Hospital Essential items

Little things can become very important in hospital. I used to message my sister with lists of things I "needed" at all times of the day and night. Everyone is different, but these were the things that helped me. If you have a family member or friend having temporal lobe surgery then it might be worth considering, or even just talking to them about it;

1. Cotton nightshirts that button at the front - mine were bought in Tesco. Get a bigger size than you'd usually need. You want lightweight fabric. It can get really warm in a hospital ward. You can't really pull anything over your head so these allow you to be fully clothed but comfortable. You've got cannulas in your arms too so these can be safely pulled over. Also they can easily be taken off to allow you to wash. My sister helped me but a nurse can easily do it too. You should be able to wash yourself but it's good to have someone else there just in case, especially st the start.
2. Slippers with a decent sole - I was told off for not having a back in mine. You don't want to slip and it'd be easily done.
3. Soft tissues - your nose can get really stuffy from being indoors. I like the balsam ones. also if you're feeling a bit weak and slabbery down one side, a tissue allows you to cover it a bit. Makes you less conscious of it.
4. Light dressing down. Again, you'll be up getting showered etc. You don't need to flash your backside to the world! I found fleece too warm. A light cotton dressing gown was perfect. I think mine came from Dunnes. Pockets are good too for phone and tissues.
5. Wet toilet wipes. Medications lead to unhappy bottoms! It's the last thing you need. 
6. Comfy knickers. You're likely to flash them to lots of people. Plus wards are mixed. Mine were from Asda. Just comfy and roomie, but pretty too. Nothing I'd be embarrassed by.
7. Watch. I put mine on very loosely every morning. Why would you try and guess the time?  Just look. Check the date on your phone too. I repeat the day of the week constantly.... 'and it's Friday? And it's Friday? and it's Friday?' Nothing wrong with that. You're just orientations yourself.. 
8. Glasses. If you wear them. My eyes were so swollen there was no way I was getting lenses in. My glasses mostly hung crooked on my face, but I didn't care. Just to be able to see properly helped. Less disorientated. I didn't really trust my eyes. Having my glasses on helped. I even took them to theatre with me. Waking up after anaesthetic is confusing enough. Glasses at least helped me understand where I was and what I was seeing.
9. Phone. Mine became like my lifeline, messages from people helped keep my positivity up. Although I did become a bit of a nightmare. 5am texts. Plus demands about why people hadn't responded to Whatsapps. At one stage i told my sister of my poor husband  'I know he's read that. Why has he not answered? Tell him to answer it. Now.' Apparently he was driving at the time. My response? ' I don't care. It's important. He should've pulled over.' What a witch!
10. Long phone extension cable. As above. My phone became my lifeline. I kept it on silent so it didn't disturb the whole ward. A long cable allowed me to put it under my arm. That way I could feel it buzz but I wasn't disturbing everyone on the ward.
11. Soft facecloths. You can use to wash yourself. Just slip off your nightshirt and you can give yourself a nice wash. You probably won't be allowed a proper shower initially. But you can sit on a seat in the bathroom and get clean. It'll feel really good. Also, if you have facial swelling you can dampen a soft cloth with cold water and use it as a cold compress. One doctor told me it had no medicinal value. I laughed and said "you've clearly never been punched in the face!" It reduced my swelling within a couple of days. I was able to see out of one eye. An achievement considering how I'd looked after my initial surgery. Plus it was comforting. I'm not sure why, but it was. 
12. Roll on deodarent. I found the smell of sprays too harsh, but to be able to wash and put on a bit of deodarent will make you feel a bit more human. 
13. Toothbrush and toothpaste. Again, all helps you feel human. Plus I had wardmates feeding me pickled onion crisps at midnight some nights, so I imagine I wasn't pleasant for medical staff the next morning! I was like a wee gremlin......... the pickled onion were good though! 
14. Baby hairbrush. When you can finally wash your hair, it'll feel great. My sister did mine with a jug the first time. We were only allowed to wash bits of it. So it was a bit of a mess. Still felt great though. You need to be really careful brushing it after though. You've a couple of big wounds on your head. And stitches. I satlike a mermaid brushing mine for hours after the first proper wash. I was even able to dry it on a really low hairdryer setting. Again, all helping with the feeling normal. Plus it felt like a massive achievement. Re-learning how to do something that was once simple.
15. Gentle shampoo and conditioner. Baby shampoo is too harsh. I was recommended Dr OrgNics. Available in Holland and Barrett. I got the Manuka honey one. Smells great! Once you're able to fully shower, it feels amazing to be able to wash and condition your hair, although you still need to be careful. There's wounds and stitches. Go easy.
16. Tasty food. The steroids made me obsessive about food. They mess with your blood sugars too. I ended up with two bags - a sweet and a 'slow graze'. The sweet was filled with rubbish. For if I needed to up my blood sugars quickly. Glucose tablets and Rubens are the quickest things. Ginger nuts became my favourite thing and there's always a snickers in there! The slow graze is more of a nose bag for through the day. A healthier way of doing it. Fruit and nuts, for some reason breakfast biscuits (which I'm sure have no nutritional value whatsoever). Pink lady apples were also a necessity. I still eat one every night before bed. Couldn't survive without them!
17. Soft towels. Again for washing and showering. You want soft and comfy. Nothing rough. You'll be a bit nervous about cannulas and brain drains etc. Plus you'll want to try and do it all yourself, which you should be able to do so long as someone is there monitoring you. 
18. Notebook and pens. Write everything down. Everything! You don't remember half of it, or you'll just make bits up! Writing it down means you can check back. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just write it down and then check back if you need to. 
19. Skin cream. Aveeno for me. Your skin gets dry from being indoors all day. 
20. Nice shower gel. Again, helps you feel human. 
21. PJ bottoms. Again, soft, light and comfy. A size bigger than usual as you'll be a bit heavier due to steroids. 
22. Snuggle socks. If you're not getting properly dressed it can be lovely to sit in comfy nightshirt, jammy cottons and snuggle socks. Easily kicked off if you get too warm.
23. I got people to send me happy photos. I also read back through some of my cards. My epilepsy was predominantly in the form of absence seizures. Initially I thought I was paralysed down my left hand side. I wasn't! It was something similar to what I imagine a panic attack to feel like. Preceded by a really strong taste and then a feeling of complete fear. Horrible. I managed them by flexing my hand and foot (see? They work!), looking at funny photos, getting family to talk to me and tell me I'm ok. Eventually I got to the stage where I could managevthdm on my own. Even by just thinking positive thoughts and moving my hand and foot. 
24. The other form of epilepsy I've had to manage is facial seizures. I described these as a 'flappy fish' as it was like throwing a fish out of water, or like being tasered to the face. I was conscious during these and could often hear my own mouth slapping about. Very scary. You need reassurance. Someone just to hold your hand, tell you they can see what's happening and that it'll be ok. Plus remind yourself it's not a grand mal. It's unpleasant but it won't kill you. I haven't had one in ages but feel happy I could deal with it if it happened.