What to take to the hospital to achieve maximum coziness

My second mini-stem cell transplant ("Car-T") in 2024

Take a pillow and blanket from home. Their blankets are paper thin and your pillow is cozier. My kids always made up a treat or card to open each day I was there. It helped my spirits immensely. If you’re going in for over a week, I would recommend a small lamp. I’m very sensitive to light and lamp light calms my nerves. 

Lots of times, hospitals will let you wear your own clothes if you ask. Wear a button-up-the-front Oxford-style shirt or PJ top. Some protocols preclude nurses from unhooking your IV line—because of potential infection—long enough for you to change clothes. Open-front shirts also provides easier access to your port or central line if you have one. Wear pants with pockets—very handy place to put your phone or a valuable if you want to take a walk in the halls.

Packing List:

Pillow and blanket(s)

Waffle foam

Ear plug—several pairs

Sleep mask(s)

Electronic devices and charging cords (get 12-foot cords to reach from the plug to your bedside table)

Pencil and paper

Movies from a streaming service downloaded to your device—movie selection in the hospital is limited.

Reading glasses

Your button-up-the-front 2-piece pajamas or comfy oxford-style shirt and pants with pockets, 2 pairs

Cozy socks and house slippers with grippy soles

Robe

Toilet paper (hospitals’ TP is so thin it’s see-through)

Toiletries and hairdryer

Your favorite snacks

Your prescriptions—a limited number of pills in case the hospital can’t get them for you

Photos of your prescription bottles to show the nurse

Your supplements in the original bottles

Your prescription list that we discussed earlier

Daily treats or cards from family members and friends

Quiet hobby (books, cross-stitch, cross-words, favorite music, etc.)

When you arrive at the hospital, ask the nurse for the Wifi password so you can have internet access. Hospitals have notoriously spotty internet service. Don’t plan to rely on it.

Happy Healing!

Holding you in the Light,

Deanna