Tuesday, 8 March 2016

Things you might need: supplies

The clinic gave me a big bag of dressings, injections, antibiotics etc to bring home, but there were a few other things I needed:


  • Waterproof bed sheet.  The "puppy pads" the clinic gave me worked fine but because they are loose pads, they can move as you wriggle in your sleep.  The sheet I got was from Ikea and was called Gokart.  Ikea do home delivery, but I got one from Ebay for the same overall price.  I really didn't want to stain the bed so this made me feel a lot safer and has been comfortable to sleep on as it has a fabric top over the plastic.  
  • Extra dressings.  I was changing my plasters each morning and night, and I used all the massive stash I was given by Hanse, and still was wet.  I ordered some more of the ones the clinic gave me from ebay, but I was able to get similar ones in the chemist for 20p each whilst I waited for my package to arrive.  
  • Vinyl gloves.  These kept DH from transferring germs to my open wounds when we changed dressings.  Sadly his hands are bigger than mine so the gloves that fit me are tight on him!
  • Painkillers.  I was given a strip of ibuprofen and paracetamol for the travel home.  I continued to take them for a few days or painful activities so it is worth ensuring you've got them in the house.  
  • Rubber gloves with grip or gloves with silicone dots on them (if you are new to compression).  You'll need to adjust your compression garment and I find these gloves from Lakeland (also available on Amazon) look cute and are helpful for grabbing wrinkles and pulling up or smoothing out bunching.  
  • Clothing.  loose tops, thick socks and baggy trousers.  Needed for coming home from the clinic and for lounging around at home.  As I didn't have my lower legs done I fitted into my regular shoes and slippers just fine.  
  • Flip flops.  It was better to have those in the clinic for putting on and walking around after surgery instead of my fabric slippers as they could be rinsed clean if I got drips on them or splashed them.  They were easier than slippers to take on and off as I could just slide my feet in and out as I got in and out of bed. If the weather was warmer they'd have been sensible for wearing in transit,  but not in Germany at the start of March!
Things I got but didn't really need:
  • Extra puppy pads/stay dry bed pads.  I got a bag from Amazon for around £10, which meant I was more relaxed about popping one on the floor to change my dressings, on the seat under me, fresh ones in bed etc.  It turned out that the clinic were right and they'd given me enough, but being able to throw them around the place was very reassuring in the first two days so I think the peace of mind was worth it.  
  • Extra tape.  The clinic gave me two reels but I panicked when I'd used one sticking on lumps of gauze in the first few days.  As the tape was silky and so much nicer than papery tape, I ordered the same tape from ebay.. then the next day I was dry enough to go to plasters only.  Should have had more faith.  
  • Shewee/Go girl.  I got one for around £10 then forgot to pack it.  The first night it would have really helped.  By the time I got home I could pull my garment down to use the loo, so it would have been in the first list if I didn't forget it
  • Rubber toilet seat ring.  Again probably would have been great on surgery day as that was very painful to sit down.  I did use it for a few days at home (got a cheap one like a hot water bottle for around £10 on Amazon) but as it was filled with air I found it wobbled so was a good exercise for my core muscles to try and sit on it!  I gave it up within a day or so.  

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