This is a blog that I hope you are never going to have to refer to but I have put together my top tips for surviving an extended hospital stay. I have not been perfect throughout my stay I add, but these are the things that really helped me out.
Get a Routine – this one was a major one for me but also one of the most difficult ones to sort out in reality. As a boarding school kid I think I have quickly worked out that I needed to have a routine and to know what was going on. For me this meant getting up every morning and showering and getting into clothes that were not pyjamas. This made me feel slightly human as I rarely spend a whole day in pyjamas at home! This got slightly trickier on the 24 hour infusion as I had to time it properly but if you talk to the nurses then they are generally accommodating. My top tip is to make sure you have a routine as it brings that tiny bit of normality back into life and it definitely kept me sane.
Music – I was known between the nurses for always having SOMETHING playing when they came into the room.This kind of kept me going. I usually have music going at home anyway and it was another way to fill the time. Music really helped me at some moments, have a good sing when things were hurting and it can pick up your mood. I played Pink a lot, she gets me through a lot! I recommend getting yourself Spotify so you can listen to lots of different things and keep yourself entertained. I aimed to create the perfect playlist, not managed it yet, its a work in progress.
Films – Disney Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime. I was on all of the streaming sights a lot, especially when I was first admitted. It was easy to run down the clock watching different movies and I would always fall asleep to a Disney movie. There is something so comforting about Disney and it helped me fall asleep to have something playing in the background. Hospitals arent the quietest of places and being able to drown out the sound of the people outside was an excellent plan.
Snacks – now this one needs to be taken on medical advice obviously, and follow the recommended guidance on whatever diet you are being told to follow. I survived on snacks and Mum kept me well stocked, I had crisps and chocolate but also when mum bought them in I had smoked salmon and fruit trays as well. I didnt just fancy eating crap. I recommend having snacks to go through during the day. The meals in hospital are pretty good but when you haven’t eaten in 9 days, you feel like you need some sustenance when you can finally eat again. If you can, get yourself a good selection and then you dont have to trouble the nurses for food!
Organisation – I found it best if I got organised. I had to fill in a Bristol Stool Chart for every time that I went to the toilet, and they sometimes gave me other pieces of paperwork that I needed to keep safe. At this point it is really important to get organised and make sure you know where everything is in your room so that you can access it easily and nothing gets forgotten.
Tidiness – this kind of links with Organisation to be fair but I found it much easier when everything in my room was tidy and put away. This made it easy in the mornings to find stuff and when I was moved wards it was really easy to move me as well as I had everything tidy and ready to go. I found it really helpful to have a little tidy multiple times a day to get rid of any rubbish and make sure that I felt “sorted”. It helped me!
Fresh Air – this was a revelation. I had been in hospital 8 days (I think) on my first stay when one of the HCAs worked out that I was starting to struggle because I was feeling really low. The suggested to me that I go for a walk and honestly this was the best thing that they could have done. Getting out into the fresh air made me feel so much better and just sitting in the sun for 30minutes made me feel like a new woman. When I was admitted the second time I made it my mission to get outside everyday and I truly believe that it makes you feel better. Within the restrictions that you might be under, try and get outside, it will do you and your mental health a world of good!
Plans – When I went into hospital, it changed almost my entire life plan in one fell swoop. I didnt have a job any more and I was a little bit lost. I didnt know how my new diagnosis was going to change the way I lived my life, my sports, my friendships and my relationships. So what I did was set about getting a plan for what I wanted to do when I got out of the hospital. I got together loads of recipes that I wanted to try when I got out, this was something that I could plan to do and was productive for me. I looked at jobs that I could do and started thinking about whether to study a Masters. Whatever it is, however big or small, start getting a plan together. It will help you feel more settled and sorted and make the transition back into non-hospital life a lot easier.
Entertainment – Links in to Music and Films but make sure you have stuff to do! I took a couple of books, a got some puzzle books from the WHSmith in the hospital and I just entertained myself as best as possible. This is key. Hospital hours are long! Get your mind working and make sure you have lots of different entertainment that you can dip in and out of, that’s what I found helpful!
Support – As mentioned a few times I have an awesome support network and I couldnt have done this without them. Use them and accept help when they offer it to you whether that be practical or emotional support. Being in hospital is physically and mentally draining and it’s good to lean on the people close to you. Promise it isnt as scary as it sounds!
Knowledge – This is a really interesting one because I guess it could be quite subjective as to whether you want to know. I got very frustrated with the people in the hospital when they weren’t talking to me fully about what was going on and they were pressing ahead with decision or trying to give me drugs without telling me why. I set about trying to learn as much as I could about Ulcerative Colitis and I made sure that I asked doctors loads of questions when they came in. When the nurses did their observations I made sure that I asked them what my temperature was and understood what blood pressure was. It comforted me to be in the know and it is your right to know what is happening as well. I made sure I knew why they were taking my blood and what medication I was being given, it all helps to make you feel in control.
Comfort Items – so I went into hospital as a 26 year old woman and I am not ashamed in the slightest to say that I took a teddy bear with me. With Jordan having previously been in the forces he had bought me a teddy bear when we lived apart and I took Mr Snuggles with me to the hospital. I may be an adult but I still need comfort! Everyone commented on how much they liked Mr Snuggles and again it is OK to make yourself feel good! Take the teddy bear, take the relaxing Lavender sleep spray, it is the small things that get you through and having a cuddle with Mr Snuggles at the end of a difficult day made things bearable sometimes (did you see what I did there?)
Audiobooks – I discovered Audiobooks while I was in hospital. Mum let me sign up to Audible and I downloaded the first two Harry Potter books to listen to while I was in there. I also downloaded a load of free books about sleep and meditation to listen to. On my second admission to hospital I chose to fall asleep to these and I think it helped me sleep better than the movies as there was less artificial light in the room. Top tip, Stephen Fry reading to you is super soothing but Ant Middleton did not have the same effect….
Self Care – this is going to sound absolutely bizarre but it is totally OK to pamper yourself slightly when you are in the hospital. I made sure that I took a small mirror and some tweezers and I did my eyebrows and I asked my Mum to drop off my razor and some shaving foam to shave my legs. It is the small things that make you feel good and to me, having some silky smooth legs and fine looking ‘brows helped me. Just because you are in hospital doesnt mean that you need to stop loving yourself, in fact quite the opposite! So grab your self care stuff and get cracking, this might be one of the times that you actually have time to do it…
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