Packing for hospital

ciderwithrosie_2

Mojisola wrote: »

No, a bath and a hand towel are always on the list the hospital send out telling you what to bring into hospital.

Same as at the hospital I work in, which is why I said it, it's in the inpatient booklet (which I designed). I really couldn't bring myself to use a hospital towel anyway - no doubt they have that rich tea biscuit smell from the dryers that makes me feel ill and think of all the hundreds of people that have used them before you.

Torry_Quine

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Same as at the hospital I work in, which is why I said it, it's in the inpatient booklet (which I designed). I really couldn't bring myself to use a hospital towel anyway - no doubt they have that rich tea biscuit smell from the dryers that makes me feel ill and think of all the hundreds of people that have used them before you.

You could have explained that before. Can you tell me why the hospital stopped providing towels and when that was, if you know?

Person_one

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Same as at the hospital I work in, which is why I said it, it's in the inpatient booklet (which I designed). I really couldn't bring myself to use a hospital towel anyway - no doubt they have that rich tea biscuit smell from the dryers that makes me feel ill and think of all the hundreds of people that have used them before you.

I'm curious about how long people keep using their own towels in hospital without putting them in the wash, and how they manage to get them thoroughly dry between uses.

Do you just have to get visitors to keep bringing fresh ones?

lostinrates

Gosh, please don't row people!

I am very slightly imuno compromised, like many people with various chronic illnesses, but not totally vulnerable.

I am totally not an anti bac in normal life kinda gal, but i am worried about the risk when such a vulnerable an senstive place is 'violated' for a lumbar puncture. I think what ever i use on my hands or skin remote from my back will be of limited benefit in this, it will be down to good practise and hospital cleanliness i think.

Torry_Quine

I don't want to get into an argument but here is a link to my local hospital. No mention of taking in towels as expected.

http://www.nhsgrampian.org/nhsgrampian/gra_display_simple_index.jsp?pContentID=347&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&

Person_one

lostinrates wrote: »

Gosh, please don't row people!

I am very slightly imuno compromised, like many people with various chronic illnesses, but not totally vulnerable.

I am totally not an anti bac in normal life kinda gal, but i am worried about the risk when such a vulnerable an senstive place is 'violated' for a lumbar puncture. I think what ever i use on my hands or skin remote from my back will be of limited benefit in this, it will be down to good practise and hospital cleanliness i think.

Just don't put Hibiscrub near your LP site, even if you do decide to use it. They should clean the area with alcohol first and put a sterile dressing on after anyway.

Sorry for my part in the slightly odd direction the thread has taken!

ciderwithrosie_2

Torry_Quine wrote: »

You could have explained that before. Can you tell me why the hospital stopped providing towels and when that was, if you know?

the inpatient booklet I worked on was at least 6 years ago - I think there were small towels in the bathrooms in the mat unit when I had my boys but that's 20 odd years ago now, not much cop for drying with and you wouldn't want to use a white towel anyway after just having had a baby, I had my own with me then too. There must be towels about, because of patients without relatives/visitors and emergency admissions but electives are definitely told to bring their own (everything) in, our hospital is relatively small - about 350 beds and a private wing (bet they get towels there!).

Guess it all comes down to cutting costs - when I had my boys they used to provide vests, nappies, stuff to clean your baby up with, baby milk if you needed it, salt in the bathrooms to add to your bath/bidet. There's none of that now.

lostinrates

Person_one wrote: »

Just don't put Hibiscrub near your LP site, even if you do decide to use it. They should clean the area with alcohol first and put a sterile dressing on after anyway.

Sorry for my part in the slightly odd direction the thread has taken!

Thats ok, like me you have strong views.

I guess the towel thing is hospital or trust dependant.

I presumed they would wipe the area immediately before and then i would be told to leave it a lone for...x amount of time.

pollypenny

Tried googling the trust and the hospital, but can't find any info about what to take in.

When any member of my family has been in hospital, in South Wales, Wrexham, Chester or Manchester, they have provided their own towels, which are washed and replaced by visitors, family or close friends.

I can see that hospitals must carry a supply for those patients without regular visitors.

Armchair23

Well I think all we've established here is that all hospitals are different in what they supply. Some of us would need a van to take along everything we might need and others would tip up without so much as a toothbrush.
: ))
I just hope that you don't worry too much about all of these things and that everything goes as smoothly as one could possibly hope.

My daughter is a biomedical scientist you have no idea how fussy she is, how she got to adulthood with my slovenly ways is beyond me !