Having op on Saturday, any suggestions please.

I read a lot but could never concentrate for long enough to read a book so I read magazines.

I was offered a spinal anaesthetic, reluctantly agreed, the next thing I knew was that my knee had been replaced and I was still on this planet.

Preferably slippers with backs and flat shoes or trainers. All floors to me are slippery.

Good luck.

Obviously you'd better make sure you have a huuuuge bag to put all our suggested items in! Good luck with it anyway. It'll be all over soon and you'll be safely home again.

All the above advice is brilliant. Before the op stock up the freezer with meals you can easily reheat when you're recuperating.

For the hospital stay I prefer to take flip flops - they're easy to slide into plus they can be worn in the shower if needs be. I'd ensure I had my toothbrush and toothpaste to clean my teeth - even in bed, wiping my lips with a bit of tissue, if I couldn't get to the bathroom initially. The staff will understand how you feel if you're honest with them and they can reassure you if you need it.

The best way to recover, I've found, is to trust the nurses when they encourage you to be on the move again; whilst in hospital and when you return home ensure you have plenty of sleep, make life easy for yourself and eat well.

Good luck.

Current medications.
Most other things have already been mentioned.
Good luck. Hope all goes well

Doodle, I forgot to mention that. Sometimes, they don't always have your particular medication. I know from experience. I take my suitcase full of meds with me and a typewritten sheet of, what, when, dosage and which conditions they are for. Saves so much hassle.

Hairbrush, toothbrush, moisturizer, soap.
Underwear.
Soduko, crosswords. Easy reading.

Ooooh I love a general anaesthetic. BUT I get very sick afterwards, up to 24 hours. If you are travel / motion sick there is a chance you could have nausea afterwards. If you tell them this, they will reduce the amount of gas they give you while you're under, which reduces the sickness.

In addition to list of medication, I have a list indicating next of kin and phone, date of birth, GP’s name, NI number, Hospital number, if you have been in before, list of previous operations with dates, and obviously name address and telephone number.

I keep this in an overnight bag, together with all the usual items you would need for a night or two away, a tip from my mother in law, who had boys and husband whose idea of what she might need was to say the least, interesting!

I also have a pack of Wet Wipes, a notepad and pencil and a light novel. In the last year I have added hand sanitiser. Plus of course phone and charger.

On one occasion I was asked for all this information on arriving on the ward, when vomiting copiously by a very young and keen nurse, who was determined to try hard to get everything down, bless her. We got there in the end, but my sheet of information would have come in very handy.

Should have added, I found that on being admitted either as an emergency or for a scheduled operation, my brain decided to take a rest, so the list was invaluable. Oh, and don’t shy away from asking questions if you are unsure about anything

Excellent suggestions above. Good luck!????

Bluebellwould I wish you well for Saturday.
If you do wear glasses, don't forget to take an empty case to put them in for safe keeping while you're in surgery.
Definitely take some earplugs.
Maybe some bedsocks?
Easy to wear clothes for coming home.

P.S. Don't forget the kitchen sink!

Depends what procedure you are having and how long you expect to be in hospital. DH has returned home after 8 weeks in hospital following a heart attack and bypass surgery. He wore a hospital gown the whole time because real clothes and the many tubes attached to him for all but a few days of his stay were incompatible.

Mobile phone reception was poor so he was dependent on the ward landline. He had his Kindle, but most of the time felt too ill and was too whoozy after operations to focus on anything.

Until just before Christmas I could visit and what he wanted me to take in was light food items: yoghourts, fresh fruit, small pieces of cheese and those little plastic pots of 'tinned' fruit that do not need refrigerating.

Also lip balm. I hope all goes well.

Whilst everyone is suggesting things to take - may I suggest the opposite and leave any unnecessary jewellery at home.
Hope your op goes well. X

Hope your op goes well Bluebellwould and that you're soon home again to recover.

Good luck BLUEBELL You’ll probably need something to keep you warm I found when I was last in hospital I got cold in the evening a friend brought me a cosy lightweight blanket that was before the virus like someone said in a previous post take something in to keep you warm. and a toilet bag with toothpaste and a toothbrush if it’s electric you’ll need the charger a few pieces of make up, moisturiser, mascara, lipstick who knows you may be well up for titivating yourself, Perhaps even a couple of small bottles with your favourite soft drinks, straws, Gosh it’s not easy not knowing you and not knowing how long you’ll be in hospital, perhaps a couple of tooth picks a change of going home clothes etc etc

Oh and I needed a small fan at times sorry a contradiction to the cosy blanket which in fact some nurses used to stand in front of to cool themselves down. I did so enjoy the music I had put on to my mobile phone as did others we got to the point of shaking our booties to the tune of ProudMary only I hadn’t had an anaesthetic I was recovering from something and had to make the most of my stay. Recover quickly from your operation Bluebell and get out off home.

On my last stay in hospital I was on a ward that had recently been refurbished and there was no wi fi signal.
My partner downloaded a longish novel (with lots of short chapters) on to my iPad. I listened to quite a lot of it, in short bursts.

I was admitted as an emergency so hadn’t prepared anything. I asked my partner to bring me a clean nightie, underwear etc on his next visit. Well, he turned up with a nightie I had already worn and a pile of about 6 pairs of really old knickers that are in the back of the drawer for emergencies.
All this finery was contained in a really tatty Sainsbury’s ‘bag for life’.

Just adding Good luck Bleubellwould ?

It depends on the hospital and how long you will be in. Some hospitals encourage patients to wear their own clothes if they can after the procedure rather than stay in pjs. Also if you wear contact lenses take spectacles as well if you can. You will have to remove contacts for a GA so it may be better not to use them until afterwards.

I just read a quote from the great physician Sir George Pickering who said that, 'A minor operation is an operation performed on somebody else!'!!

Hope your op went well, Blubellwould

It's Sunday so I hope all went well. Drink lots of water and follow instructions to the letter! If you find reading difficult then put a book or two on your phone - my favourite !

Bluebellewould's op was cancelled, I think.

GagaJo I never knew of a link between travel sickness and being sick after a GA. I’ve always had both and bad pregnancy sickness too.