Help me plan for a long hospital stay

[LongHospitalStay]

My husband will be going into hospital on Monday and will likely be in for six months or more.

Please help me decide what’s good to pack.

He will be wearing day clothes for the first while - we’ve been told joggers and t shirts with easy access for monitors and IVs will be good.

He’s not a big reader, but doesn’t want to sit and watch tv all day.

help!!

Staff can provide ice?

Didn't happen in either of the two hospitals DH was in.

Can't help with what your asking but I'd say try and brighten the room.... Hospital rooms are so bland. Pics of the family, if young kids get them to paint pics/make cards, take his favourite mug so he can pour his drinks into it rather than the plastic ones they have there and a few home comforts that will make the room a bit more homely

Again for practicalities - if you are driving to the hospital rather than public transport, ask in the ward if there is a weekly or monthly parking pass available, there often is an arrangement for next of kin of long term patients but sometimes it's not very well advertised...

Definitely a kindle

My sister spent a year in hospital (pre transplant, failed transplant, second transplant, further complications!). I think you've already had most stuff covered by PPs.

I just want to add, when friends nd family ask what they can do to help, something that really helped dsis was recieving old fashioned letters. One of her school friend's mum wrote every week for the year. Local (nice) gossip. The village fete went well. George has moved away. Just pleasant stuff. My sister saw it as a window into a normal life. Visits were obviously lovely too, but could be exhausting.

Good luck to you and your husband.

DH does jigsaws on iPad. There are several apps. Also he plays Words with Friends (scrabble) and has games on the go with various friends and family. Only when he’s in hospital I buy Daily Mail as he does the puzzles.
don’t buy too much or take too much in. See how it goes.
also don’t plan to stay all day, everyday with him. Look after yourself. He will need you when he comes home. Set up a rota for visiting.

When DH was in hospital a friend would save the puzzle pages of the iPaper for him. They filled his time.

If your DH is allowed other visitors I would encourage them to visit him. Seeing various different people from the outside world will give him a lift.

They did in the hospital my son was at. He's been out of hospital for exactly a year now and will still only drink ice cold water 'like hospital'.

In the one I was in the water is bottled, and comes out of the fridge.

Jist wanted to say I hope the move goes well tomorrow. This can’t be easy for you

Both times when I was in hospital for 8/10 days staff came round with ice for drinks.

Something like Lego or magformers he can play with, without needing to concentrate.

How is the hospital stay going, hope all well.

Sorry for the late reply - it’s tough going for him and for me, but hopefully we are getting there. He’s more stable now, which is good.

Keep stuff to a minimum. You will have to fill in a form specifying exactly what he has brought in so keep it simple. 6 months is a long time but take it a day at a time, his needs and wishes will change, so just take in what he will need between admission and your first visit.

Get a plug with multiple USB outlets so thar he can have more than one device at a time, and get some 3m long connector wires as sometimes the sockets nearest the bed are taken up with equipment.

Earplugs and noise cancelling headphones are vital.

I have a relative who had a 6 month stint in hosptial. I think you need to be prepared for the mental health impact of that as much as the physical. A private room will be better but it is very easy to get institutionalised and
hospitals really aren’t set-up for long-stay patients. I’d try to bring him different options for food as 6 months of hospital food will have an impact and encourage him to be as mobile as possible to reduce risk of pressure sores.

Bless you both, sounds so tough!

I've had a lot of experience recently with elderly relatives in and out of hospital (tho never such a long stint as this) and these are things I think help:

• warm clothing, joggers, fleeces, cardies. And maybe a fleecy blanket or two? And/or a nice cellular blanket? Also extra socks! On some wards it's very cold at night. I almost froze to death in a cubicle in A and E one night where I was sleeping on the floor next to my dad, as it was so cold I had to pile all the warm clothing, coats etc we had on top of him to keep him warm enough. (The extra blankets I requested, when finally bought, were basically just like handkercives, they did nothing).
• decent pillows - hospital pillows are awful!
• moisturiser and lip balm. Conversely, other wards are too hot and it's easy for your skin to dehydrate. (Lots of soft drinks he likes will also be important for this reason).
• lots of nice food and drinks. Hospital food is often replusive and the last thing a poorly person feels like eating!
• maybe a couple of little framed photos of loved ones to cheer him up when you can't be with him.
• a decent tablet if he doesn't have one is worth forking out for, if you can afford it. And make sure he has all the passwords for your TV subscriptions.
• even if he doesn't generally like reading, now might be the time! Remember there are non-fiction books too that might interest him.
• as others have mentioned, some sort of easy craft project might give him a sense of purpose, and help pass the time! Sketch book, knitting? It's often assumed that men won't enjoy crafts, but I am sure I read an article recently that suggested they can have real benefits for men's mental health. Stands to reason they would, really.
• try to arrange as many visitors as you can when you can't be there (if he wants this). Let old friends, colleagues, family members know. Hospital visits mean so much! And if he urgently needs something and there is a day or two between your visits, the next person coming to see him can bring him what he needs.

Best of luck - as others have said, you need to look after yourself too. Reach out to family and friends for support as much as you can.