What to pack for your trip to Mayo Clinic?

Thank you for posting @roywalton . I particularly keyed in to the part about medications. Adding dates I started taking every medication is something I hadn’t thought about. I am going to bring my prescriptions in their original bottles for an additional reason, I ended up needing stay longer than anticipated on my last trip and didn’t bring enough. Simply throwing in all of it makes sense for any situation or question that arises.

@jharsh - based on your experience do you have any other ideas to add?

Initially I think of, and this may sound silly… what I wear makes a difference. I want to be as comfortable as I can. I start thinking ahead about what type of appointments I have scheduled. As an example, when I see day 1 starts with a blood draw then a chest X-ray, then an appointment with vitals…..I plan a short sleeve shirt that’s easy off and on, then a zip up sweatshirt for warmth for that day, comfy shoes. It really is annoying to wear something cute and impractical, lots of bulk when you find yourself running from appointment to appointment.

I try to take a water bottle with me. My day may or may not go as planned so it helps to not get stuck without hydration. There are plenty of places to fill it up.

I’ll come back and add if I think of anything else.

How about you?

Those are such great suggestions! For example a shirt or a top that will allow easy access to a port, shoes that are easy to slip in and out of, a small backpack to carry water and a snack or two. I even bring a small laptop but found that I have not used it very much, as I spend most of my free time on my Kindle or in a book. Lastly I make sure I have all of my appointment details transferred to the calendar on my phone. I'm sure others have tricks as well, any ideas???

@roywalton,
Thanks for the sharing video and the others who shared great ideas. There are other discussions on the topic that someone visiting Mayo may want to read.

Packing for our trip to Mayo Clinic. What to bring?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/packing/
Packing question: What did you have ready for "the call"?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/packing-question/

If you’re having Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) either Autologous (ASCT) or Allogenic, you’ll most likely be required to stay at a facility for several weeks to several months. Each transplant center will have their own protocol for the procedure with some offering in-patient care for a month or more, then you’ll recover offsite for another month or so. If your stay is termed out-patient, you’ll be recovering off-site, generally from the day after the transplant until release. Sometimes up to 100 days. So careful packing is key to creature comforts!

The following link is fairly comprehensive for long term stays.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1059221/
The list keeps growing! What are your ideas??

Backpacks seem to be very popular

Yes backpacks are used by many. I noticed something interesting though if you enter through Gonda entrance the bags are always inspected but if you go just one block down to Charlton they never inspect your bags. And often the line to park is shorter at Charlton so that's usually where I enter

I would tuck a little notebook into your pack and a couple of pens. You're gonna wanna write some notes for yourself. Not everything they tell you will make it into their notes in your portal. You'll also think of questions you'll wanna keep track of. I use a calendar/planner that has room for daily notes. I write in my calendar daily since my cancer/chemo/radiation left me with a touch of brain fog.