I am sorry that I have not been posting as regularly as I normally would. My life is really hectic at the moment with a move happening, lots of unrelated distractions and plenty to organise. I really try my hardest to post as regularly as possible but sometimes it is just not an available option! Please bear with me at this time – I will do my best to keep writing for you.
I am fighting an infection at the moment so I am running on very little energy. I can feel an impending hospital admission but I have been trying to ignore the need for one because I have so much to do. Not ever a very good idea but it makes sense at the time!
This afternoon I have been looking at what I will need to take to hospital for a two week stay. I created a master list a couple of years ago that I fined tuned over several hospital admissions, it is always ready and helps me pack quickly and easily without forgetting important things at a time when your mind (and body) are not really up to it. I have every essential and a few creature comforts on that list, things that I know I will need to survive two weeks outside my own comfortable environment. I have the usual hospital essentials, clothes, pj’s, toiletries and then I add a few things to help keep me entertained and comfortable. I take a laptop and ipod. I take several notebooks as I love to write and like list making when I am feeling frustrated that I am in hospital when I have so much to do in the “real” world, it helps me feel a little more in control when I am not able to physically achieve things. I bring my own pillows from my bed at home – they are so much more comfortable and smell like home, not like plastic pillows and strong hospital grade laundry powder. I take a small container of my own laundry powder, hospital powder makes me itchy so while it may seem like an odd thing to take, it makes me very comfortable! I take a couple of books and magazines and a dvd holder with a bunch of light hearted movies that I know will lift my spirits if I am down (hospital is so NOT the place for deep or sad movies). And hey, it’s a quick way to kill a couple of hours in what can be a long, dull day. I bring some nibbles. I bring a bottle of Lavender Essential Oil which I put on my pillow at night to help me relax and sleep. I also bring some Papaw Ointment to help with dry lips from the harsh air con. All these things make my stay as comfortable as it possible to get in hospital. My master list helps me pack quickly and minimises forgetting important things, all of which is handy when you live more than an hour from the hospital and cannot duck home to get things or if you have to pack in an emergency.
I remember meeting one lady in hospital, she was so lovely and had never been sick in her life so she was having trouble adjusting to the whole hospital scene. The nurses recommended she speak to me and as I am frequent flyer. She visited me in my room and she was blown away with how cosy and homey I made it. Hers was all hospital and she was living in hospital clothes. I asked her what would make her more comfortable and less anxious about being there. She wanted her own clothes (which she thought she wasn’t allowed to wear), some photos of her kids, some soft toilet paper and some cheese and crackers because the hospital food was not quite what she was used to. She wasn’t able to leave the hospital so I told her to ring her family and get them to bring some comfy clothes, something for her to do and some family photos the next time they came down. I went to the grocery store that afternoon while on pass and got her some Klennex toilet paper with the highest ply possible and some nice cheese and crackers. The next day when I saw her she was in tears she was so relieved. I visited her in her room which now had framed photos of her husband and kids, she was in her own pj’s and was doing some knitting which had all been brought down for her. She was finally eating something other than Minties and her bottom didn’t hurt anymore from the sandpaper like toilet paper at the hospital! She was a new woman and you could see the change in her attitude by just changing a couple of things in her environment. Sometimes it really is the little things that make all the difference! Before our talk she had been told that they were not sure when she would be able to go home, within a week of making herself comfortable and therefore making her much happier, her health greatly improved and she was able to go home! Talk about a win! She was so grateful for my help and I was so happy to see a wonderful mother go home to her family.
I really do think that in an environment like a hospital you really need to make yourself as comfortable as possible because ultimately, if you are feeling happy as possible and are able to reduce your anxiety through simple things, like nice toilet paper, you will heal much quicker. And that is what we all want so next time you are on your way to hospital pack those little creature comforts for the sake of healing and if you have a loved one in hospital, skip the flowers and ask them what would really make them more comfortable – perhaps some home cooked food, their own pillow or even some nice loo paper!
All the best, Lily
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This post was absolutely beautiful Lily – I can relate to what your saying and I am sure a lot of people will benefit from reading not only this post but all your posts, whether they have a chronic illness or are lucky enough to be healthy! I look forward to looking on your site to see if there are any updates posts. Take care.
Leonie
xoxo
Ill have to make a master list I always usually send my parents back to pick up stuff I forgot. Some of my essentials are my blankets, my pillow, my lap top, my i pod, my answering machine for missed calls, books and fruit snacks 🙂 of course the basic stuff as well.