What to bring to the hospital ?

Take a toothbrush etc so that you can get that nasty surgery funk out of your mouth ASAP. I took a book, etc. you will need to bring some light things to eat like protein bars, etc in case the hospital food is horrible. They forced water on me and I brought some tea etc but you might want to bring some Gatoraide etc. Good luck with the surgery and keep us updated on how you are your husband are doing! I for one will be thinking of you both.

Thanks Jay < 3, : )))). It is becoming quite unnerving lol At first it looked like we are waiting for eons for everything and now it looks soo close, *yikes ... Just 4 more weeks *sigh. Luckily it is only me that is in mild panic (at least for now) . Thanks also for telling me that you will be thinking of us : ))) - it really means a lot < 3 I truly believe in "good vibes" ha ha ;).

Some things I'm glad I took (and always take to the hospital):

• Bathrobe - you are going to be walking around a bit and it's nice to have something warm, comfortable and familiar

• Happy Socks - I got several and would change them through my stay, each had funny sayings on the bottoms and the nurses loved them (they were 100% for them)

• Tablet - read, watch movies, whatever

• Earphones

• Breakaway pants for wearing home, so much easier to deal with the catheter

At my hospital I was only allowed clear liquids until the next morning. There was really nothing that I missed, just make sure you pack your phone charger and maybe a book. And pack/wear VERY comfortable clothes.

Four weeks still?

Yes, that app. was made in May (for mid August surgery), even before we had consultations with radiology and focal therapy. Consults just confirmed our choice for RP. We were doing PSA tests (by ourselves) every 6 weeks ( it went down more than 2 points) so it kept us sane. Also , he had ultrasound examination 2 weeks ago, I think (sorry, time and dates are one big blur for me since February) and it confirmed that "all is contained" inside the gland, still same size, same place etc. (knock the wood). For all of those reasons waiting was tolerable. BUT NOW it is really, really close *squeak

Thanks Survivor : ))) !!!
I remembered you mentioned a robe in some of your previous posts so I bought one :). That is really cute idea for socks, ha ha ! I also bought those pants :). Did you need that "hernia belt" this time around ? I think that you mentioned it a while back in one of your posts and I think you also mentioned that a cane was useful at home after your first surgery for getting up from a chair or bed ? Forgive me if I mixed up something, due to stress my brain is on ADT without ADT lol.
Thanks in advance < 3

Not much to add to the excellent comments above, other than they told me ahead of time they were planning to release me the same day (which they did). Since I wasn't staying the night I wore my "going home" clothes (eg. breakaway pants, slip on shoes, etc) so I went in empty handed. Plus the care team had some good information they gave us on prepping for the surgery; what to bring and what they'd prefer I didn't bring (eg. jewelry, credit cards, money, etc). I don't remember exactly, but I think I only brought photo ID. After we checked in, my wife was with me almost the whole time before they wheeled me into surgery and she was there right after I woke up in recovery (about an hour after surgery). But from my perspective, she was there very shortly after I woke up. So I didn't need any media nor a book since I literally had no time to use it. Of course that'd been different if I had been planning to spend the night like your husband will. Since we traveled 300 miles to the hospital and we planned to spend the catheter week in a hotel next to the hospital, the more important prep was stocking the hotel room with supplies so we didn't have to go out for a couple of days. When we checked in the morning of the surgery, they had the prescriptions ready early and we had them filled at the hospital pharmacy so my wife didn't even have to leave to get those and we had them on hand when I left the hospital. Since your husband will be spending the night you'll have more time to get his med's, but you'll definitely want them on hand when he goes home. Best wishes!

OK, I spent 3 1/2 months in hospital, so I'm on this! The goal is to keep it *really* simple. Don't bring more than you actually need. Here are my pro tips:

- instead of slippers, wear ankle socks with little grippy rubber things on the sole; slippers will get shoved under something and maybe lost when they clean your room in the morning, while you can just keep the socks on your feet

- a backup battery and cable to charge your phone, because there might not be an outlet in reach

- earbuds for your phone so that you can listen to music, watch shows, or have calls without disturbing other patients (ideally with a case)

- unless contraindicated for the surgery (mine wasn't in the groin area), pyjama pants or track pants and a tee-shirt are better than a bathrobe -- you can just keep them on all the time

- a fanny pack, so that you can bring your phone and wallet with you whenever you leave the room (and keep them together); you can clip it around the railing of the bed or stretcher if you don't want to wear it

- an e-reader if you like to read books (and don't want to use your phone)

- hospital food sucks, so also some snacks and/or treats

That's it! Because I was in for the long haul, I also had my own teapot and loose-leaf tea near the end (when I was finally allowed to move from the bed to the wheelchair without supervision), but something like that would be overkill for just one night.

Thanks Retiredguy : ))) ! Wow, it was a whole little adventure for you and your wife to travel that far ! And I am here worried about "how will we travel" for the whole 1 1/2 or 2 hours. The "air distance" is not big, but traffic is obnoxious and can easily end up being 2 hours. As far as we know it will be overnight stay, but I guess we will know more details when we have pre-op consultations with anesthesiologist and others. They have small "daybed" in the room which I can use to sleep, but I am considering renting a room in some nearby Inn just in case I need to refresh somewhat for just couple of hours that night. Our younger daughter will also be by my side, thanks God, it will help my nerves tremendously.

Thanks so much for the tip about meds - I think it is a brilliant idea ! 🙂

Thanks "NorthSTAR" ; ) for detailed explanation and advice about hospital stay < 3

Oh how I wish I can have that little "tea station" in his room ha ha, we drink a lot tea and it would be fabulous :)). But luckily (and I hope) hospital might have tea for purchase in cafeteria.

Regarding "hospital attire" , they can be very anal here in the USA about wearing "their stuff" and men are actually in short "gowns" with opening in the back and good luck taking a required walk without mooning everybody in a corridor. Maybe this particular hospital will be more flexible, I will ask lol but I doubt it - they would probably like to have "catheter area" accessible at any moment for inspection.

Thanks also for the tip about having snacks for myself ! Did not even cross my mind that I will perhaps need to eat something also XP.

All other items that you and other fellow posters mentioned are now on my list 🙂