Hospital inpatient etiquette and advice please!

Aunty-Pickle

So, I'm going into hospital on Monday and am likely to be in for ~5-7 days depending on how the op and recovery goes.

Silly questions:
How often are you "expected" to change clothes?! I don't mind wearing the hospital gown for the first day after op and I will be largely bed-bound for most of the time. I plan on taking simple PJ bottoms and "presentable" tops - should I plan on wearing a bra? It will be on a gynae ward so other patients will be ladies.

Presumably the bedside cabinet is not lockable - I can't decide whether to take laptop/ipad in or not. I will have trips to toilet/shower at some stage so things will be left unattended at times. I don't know if I'm just being over-paranoid!

Do hospitals have snack trolleys?!

If I want a chaplain to come and visit do I just ask the nurses? (I'm not expecting to die (!), I would just appreciate someone to pray with and read Bible)

Any other advice?!! Thanks

GwylimT

Just like at home you need to wear clean clothes everyday. Visitors won't be limited to women so just go with whatever you are comfortable with.

When I have been in hospital cabinets have never been lockable, nothing has ever gone missing, my iPad once went walkies but a nurse had bought in a cable and was charging it at the station for me as we didn't have socket access at our beds.

I'm yet to come across a snack trolley in the ward, I have found though that generally health care assistants are happy to wheel you to a vending machine/hospital cafe as long as it isn't a busy time, but busy times are often around meal times anyway. The hospitals I have stayed in have always has fruit available, but for hygiene reasons staff must fetch it for you.

I would just ask a nurse/health care assistant for anything I needed, they will be able to sort out the chaplain for you.

Hospitals tend to be very warm so take summer pjs to sleep in, they are often noisy and fairly light so I always take a few pairs of ear plugs and an eye mask.

[Deleted User]

I would advise if you want snacks, to take them in with you.., just in case you feel like something when the staff are busy or the food served is inedible (initially you'll be eating what someone else has ordered so there's no guarantee what you like will be available).

Most importantly, take in something to drink. You'll have a jug of water but hot drinks are only served at certain times of day so its best to take in something (juice cartons etc) you'll like. Particularly if there's a chance you might not feel like eating after the op.

I personally wear clothes as soon as I can.., it makes me feel better and less 'sick' rather than hospital gown or night wear. But that's just me lol. Depending on the op, I probably wouldn't fuss about a bra as loose clothing can be easier, but that's just me again.

Take in plenty of books or whatever you do to relax.

Take in some money if you want to watch TV. Nowadays hospitals have bedside TV's but you have to pay to use them. Headphones may not work on them though.., so you have to ask for the service person to give you a pair that work.

Some wards do have a daily Newspaper/snack trolley come round., but no guarantee .., you could phone the ward to check before going in.

If you are going to have a period of home recovery, try and organise help if you need it for when you get home.., shopping etc. Or stock up before you leave.

I hope it all goes well for you x x

pollypenny

If you're in a gynae ward nighties may be better for obvious reasons.

Brighton_belle

GwylimT wrote: »

Just like at home you need to wear clean clothes everyday. Visitors won't be limited to women so just go with whatever you are comfortable with.

I'd wear clean underwear everyday but I wouldn't wear clean everything else everyday, especially if I am lying down not doing very much.

growler834

If you are going to be bed bound for most of the time I suggest you start off wearing the hospital gowns as they are easier to deal with should you need to have a bed bath or use a commode. The nursing staff should provide you with a clean one every day. Once back on your feet just wear something comfortable that is easy to get on & off (for the shower/toilet etc) as, depending on what type of surgery you have you may find simple things (like pulling up pj bottoms) difficult. I was in for 2 weeks for major cancer surgery & I found wearing long cotton nighties worked better for me.

Some wards/hospitals have a trolley that comes around selling newspapers & sweets etc and just ask one of the nurses to arrange for a visit from the chaplain. The lockers aren't lockable so keep your expensive items to a minimum - I had my phone, I Pod & Nintendo DS which were ok until a drug taking female came on the ward for a few days. She was too interested in everyone's possessions & apt to wander during the night so I slept with them under my pillow!

lostinrates

Its worth pointing out that sometimes people ( like me) can vomit after surgery, and have digestive irregularity, so its worth having something extra anyway.

gettingtheresometime

Aunty-Pickle wrote: »

If I want a chaplain to come and visit do I just ask the nurses? (I'm not expecting to die (!), I would just appreciate someone to pray with and read Bible)

I'm not sure whether you have to ask or whether they come around the wards generally but I know when my Aunt went in unexpectedly the chaplain there brought her washing stuff - only basic value items but it was the thought that counted - before the family could bring in her proper stuff.

The nursing staff also changed her nightie every day but whether that was warranted or not I don't know

inkie

Re: the chaplain, they generally do occasional ward visits anyway,but may not be everyday. I would ask the Nursing staff to contact the Chaplain to ask her to see you. If you are part of a church, your own minister should come in and see you anyway as a matter of routine as well.

oystercatcher

Nursing staff will want you to change clothes daily as part of infection control. Often they like to give you a wash and put you in your own clothes soon after surgery. Where I used to work gowns were in short supply so not given out as an alternative to your own clothes.

Also as mentioned you may vomit/ have leaky bits. Wounds often leak if you're having surgery, or 'gynae bits' leak. Sometimes nighties are easier to manage than pyjamas initially, you can avoid sitting on them in bed but be decent to get up and nip to the bathroom.

Many hospital wards are over warm but some can be draughty so a cardi/ bedjacket/ shawl may be useful.

Edit to add, mention when you arrive you would like to see chaplain and staff can inform them, some come regularly .

Unless you are disabled or having an operation requiring complete bedrest then you will be encouraged to be 'up and about' as soon as possible as this can prevent various complications so slippers are a must, you never know what you will find on hospital floors :eek: and a light dressing gown is often useful for modesty, as there will be male visitors and staff around.

Take as few valuables as possible as other patients and visitors are just the general public many of whom cannot be trusted. Purses used to go missing from the staff rooms when I worked in a hospital and if patients belongings go missing there is very little staff can do. You can hide things in lockers but the confused or criminal minded can and do 'rummage' .

Patients aren't supposed to charge electrical devices for safety reasons and although many staff turn a blind eye not all did so you may have to send phones /I-pads home for charging. Likewise hairdryers etc are not welcome as they need to be PAT tested before they can be used and this would take days to be arranged . We did have ward hairdryers but they would vanish with depressing regularity so until someone grateful donated a new one (and it had been PAT tested) there would be nothing!

Take a supply of carrier bags to send laundry home in, lockers are small so no space to store much.

KxMx

I had a 3 night stay recently. For the first two nights i was in a private side room and wore my own nightie and pj bottoms. I changed once I think. I had a hospital gown as a dressing gown and asked for a clean one each day.

When I got to the ward they had some decent pink patient nighties so I wore one of those (my supplies were low I packed in a bit of a panic stay wasn't really planned!) with my pj bottoms and would have changed into a new one on the 4th day but I got to go home

Once you are mobile and familiar with the ward layout it's probably not necessary to request things from Nurses or HCA. On my ward there was a big open cupboard with nighties, towels, pillows etc and no-one minded me helping myself when I needed something.

I charged my mobile after checking with a Nurse that it was allowed. The lady in the bed next to me needed so many devices I didn't have a free bed side plug so I charged it on a ward plug, again after checking it was okay.

I didn't bother with a bra.

Slippers or cheap flip flops are a must and carrier bags as someone else said, although my Hospital did supply plastic bags for belongings upon request.