• Home
  • About
  • My Story
  • My Blog
  • subscribe
  • Hospital Essentials
  • Helpful Products
  • Helpful Resources
  • Graft versus Host Disease
  • Reading Material
  • Nutrition
  • My Journey Through Photos
  • More
    • Home
    • About
    • My Story
    • My Blog
    • subscribe
    • Hospital Essentials
    • Helpful Products
    • Helpful Resources
    • Graft versus Host Disease
    • Reading Material
    • Nutrition
    • My Journey Through Photos
  • Home
  • About
  • My Story
  • My Blog
  • subscribe
  • Hospital Essentials
  • Helpful Products
  • Helpful Resources
  • Graft versus Host Disease
  • Reading Material
  • Nutrition
  • My Journey Through Photos

What to Pack for Your Extended Hospital Stay

When I was told I had AML, I had about four hours to pack, go to bed and then be at the hospital the next morning. I had no idea what I was in for, and being a nurse, I assumed the hospital had everything I needed. True to some extent, but having comforts from home will make a big difference in your stay. To help with packing, I've created a list in two categories, Essential and Made Life Better. Plus there is a list of items not to bring.

Essentials

Bathroom

  • Soft bristle toothbrush and gentle toothpaste *Ask your doctor about flossing as platelets will drop during treatment.
  • Brush or comb
  • Deodorant- gentle
  • Panty liners/pads for women menstruating
  • Fragrant free sensitive skin lotion- trust me!!
  • Flip Flops for the bathroom- even if you have a private one
  • The hospital will provide you with a medical wash. It is imperative that you take a shower daily especially as your blood counts begin to drop from the chemotherapy. 


Hospital Tray

  • Fingernail file
  • Lip balm
  • Queasy Drops
  • Eye mask for sleeping- even at night, the rooms seem to never get dark enough
  • Reading material
  • Reading glasses if needed
  • Pen and paper
  • Journal
  • Water bottle- brought in my own as I hated the taste of the hospital water.
  • Tissue with lotion

Bed

  • Extra soft blanket- Brr, hospitals are cold!


Room

  • Sound machine- if you are a light sleeper, this is a must!
  • Games, puzzles, Sudoku, coloring books, gel pens or markers, deck of cards and reading material.
  • Thank You stationary to send thank you notes to people who send gifts, make meals, take care of pets or the house while you are away, etc...
  • Stamps
  • Cell phone and all chargers- I also brought my computer with charger



Clothing

  • Pajamas- Five nights worth. *For those of you with a trifusion line, see my note on PJ's in the Helpful Products section of my website.
  • Button up shirts 
  • Sweater
  • Comfortable pants or sweat pants
  • Socks and undergarments for five days
  • Walking shoes for walking the halls- my goal was to walk two miles per day. After walking in slippers and the pain I got afterwards, I had my husband bring sneakers. 
  • Slippers
  • Head wraps- when you lose your hair your head will become sensitive to the cold
  • Bathrobe




Made Life Better

Bed

  • Sheets-I brought in my own sheets and had them changed every two days unless I needed them changed sooner. My husband would then take them home and wash them. Don't use white- no need to confuse the hospital.
  • Extra pillows
  • Twin mattress topper . You will be here for some time and you need to sleep!
  • Extra blankets



Room

  • Pictures of the family
  • Keurig single coffee maker with your own coffee and creamer
  • Snacks
  • Microwavable meals- the hospital food gets monotonous- Usually there is a microwave and refrigerator/freezer on the floor for patients to use.
  • Cereal, bread, Jelly or frozen PBJ sandwiches
  • Favorite drinks
  • You can ask the nurses to cover any windows that are visible to the hall to reduce lighting in the room
  • Some people used room fresheners. I couldn't do this as smells got to me but others swore by it.


What Not to Bring

No No's

  • Razor- your platelets will drop and your risk for infection is going to increase. Ask your doctor about an electric razor.
  • Make-up- makeup increases your risk for infection.
  • Perfumes- smells can trigger nausea and vomiting for you and the other patients you will walk by in the halls.
  • Cigars- I kid you not! I actually had a patient bring in his cigars to chew on. He figured if it wasn't lit, he was good to go!
  • Eye drops. Ask your physician first
  • Fresh fruit/salad-infection risk-due to neutropenia

If you can think of anything that should be added to the above lists , please don't hesitate to notify me via the chat button so I can add it. This will help other patients.


Copyright © 2025 Blood Cancer Info - All Rights Reserved.


Powered by

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept