Things to pack for a hospital stay

My own hospital admission was an emergency and therefore wholly unexpected, but whilst posting on the IA Support Group forum (which, by the way, is marvellous and full of wonderful, friendly and very helpful people!) today, I had a little think of what sort of things I would have wanted to pack in my overnight bag, for future reference.

• ear plugs - sleeping is tricky in hospital (sometimes through no fault of anyone, there are just lots of people around at night, some working, some sleeping, and they can make noise) and whilst I managed okay by using my mp3 player and headphones to "zone out", ear plugs would have been a big help.
• multiple nighties & dressing gowns - I was sick twice over my stuff from home and had to wrap myself up in a blanket until my husband could take it home to wash.
• comfy slippers - my feet were swollen both before and after surgery and so I had to buy new ones anyway, but some comfortable slippers are a must. 
• pretty pyjamas - as the rest of me was pretty swollen, too, and because of various tubes, I stayed in hospital gowns for a while, but it was so good to get into some pretty pyjamas instead; I even had what I called my "dress pyjamas" for when guests came to visit!
• notebook - I kept a food diary once I could scribble legibly and this was somewhere where I could note down any questions that I had for my doctors when they visited every morning.
• dry shampoo - I coped surprisingly well with dirty hair, given that I normally feel horribly grubby if I don't wash it every day, but a couple of friends bought me some of this and it was a big help, as I was able to do it by myself in my bed and it made me feel clean and relaxed.
• hairbrush & hair-ties - one of the main reasons why I was able to cope with my hair being dirty for so long was that my mum put it into plaits for me (I became known as "Dorothy" by some of the nurses!).
• various toiletries wipes - easy-to-use and quick-to-hand; lots of family & friends bought me a variety of these and they were great for when I was still finding it painful to get all the way to the bathroom to wash. 
• toothbrush & toothpaste - self-explanatory (and this was something me & my dear husband managed to remember!).
• tweezers - no-one should have seen the state of my eyebrows after 2 weeks of illness and another 2 of post-surgery recovery. Fortunately, after three of those weeks, my wonderful mother-in-law bought me some in. It's a silly thing to worry about, on the grand scale of things, but I found that it was sorting little things like this out that really improved my spirits.
• magazines - I packed my Kindle, thinking hospital would provide a great opportunity to catch up on my reading (I also hoped to knit a few jumpers, learn to crochet and do some cross-stitch), but quickly discovered that, post-surgery, I had nowhere near the required concentration or attention span to read a book. I could just about manage snippets from magazines and so was glad when my parents brought some along with them (they gave me a break from ileostomy leaflets!).
• enough money to buy a television card... - given my lack of concentration, I was so grateful for daytime television! Even when I wasn't allowed to eat and all there seemed to be on were cookery programmes, it was something to pass the time. There were also some times where I had found it difficult to talk and so, rather than force my poor husband to carry the conversation for multiple hours, we would sit and watch the television together (with subtitles) and make little comments, like we do at home. It made me feel so much better! 
• phone charger - self-explanatory. I could use my phone on the ward and did so, a lot. I emailed, texted, and occasionally called friends and family, who helped me feel more like myself.
• a blanket - we have a few cheap, fleecy blankets at home for snuggling under in the winter and, with hindsight, I would have appreciated having one of these. The hospital bedding, whilst adequate, was heavy and decidedly non-cosy (generally being cold unless being in immediate contact with a warm part of your body for longer than five minutes).