Hospital Stay 

This is just a list of possible things that you may want to take into hospital and many of these recommendations have been made by previous transplant patients.  It does not mean that you have to bring everything on this list.

Comfort/Clothing

• Pyjamas including a warm cardigan or wrap because it can get cold in hospital with the air conditioning

• Tops that you can button up or pull up from your feet (to avoid going over Hickman line)

• Shoes or slippers.  Hospital is not keen on thongs – they prefer enclosed shoes to avoid tripping hazard. It is recommended to wear shoes when walking around the ward.

• Some people bring their own pillow for comfort but make sure that it is new. It is safe to use the hospital ones too but others prefer to bring their own. 

• Other people like to bring a blanket from home to brighten up the room or to remind you of home. Again, make sure it is clean. 

• For women – Strapless boob tube tops.  Bra straps often sit right on the Hickman Line and the top helps the sense of modesty and prevents everything from hanging out through various procedures (so it depends how you feel)

Personal Care

• Lip balm as your lips can get very dry 

• Body moisturiser as your skin can get very dry from the treatment and the air conditioning.

• Eye drops (the hospital should provide these but if you have a particular type you already use, bring them along)

• Ear plugs and or noise reduction headphones

• Eye shades

Bathroom

• Toiletries

• The hospital has toilet paper but it is generally 1 ply and if you have diarrhoea it can be fairly rough so some patients bring their own toilet paper or baby wipes.   This is not the time to skimp on the quality of the toilet paper!  

• Tissues are also in the hospital, but they can get rough after a while.

• A bathroom caddy  (all the cleaners in the hospital loved this and it helped to keep items in the bathroom with storage for toothbrush, toilet paper, creams etc)  

Food

• Ginger is great for nausea and settling the tummy. Some patients bring in their own ginger tea or ginger beer.

• Mints are excellent to suck on while you are having the stem cells reinfused because they help to take the taste away of the stem cells.

• Sometimes you may not feel like hospital foods so some people bring in extra snacks. But be careful of food safety and the dietitian will go through this again with you but nuts or packaged snacks like muesli bars are fine.

• Sauce sachets and vegemite etc for flavour enhancement

Entertainment

• Books, DVDs, Laptop, music, adult colouring in books or anything that will keep the mind occupied while in isolation. Some days you will just feel like sleeping, others you will be up for doing any of these.  

• If you like to read, an Audible subscription or podcasts you can listen to are great to have set up before you go in.  Some people's eyes are affected during treatment making reading or even watching the TV difficult. These are also great for when you wake up in the middle of the night and your mind starts racing – to listen to a podcast or book just helps you get out of your head and (hopefully) fall asleep again.

• Power board with a long cord  for plugging in all the electrical bits for recharging

• Wifi backups devices, mobile wifi with top up and/or using your mobile as a hot spot