When we were researching the gastric sleeve, one of the things that kept coming up, and something we found a bit confusing, was what exactly to pack for the hospital.
Since we travelled abroad for the surgery, we had to pack more than we would have if we stayed in the UK. It was a bit tricky trying to figure out what was essential and what was just nice to have, especially since we weren’t sure how we’d feel about carrying a bag through an airport after surgery.
In the end, we stuck mostly to the basics and an iPad. We packed the clothes we wore to the hospital, which we also wore on the way back, plus two sets of pyjamas to wear around the ward during our stay.
Initially, we thought about bringing just one set of pyjamas, but we decided on two in case of any bleeding from the incisions, we didn’t want to be walking around in stained clothes.
We also packed high compression socks for the flight back to the UK (a 2-hour flight) and the 3-hour car ride home, as well as an EU to UK socket adapter for charging our phones.
Here’s what we ended up taking:
- Clothes: The outfit we wore to the hospital, which we also wore home.
- 2 sets of pyjamas
- High compression socks
- EU to UK socket adapter
- iPad and extra charger
We each took our own small bag to carry our belongings in so one person (AKA James) wasn’t carrying the load. This was a perfect amount for us. We ended up not even using the pyjamas as in the hospital we were in hospital gowns the whole time.