What will I need?

[vsg09102015 7]

I'm feeling really good. My bladder didn't "wake up" right after the surgery so I had to stay an extra night and had to get a catheter. The catheter is out today and as long as I urinate I can go home. I had some pain but nothing terrible. Thanks for your kind wishes.

[tssiemer 85]

I packed a ton of stuff and all I really needed was pajamas, lots of undies, PADS OR TAMPONS (I started my period very heavily the day after surgery...it was horrible and messy), chapstick, gas x strips, a mini fan, deodarant, cell phone and charger, slippers with non slip treading, ur favorite blanket and a pillow for the ride home! Hope this helps!!!

I hear this a lot that people start their periods RIGHT AFTER and it's heavy. I wonder why that is. If anyone has looked into it.

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Edited September 12, 2015 by tssiemer

[Daisee68 2,493]

I agree with all here - chapstick, biotene, gas-X strips, flip flops for walking (easy to put on). The 2 things I wish I had taken were ear plugs (to cover up my snoring momma in the corner chair and the incessant beeping if the machines) and a heating pad. The hospital did provide a heating pad eventually but it took them 5 hours to deliver it! I was quite annoyed. They did bring me earplugs rather quickly. ????. Only good sleep I got was the 2 hours I was able to wear those darn things.

[The Candidate 3,215]

Charger cords for your electronics and make sure they're long, as you never know how far away the plugs are. Mine didn't reach at all. Also stick with one device. I took both my iPad and iPhone and ended up only using one, and even then only sparingly.

I think you'll be surprised at how much time is spent on other things: walking, ice chips, broth, interruptions, bathroom, arranging your IV lines, etc. I would also suggest you sleep when you can because the hospital is the last place in the world to rest. ????. But the time passes quickly.

As for length of stay: I went in on a Wednesday and got out on a Saturday. But my surgeon requires that amount for every patient.

Best of luck!

[ttdish 315]

I found quite a few videos on YouTube that went over their hospital bag packing lists. I found them very helpful because they explained what they packed, and what they actually used. I found them so helpful, in fact, that I made my own video. My YouTube channel is "Trisha's Sleeve Story," but you can just search VSG hospital bag and you'll get quite a few results.

[Sharon1964 2,530]

My hospital provided almost everything I needed. There are individual climate controls in each room (and all rooms are private, not shared), so I kept it as cold as I wanted. They provided non-slip socks, which are color coded by your risk of falling. They gave me all the citrus sponges I wanted for dry mouth/lips.

Things I used of my own:

cell phone and charger

one set of clean panties and loose sweatpants

my cpap machine and distilled Water for it

I think that's it. I wore home the same loose summer dress that I wore there.

They offered to let me drive home because I hadn't had pain meds that day (2 days after surgery), but I declined. Surgery on a Saturday, back at work at a desk job on the Thursday after.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

I brought deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush, and some soft comfy clothes to go home in

[byebyefat 262]

My hospital provided almost everything I needed. There are individual climate controls in each room (and all rooms are private, not shared), so I kept it as cold as I wanted. They provided non-slip socks, which are color coded by your risk of falling. They gave me all the citrus sponges I wanted for dry mouth/lips.

Things I used of my own:

cell phone and charger

one set of clean panties and loose sweatpants

my cpap machine and distilled Water for it

I think that's it. I wore home the same loose summer dress that I wore there.

They offered to let me drive home because I hadn't had pain meds that day (2 days after surgery), but I declined. Surgery on a Saturday, back at work at a desk job on the Thursday after.

thank you so much for all of the informative details, ur awesome