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Those above the knee night shirts were very comfortable and were great the first couple of weeks! Easy when you need to use the bathroom at night. My hospital made us get dressed which to me was either Capri or sweats. Chap stick and dry shampoo also nice to have and I brought some snacks! You are getting there!
 
I took heaps and hardly used any of it ..... But my top tips would be:
Shoes that are easy to get on - you may have to wear them when practising on crutches/stairs etc
Moisturising wipes - found these useful for doing my legs when changing TEDs and it stopped them going too dry and flaky.
Nightdress that is on or above the knee otherwise you will get knotted up in it - and not PJ's if you are likely to have a catheter!
Some music to listen to or drift off to.
Something to add to water as it gets BORING - would have liked whisky but made do with orange squash.
Something easy to grab and eat - your appetite goes a bit weird and I woke up a couple of times in the early hours with a severe case of the munchies, so I had some bananas brought in.
I took peppermints as my stomach isn't the best - and I was glad I did.
Notebook and pen
Moisturiser
Perfume to feel human.
2 pairs of glasses in case I lost a pair in the bed/in the locker/in my bag ........


Books, laptop, magazines, 'proper clothes' were not even unpacked.

Post surgery dresses/tunics/cardigans with big pockets are invaluable. Means you can stuff the pockets with all the bits you need and have both hands free for walking aids.

Hope all goes well for you
X
 
Mine was only 20 minutes....but it was the longest 20 minutes of my life!
 
I brought very little---wore yoga pants and a long sleeved shirt in---changed into them right after surgery (no catheter!!), my husband brought clean stuff the next day. I showered, changed into the clean stuff and left the hospital!! Wore crocs--brought my phone and my iPad. Someone brought me a few magazines, which were nice for that first night. Chapstick was needed---they gave me other stuff, i don't wear make up.

I brought in a biggish purse--and it worked great for the last day too. Kelly
 
I have had both knees done- 5 months apart. I took my ipad, iPhone, and Kindle and the chargers for them. My phone has my music so I had that to help relax me- I also took my small jambox speaker which was nice for the music. Had to have my technology with me! Before my surgery I replaced the shoelaces in my gym shoes with elastic laces (I used lock laces https://www.locklaces.com ) they have been wonderful! Both times I was in the hospital, the room I was in was sooo hot, I suffered the heat one night during my first stay and then asked for a fan- it made all the difference in the world. For the second surgery (in November) I asked for a fan shortly after I was back in my room and was much more comfortable because again the room was hot. I changed into at shirt and shorts each morning-unfortunately I only had long sleeved tshirts for my November surgery-short sleeve would have been better. Although the hospital gave me their wonderful slipper socks, I brought my own- soft, stylish snoozies ( they are more stylish than the slipper socks and come in lots of styles and colors) I have short hair so dry shampoo was not an issue. As soon as I was able to get out of bed I made a beeline to brush my teeth- so having my own toothbrush and toothpaste was wonderful. Finally, I bought several pairs of men's flannel pants for my second surgery. I wore a pair to the hospital and the same pair home (the bandages were removed before I was discharged so I did not have that extra bulkiness) Everything I took to the hospital fit into a rolling backpack which was easy for the friend who took me for my surgery to manage until I was in a room.
 
Necessity--chapstick! Also, check if you'll br having hydrotherapy-- I had to get DH to bring me a swimsuit!
 
I took a secret stash of my pain meds just in case! Never had to use them though
Best thing was a portable dvd player and some boxed sets of things like "North and South! and "Shogun" and some collections of comedy series like "Yes Minister"! I would sit up watching those till about 3 in the morning!

One thing I really wished I'd taken was my leg lifter. I had a terrible case of Tourniquet pain which meant moving my leg anywhere was murder! Fortunately I woke up on day 4 and it was gone! (the pain not the leg lifter!)

Did you know there is a nice LOOOng list of things to take here Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
 
Yep, there is a LOT of useful stuff in the Library, even if I do say so myself.
We also have a nutritional section as well - did you know that?
 
Snowysmom already mentioned hard candy, but the one thing I didn't know about beforehand was the absolutely terrible taste I had in my mouth after surgery, which lasted for several days. Not sure of the reason-dry mouth from medicines maybe, but the morning after surgery one of my co-workers (I work at the same hospital where I had my surgery) brought me a bag of peppermints, which were WONDERFUL! Jolly Ranchers work great too. I just remember that I seemed to have such an unpleasant taste in my mouth, and that brushing my teeth only helped for less than an hour.
Also, don't bother with slippers or robe. Those ugly nonskid socks actually work fine, and when I got up I put on baggy knit shorts and a tee shirt.
And, I agree with 1Eliesa about the book; felt too lousy to follow a plot line. But a magazine that a friend left was just the ticket.
I'll be packing again soon-ugh!
 
1ELISEA said:
No books. I was only there for a day or two but a book was the last thing I could have read.
Click to expand...
I agree---I took several books---since I had a BTKR I was in the rehab wing of the hospital for about a week---but I was either too tired, too sleepy, or unable to focus on anything much. I ended up having my wife take the books home.

I would recommend either an IPod, IPad, or a tablet (laptop) to use---also for music, too. Your phone would be a nice thing to have, as well.
 
Thank you all so much. There are several suggestions of things I wouldn't have thought of and I appreciate your help. I had already decided on no books because I'm already having trouble reading much due to the pain meds I'm on now. I don't own IPods and such but do have a portable CD player and may take that with some relaxing music. I'm not a big music fan but it might come in handy should I have trouble relaxing or if it's too noisy. I know I'll have a private room but I also know that hospitals aren't especially quiet and I'm bothered by noise.

I've been wondering about how hot/cold I might be. I tend to be cold, especially legs, when I'm at rest, but I'm pretty sure that standing up and walking on my new knees will bring on one of the hot spells I get, so I'm trying to take it all into consideration. And some people have said they never got dressed in real clothes and others have said they were told to get dressed for PT.

I was instructed to bring my CPAP machine but I'm wondering if I will have to bring my own distilled water. Maybe I can find out when I talk to the hospital person a few days before surgery.

Even though I've been waiting for this surgery for 6 months (well, really 10 years), I'm now past the worry about the actual surgery and worrying about the little stuff. Well, I guess that's better than being in a panic about the procedure.

Another worry - how difficult will it be for me to get into/out of bed when I get home? I have a tempurpedic mattress on a high bed frame. My son will be sleeping upstairs and sleeps soundly so I'm a little worried whether I'll be able to get to the bathroom at night without his help. Well, I can always sleep in they recliner and know I will for a lot of naps.
 
mjmj57inKY said:
Before my surgery I replaced the shoelaces in my gym shoes with elastic laces (I used lock laces https://www.locklaces.com )
Click to expand...
Thanks so much - I had heard about these but kept forgetting to order. I'll try right away to find them. I could use them now as I have a lot of trouble getting on tie shoes.
 
I used crocs in the hospital---easy to get on and off and they are non slip. Also, I washed them in the machine when I got home.
 
Hi VancouverUSA - I had to bring my CPAP also but the hospital provided the distilled water. Also the anesthesiologist wanted the cpap before my surgery to check its settings.

As far as how easy it is to get in and out of bed it took me at least a week and i only had right knee done - the quad muscle doesn't work for awhile. You can actually practice now getting in and out of bed. Just pretend you cannot move your legs at all and see how difficult or easy it is for you. I personally think the recliner might be a better bet. The hospital did have me learn how to get in and out of bed right away.

I am glad to hear your son will be there with you. I certainly needed a lot of help the first week and felt very vulnerable and dependent on my DH and very thankful to have such support. Good luck - you are getting there and seem well prepared!
 
Cell phone for me is the #1 - the moment I woke up after surgery, I set the alarm for every 4 hours so I (and they) made sure I got my meds on time. I think this is what made my recoveries so much easier than what they could've been.
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Loose shorts and long pajama pants
I couldn't concentrate long enough to read and my eyesight seemed somewhat wonky for a while, so I slept when I could and watched TV when I couldn't.
Good luck!
 
You will need big shoes. I couldn't fit into any of the shoes I brought so my husband had to bring my oldest biggest most stretched out pair. It's also very good to have a cord for your glasses unless you need to wear them all the time.
 
Smart phones have an app for timing your pain meds---you can set alarms and they can offer you different alarms for different meds. The app works for both IPhones and Androids.
 
I'm really glad I brought some wintergreen mints! Every time they gave me a different Med in my IV- I could "taste" it.
 
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