he won’t be able to visit me or see me until after I get home and recover a little bit, so this means a lot.

Electronics are a must! With the world we live in, it is hard to pass the time without being surrounded by our phones, IPads, or laptops. I make sure I have every charger in my bag, and all the electronics I think I will need (not want, NEED). Because since I am having such an invasive surgery, it is hard to tell how much time I will actually spend doing anything when I am in the hospital. I might end up sleeping most of the time with all of the pain medicine I will be on. However, if I am in pain, I can get irritable so having my laptop and being able to blog about my surgery will help keep me busy until I can get out of the hospital and home to Cincinnati. My cell phone is a must because, well, what are you going to do for the two hours when you are being prepped for surgery and you are laying down in the cold hospital and have nothing to do. Usually the first thing I ask my mom when I wake up in recovery is, “Can I have my phone?” That is almost sad, however, I do get dozens of messages from people asking about my surgery or updates so that’s the immediate thing I want to try to get out as soon as I wake up. I just want to left everyone know that I will update everyone after my surgery on Wednesday, and I will post on my blog when I feel well enough to do so!

I can NEVER forget fuzzy socks! The hospital usually provides you with non-slip grip socks but they aren’t as cozy or warm so I have my socks in my bag ready to go! As well as nice comfy clothes to travel home after being discharged! One tip that I have for my readers is that, when they are packing clothes for when they are traveling home after being discharged, think about what type of surgery you are having, and pick your clothes based on that! Make sure you are comfortable and not miserable! When leaving the hospital, you don’t have to leave all glammed up and you want to make sure you are comfy. Once I am wheeled out of the hospital, I will be in a car ride for four hours so I will most likely be sleeping the whole car ride. I packed loose-fitting sweats, since I am going to be sore from the bone grafting in my hip, and a buttoned-down top. I was going to bring a T-shirt, however, it might be better to bring a comfy buttoned-down top so I don’t have to fit a T-shirt over my head after having a major jaw surgery.

I leave tomorrow morning for Cleveland and have my pre-op at 11 AM. This is so surreal. I know I may say that a lot, however, I don’t think I will believe it until the surgery is over and I wake up. Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers! I read every message and comment even if I don’t respond. It means a lot to me for those who are still here who were from the very beginning of this process and I can’t be more grateful. Thank you all!