What do I pack to bring to the hospital?

[nicoles mom]

Linda
Hi We Made Nicole A Large Poster Of Her Dog Petey. When She Woke Up In Her Room It Was Hanging Up Over Her Bed. She Miissed Her Puppy Sooo Very Much This Made Her Feel Good.
Theresa

[Belletoo]

I had read on this site that a body pillow was a must. Boy, was it ever. It's great to put behind or in front, he liked resting his feet on top of it. We found ours at Wal-Mart for 8.88

The rehab hospital was geared for adults, thus they had no kids TV channels except PBS. We brought in a small TV/DVD combo so he could at least watch movies. We also brought in books and card games. Helpful to encourage sitting up a few days after surgery.

A good book for mom is great too.

[KRIS ATKINSON]

Glad you told me about the body pillow. The hospital didn't know what I was talking about or didn't think I needed it. I plan to get it, as you suggested, maybe at Walmart. I wonder if 2 would be helpful? Kris

[nicoles mom]

HEY KRIS
MY DAUGHTER NICOLE HAD TWO AND WE USED THEN AT THE HOSPITAL. THE HOSPITAL HAD LOTS OF PILLOWS FOR US TOO WHICH WE ALSO USED. YOU NEED LOTS OF PILLOWS. SHE STILL USING THEN HER SURGERY WAS MARCH 30. I GOT HER A VERY SOFT ZIPPERED PILLOW COVER AT LINEN AND THINGS. ITS CALLED A MICROSUEDE BODY PILLOW COVER 14.99. THEY ALSO HAVE THE PILLOW THERE ABOUT 10 BUCKS EACH. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GET THEM ONLINE AT WWW.LNT.COM

KRIS MY HUSBAND WOULD LOVE TO LIVE WERE YOU ARE FROM HES A NASCAR FAN
THERESA

[Mary Lou]

Some kids find they need tons of pillows and others don't use any at all. My daughter used a regular bed pillow behind her back at first to help her stay on her side while laying in bed and we used the same pillow for behind her back while traveling home or to the doctors for the first few weeks.


Mary Lou

[cedronella]

soft shorts

My son really wanted his softest baggy athletic shorts, which were easy to get on and off.

[nikyergen]

Kris,
You will find the nurses will get really user friendly with a body pillow. It is so much easier than having to adjust two, three, four pillows. The nurses at Shriners Hospital in Portland were thrilled with ours. They hadn't used one and they asked me to have the scoli patient down the hall see if they could get one too. It creates a lot less work and less stress on the patient.

My advice on what to take agrees with most others here. However, don't take everything under the sun. Crystal took everything but the bathroom sink. She used very little of what she took. Her most prized items were her CD player and her infamous blankie from birth. I think we've discussed those blankies before. Crystal and I were talking about hers tonight. Remember something very comfortable for the ride home, it will make a difference.

Crystal also took a picture of her very best guy friend. He is in college and calls her weekly to see how she is doing. He tried to see her the day before we left for Portland, I got to see him and fixed him breakfast, she was disappointed that she didn't get to see him. All the nurses asked if he was her boyfriend. She said "No, he's my very best friend and its to hard to date your very best friend." I thought it was pretty cute.

Just don't forget the blankies.

'til later,
Nikki

[KRIS ATKINSON]

Nikki, thanks for your insight regarding the body pillow. It seems like an inexpensive "luxury" to get whether it ends up being used or not, compared to the ideas of special beds, etc! So, I will get 2 and hope to befriend all the staff and my daughter as well. I tried asking medical personnel about accessories that forum writers have discussed, but I notice they are not aware or want to save us all from spending money and getting stuff we might not need. Mostly, I figure they don't spend much time analyzing what works well post-surgery, for comfort. So, thank you all for your thoughts of how to accessorize for comfort, etc., after surgery. My daughter and I do alot of overnighters with girl scouts, so I don't plan on either of us taking much to the hospital except the CD player/disks, and some books. I hate it when I see other kids bring suitcases and makeup to camp-outs where we sleep on a floor. Erica will probably be glad not to have to pack lots of clothes, as she is not into fashion and would probably love the opportunity to never change clothes (ok, that's and extreme) Kris

[Mary Lou]

Kris,

I'm glad to hear that you don't plan on taking everything with you to the hospital. I'm like you....I hate to drag things along that we don't need. We didn't take Jamie's CD player with us, but we figured we could always get someone to bring it in to her if she wanted it. We asked her and she didn't want it. She spent most of her time watching MTV. I took magazines with me but didn't really read them. I was busy enough writing everything down, time she took meds, what meds she took, etc., and turning/taking care of Jamie, that I didn't have much time to read. Like I said before, some kids swear by the body pillows. Jamie on the other hand would have never used them. It wouldn't hurt to have them, as I'm sure she will use them for sleepovers or watching TV later even if she doesn't use them for after surgery.

Take a few changes of clothes for her. We took pj bottoms and pull over t-shirts (not necessarily her favorites just in case some drainage or blood would get on them). Jamie was in her own clothes as soon as the catheter was out. It made her feel better to be in her own clothes rather than hospital gowns. Jamie could have cared less about make-up or even putting her contacts in while she was in the hospital.

Mary Lou

[nikyergen]

Kris,
As far as what to buy for home. We bought nothing. A person could get a fortune tied up in buying things for home. Crystal didn't require anything special when we got home and I am so glad we didn't spend money unnecessarily. The first couple of weeks will be kind of rough, but once you hit about week three things start improving rapidly. As far as the staff suggesting things, they may not want to send you on a spending spree unnecessarily too.

'til later,
Nikki