I am often asked what did I really need and find most helpful to bring to the hospital on the day of my bariatric surgery. So, I’ve created a checklist of items you might want to consider.

1. Cell Phone and Charger – make sure you have all of your important phone numbers stored in your phone before your surgery day.
2. Wear loose fitting clothes, such as a pull over dress, large pull over shirt, pants without elastic or binding waistband, shorts, if weather permits, or sweat clothes. I used the same outfit I wore on the day I checked in and the day I was discharged from the hospital.
3. Toiletries – small travel size toothpaste, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, shampoo, deodorant, hairbrush and hair ties ( if applicable). My hospital did provide the basic toiletrise, but I am not a fan of hospital issued items and wanted to be safe rather than sorry in case anything wasnt provided, so I brought my own toiletries as if I were traveling.
4. Listerine Breath Strips– your mouth will feel like cotton and your breath will to be as fresh. You may have a strange taste in y our mouth as I did, so the breath strips really helped.
   
5.  Gas-X Strips  – After my surgery, I suffered with terrible gas and pain. The combination of walking around the hallways of the hospital and using the Gas-X Strips made a HUGE difference in helping get rid of my gas pains.
6.   Ricola Sugar Free Lemon Mint Throat Drops – I found these throat drops to be very soothing worked very well to get rid of my dry throat.

7.  Chapstick – ( I also brought Burt’s Bees with me)

8.  Night Shirt, loose-fitting pajamas, a pair of pajama bottoms. My hospital required that I wear my gown they provided, but I noticed some of the other patients wearing pajama bottoms while walking the hallways. I had two gowns on, one facing front and the other facing backward,  to give me adequate 360 degree coverage. I was so large that if I only used one gown, my butt would have been all hanging out. I just wish I had brought my own bottoms and this was one of the first things I wrote down when I was recording my experience so that anyone else would have this heads up.

9.  A pair of socks, slippers, flip-flops, fleece socks with treads. You will need to keep your feet warm at night, so I suggest a pair of socks for that. I would also suggest flip-flops or slippers to walk around the hallways.  Any combination here will work, it’s your own personal preference, but do bring a pair of socks to sleep in.

10. Body Lotion – Lotion is a very personal decision. I am not a huge lotion fan, but have learned over the years that moisturizing your skin is so important. Before my surgery, I tried a few different types and brands of lotion and moisturizer and discovered Gold Bond Ultimate Skin Therapy Cream. I specifically used their Restoring Cream with CoQ10. I liked its non-greasy feel and quick absorbance. It also made my skin felt wonderful and the fragrance is light and subtle. After my surgery, my skin felt so dry that I was very glad I remembered to bring this.

11.  Notebook and pen – I wanted to have something to take notes as well as to write down any questions I wanted to ask my medical team and dietitian.

12.  Pillow – for some people this is a must, not only for the hospital stay, but also for the car ride home. Some of my friends said they used the pillow on their lap for the car ride home and found it helpful to use between their body and the seat belt. I didn’t bring a pillow and did well without it.

13.  Makeup, Perfume or Cologne – as with the pillow: this is a must for some people. I didn’t bring any makeup or perfume, but that was my personal preference.

14. Reading Materials – Book, Magazine, Bible, etc. – I didn’t feel like reading  as I was napping on and off for a good part of that first day in the hospital. I also felt groggy from the anesthesia, so reading wasn’t a priority for me. I did have the TV on but really don’t remember what I had watched.  The noise of having the TV on was a soothing distraction though.  That is as much as I remember about the TV during my hospital stay.

15.  Music, Tablet, Laptop – Here again, I didn’t bring any of these items as I wasn’t really up to being with my devices, but here you should make your decision based on your personal preferences.