Thank you for all of you who have dropped by, called, emailed or messaged me to check in with me and ask how I’m doing.  I’m doing well and definitely on my way to a full recovery!  I’m excited to report that they removed the drain from my abdomen after 6 weeks!

So, a little bit of TMI but after 6 weeks, the drain collected almost 750 mL of fluid.  One of my doctors even said to me “If that had burst before we found it …..” and just ominously trailed off.

However, I’m going to focus on the positives of my story.  It was a horrible time BUT I learned a lot from the patient perspective. I am humbled by how much of a network I have built up over the years and how many of my family, friends and coworker surround me with love and support.  And my patients were incredibly patient and understanding with my MIA status for 2 months.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about and are curious to read about my crazy adventure with my first IUI, take a look HERE.

Learn from my experience!

From my 3 emergency runs to the hospital in the middle of the night, I have compiled a list of MUST HAVES when you know you have to stay at the hospital that will make your life MUCH easier.

• I was completely unprepared with my first emergency hospital run and was like a fish out of water.  The fact that I was able to grab my wallet, phone and charging cable was good enough for me!
• My second week long stay at the hospital was better in that I packed a few extra things into an overnight bag because I knew it wouldn’t just be a day or so.
• My third week long stay at the hospital felt like I was packing for a holiday!  I had a small duffel bag with EVERYTHING that I needed and it made my stay much more comfortable and as “home-y” as possible, despite being in a hospital gown and being poked and prodded all day long.

The Top 7 Things I Will ALWAYS Pack When Going to the Hospital from now on

Just a heads up that these items are above and beyond your wallet, phone/tablet + chargers, your toiletries and some extra clothes.  Those are just a given!

1. Extension Cable

I know it sounds weird but hear me out!  If you have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days and are fortunate enough to be “well” enough to get bored, you’re going to get pretty tired of the endlessly interrupted naps.  To make yourself feel more “normal”, you’re going to rely on your phone and/or tablet.  And in order for these devices to hold up to your rigorous scrolling and Netflix shows throughout your hospital stay, it’s going to need to stay charged!

However, unless your hospital is newly renovated and super fancy, you’re going to notice that ALL of the plugs/outlets in the room are either too far or behind the head of the bed where all of your medical devices and machines are hooked up.  The last thing you’re going to want to do is struggle to get out of bed every few hours because you’re burning through your phone/tablet’s battery like there’s no tomorrow!

So trust me when I say, pack an extension cord into your overnight bag.  Plug that in once you have a more permanent room to settle into for the long haul and loosely tie the other end to the side of your bed.  You can now charge your phone/tablet while you enjoy your Netflix shows as you wait for your medical team to figure out what’s wrong with you.  You can thank me later!

2. Flip flops or slippers

I spent A LOT of time people watching while I was in my hospital bed.  Because I was up on the 11th floor, I had to settle for watching the people who came in and out or walked past my room.  This meant that I spent a lot of time watching the hospital staff cleaning the hallways and my room.

Bring flip flops.  You will NOT regret it.

And if you have the misfortune of having to stay at the hospital long enough that you become desperate enough to throw caution to the wind and take a shower … you’re going to want to wear your pair of flip flops into the shower.  It’s going to feel amazing to actually TAKE a shower after days of being in a hospital gown.  But once that haze wears off, you’re going to look around and breathe a sigh of relief that you’re wearing flip flops in the shower!

3. Baby Wipes

These are great to have to wipe down all surfaces that you have to touch when staying in your hospital room — particularly your hospital “desk”, bed railings and emergency call button.  It’s also great to easily wipe your hands or clean up any sloppy messes from eating/drinking while in a reclining position.

And again, TMI but it’s also great if you’re trying to avoid the hospital showers for an extra day so that you can get home and take a nice long shower there instead.

4. Thermos Mug

A good thermos mug with a leak proof lid is going to save you extra trips down the hallway towards the communal kitchen or having to buzz your nurse to simply get you a hot/cold drink.

You want to grab a thermos mug and not just a cup with a lid because the thermos mug will keep your hot drinks hot AND your cold drinks cold.  That sip of a hot/cold drink is going to be a moment of happiness within hours of not so much fun.

5. Cooler Bag

Hospital food has gotten better than it used to be BUT it still has a LOOONG way to go before it’s considered “good” food.  If you are lucky enough to have family or friends who are willing to bring you the coveted “outside” food, then you’ll probably want to bring a cooler bag to store the extra food for later.

Yes, the hospital provides the patients of each floor at least one refrigerator.  But you’re sharing it with the entire floor and it can get extremely packed and sometimes kind of gross.  So to save you the hassle of rummaging through everyone else’s food and possibly stumbling on something that has lived there for QUITE some time, bring your own cooler bag.  This way you can store a bit of extra food in it and have it easily accessible to you whenever you want it your bedside table or wherever else you can find the space.

6. Freezer Ziploc Bags

When you grab your thermos mug and cooler bag, grab a few medium sized freezer ziploc bags.  I know that you might think I’m completely off my rocker and have no idea what I’m talking about, but again, hear me out!

In order to keep your food and/or drinks cool in the cooler bag, you’re going to need some ice packs.  However, once your ice packs melt, you’re going to have to put those ice packs into the communal freezer for at least a few hours.

My mom’s solution was to give me 2 medium sized freezer ziploc bags and we would fill them with crushed ice from the ice machine every night.  This would keep everything cool in the cooler bag for almost 24 hours!  Once the ice melts into water, just dump out the water and refill with the crushed ice.

That’s 100% a PRO TIP right there!

7. Heating Pad

And lastly, I grabbed a heating pad when I was quickly packing my bag for my second hospital stay because it’s always incredibly cold in the hospital rooms (probably because you aren’t feeling your best AND you’re hanging out all day in a hospital gown with only a sheet and think blanket to keep you warm).  Also, I find that heat helps ease my pain to a more tolerable level and I was very grateful that my heating pad was able to take my pain down a notch or two so that I can delay my next dose of hydromorphone!  So if you know that you tend towards the cold side or that heat eases your pain as well, grab a heating pad.

If you’d like to sit down with me to discuss how I can support you in attaining your health goals, CONTACT ME HERE to set up a complimentary 15 min discovery call/meeting and we can get started.

What’s a discovery call/meeting?  It’s where we get to know each other better to ensure that I’m the right practitioner for you and that you have the opportunity to ask your questions about Naturopathic Medicine before we move forward with an initial Naturopathic consultation.

If you’re interested in reading about why I was in the hospital to begin with and my personal struggles with my own fertility journey:

• My Crazy IUI Story
• My IVF Story: Part 1
• My Surgery Surprise
• My IVF Story: Part 2
• TW: My Big News!
• My Fertility Journey on Facebook for #CIAW2020
• My Fertility Journey on Instagram for #CIAW2020

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