@rafcer thank you…yes, he’s doing well, thank God.
Here is what I packed for the 7 day hospital stay:
A bathrobe,(he walked around the hospital in the bathrobe-housecoat everyday) socks, slippers, toothpaste, toothbrush, ivory soap, books, magazines, antiperspirant…deodorant, loose fitting pajama pants, shorts, loose fitting cotton tee shirts…I think that was it.

I brought my knitting and cross stitch….to the hospital…so that I wouldn’t get bored. My husband slept a lot that week and the knitting kept me busy.

At home, I bought a handful of square waterproof pads for the bed. He only needed them for the first couple of weeks…if that.

He was also watching tv ….which he loves…very relaxing and he was reading his books and magazines. He likes to escape into a good story! Takes his mind off everything.

He was able to get into the shower on the 2nd day ….the nurses showed him how to do everything….only use ivory soap…no moisturizers…how to attach the small bag to the stoma….how to pull out the little stopper on the bottom of the bag/pouch and empty it…then put the stopper back in and change the bag every 5 days.
He has a container that I purchased off Amazon for the nighttime. It is wonderful! It even has a cute cover to put over it during the day. All the other supplies are purchased through a healthcare company and the insurance covers it.

Protein is so important when you get home…if you can drink a protein shake everyday…you’ll heal better. Chicken…cheese…eggs…etc. He also took Colace for a month or so…in case he had constipation. 2 liters of water a day to prevent infection…UTI.

My husband really liked being in the hospital….if our insurance paid for more than 7 days…he would have stayed longer. He was at Yale Hospital in NewHaven, Connecticut. He loved talking to the nurses…doctors…very relaxing atmosphere…he also really enjoyed the food.
All the special attention he was given helped him feel better and get his independence back.
When he was back home…the visiting nurse came a few days a week…she brought essentials…more soap…alcohol wipes for hands before he changes the small bag…hands must be especially clean…she talked with him about anything he was having trouble with. The nurses were excellent.
We walked around the block everyday…the doctor was adamant about walking as much as he could to prevent blood clots in the legs.
I’m sure you will do really well…It’s amazing what progress the surgeons-oncologists…urologists…have made concerning bladder cancer. This RC surgery will save so many lives and people will be able to live and thrive into their mid to late 90’s. I’ve met a few men who had just turned 90-91…and they had this operation years ago.
I am praying for you…that God (the great physician) guides the hand of the surgeon. You will have better peace of mind when the surgery is over and done with. Then, you can gradually heal and eventually do everything you did before surgery.
God bless you,
Rose