What type of clothes to wear in Hospital

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Smiley2000

Smiley2000

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
186
Location
South Africa - Pretoria.
I am busy planning my "wardrobe" for my time in Hospital and out.

What is the easiest to wear: t-shirts or something that button up in front? To what extent will I be able to dress myself?:confused:
 
Wardrobe

Wardrobe

I had my own boxer shorts and I had a hospital provided gown on the top. I found it hard to lift my arms above shoulder height the first few days after surgery so the back closing hospital gown was great. Also the gown was good for all the doctors and nurses the wanted to listen to my heart post surgery. I asked why I was so popular post surgery with one of the interns and I was surprised by the answer. She said there were very few patients with an AVR that were not deaf or senile and could communicate coherently!!! :eek:
 
I wore the kinda shorts/shirt pj's combo for the majority of my week.

I graduated to sweat shorts.

But yes, definately button up front for at least the first 3 or 4 days....the doc's usually need access to assess scar & you may have some residual leads for a little while.

I moved to t-shirts later in the week..just.

Regards.
 
I wouldn't bother to bring too much. They really want you to have clothing items that are easily changed and can accommodate the monitor wires and large transmitters. Plus you will have IVs and you will need tops that can be put on and taken off w/o fooling around with the IV connections. The snap closure hospital gowns are made to do all this.

A robe and slippers are a good idea, and a pair of PJ bottoms.

A button shirt and pair of sweat pants are good going home clothes.
 
Pack light...

Pack light...

Honestly, I bought and brought pj bottoms (loose-fitting), but I never wore them. I wore the gown that they provided the entire time. I didn't want too many clothes on because of the hot and cold flashes...I would be sweating one minute and freezing the next...which is pretty normal. So, personal preference, but if I had to do it again, I would still wear the gown that they provide. They also provide 'skid-resistant' socks, so I wore those as well. Remember, you'll have chest tubes and pacer wires coming out of your chest, so whatever you wear up top, you'll need to make sure it accomodates those.

Just my two cents...

Good luck with the surgery and keep us posted!
 
I would wear the gown provided and the slip-resistant socks. I had instances where my heart rate elevated and I would get hot and sweaty, the gowns were great because you could unbutton and the shoulders and allow more ventilation. if you get cold they have plenty of blankets. I also requested a fan which was HUGE for me, had it on just about the entire 6 days I was there.
Since I've been home I've been wearing button down shirts, v-necks, and my bathrobe. Seems having the material even touching the incision was a distraction. So I have tried to keep it uncovered the entire time and its healing up nicely with having it exposed to open air.
 
Getting out of hospital clothes was for me an important psychological part of recovery. ;)
Out of hospital gowns into your own PJs, with as others have said button top, is stage one. Stage two, as soon let out of bed, into some comfortable track suit bottoms and loose fitting buttoned shirt to wander the ward in. Personally I wouldn't wear a Tshirt due to the amount of attention your torso will get from interested parties.
 
In hospital I wore the gowns, my socks, and slippers with good non-slip soles.
At home I thought I would wear tops with buttons, but anything near my incision made me crazy(ier). I ended up wearing hubby's large T-shirts which I cut open from the neck to shoulder and pinned. This gave easy access to care for and ventilate my incision. Sweat pants sufficed.
 
I just wore the hospital gowns, their house coat, but had my own slippers.
- Hair brush
- Toothbrush and paste
- Lip balm
- Ear plugs
- Sweat shirt and pants to come home in

These items are only needed when you get out of ICU
 
Any time I've been in the hospital, it was part of my goal to get out of the gown as quickly as possible. I've seen too many people with their fannies hanging out!

I bought pajamas with pants and short sleeve button up tops that were loose fitting to accommodate bandages, wires, and tubes. As soon as they allowed me to take a shower (2 days after surgery), I put my own clothes on. I also put on makeup and washed and dried my hair. It made me feel better. I think it also helped my recovery when people would come to visit me and say, "Wow! You don't even look sick!"
 
I went out and bought pajamas, waste of time and money (I don?t wear them normally)?.I ended up wearing sweat shorts and the gown they provided. After they pulled the tube and wires I dropped the gown and went to a tee shirt. Looking back on it I took more stuff than I needed. I went in on Monday and home on Friday and the one thing I wanted I could not take anyway??.my recliner.:D
 
I haven't read the prior posts so this may be redundant but I wore one hospital-provided gown correctly and another one backwards (opening in the front) as a robe. I brought flip-flops (if you use flip-flops, make sure they're not going to be slippery on the hospital floors) for next to my bed so I could slip my feet in and out of them without ever touching the hospital floor. I brought baggy/stretchy cothing to wear while riding home and brought a pillow from home to protect my chest in the car, as instructed by my surgeon. It was nearly a three hour drive home because of terribly heavy traffic.
 
I wore the hospital gowns and robes the whole time I was there. I brought my own slippers and robe but never took the robe out of my small duffel. I had the monitor the whole time at Mass. General so needed the pocket on the hospital gown in which to put it and the slit to pull the wires through. I had drain tubes for days.

The only personal items I needed or wanted were:

toothbrush/toothpaste (hospital would provide if I didn't bring it);
lip balm;
reading glasses;
hairbrush;
shampoo (they only have baby shampoo and I don't like it);
cell phone;
slippers;
pen/pencil and paper to jot down questions for doctors etc;
A few dollars if you wish to rent the tv (I didn't care about having it).


My first OHS was an emergency and I came in an ambulance with nothing. I had a hairbrush, chapstick, pen/paper in my purse and managed fine with those things and the hospital provided the rest of basics I needed.
 
cooker said:
Are you serious? You had to pay to watch TV? Or are you talking about renting movies (pay for view)??
Click to expand...
We have to pay to rent a personal TV. I had no $$, so my daughter used her credit card. I loved having the TV, just to catch the news, etc. I was in for 16 days.
 
I used the hospital provided gowns and slippers. Used my own robe for walking the halls. I had a monitor the whole time so the hospital gowns were good because they had the pocket in the front for the monitor.
I brought clothes never used them. I came home in sweat pants and T-shirt.
Earline
 
I told you guys about getting naked and walking the halls in hopes they'd kick me out sooner didn't I. It didn't work. :mad:
 
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