Medications:

• Bring your medications in the original bottle with you. The hospital will give you their own meds from pharmacy but they may not have EVERY medication that you take.
• Medications that are compounded (for example my low dose naltrexone) are given to the dr and orders are written for to take this medication. MUST BE IN PILL BOTTLE and not in weekly med pill box. They have to have the information on the med, dose and directions

Clothing:

You don’t have to wear a hospital gown! The nurse will unhook your Ketamine IV so you can change your shirt quickly every day.

• Yoga pants (usually capri that aren’t too hot, not too cold)
• Comfy soft t shirts & tank tops (t-shirts that are stiff get annoying to lay in all day
• Sports bra or comfy bra
• Underwear (of course!)
• For winter months, I wear fleece pajamas at night
• Soft socks, I bring soft socks because I have CRPS in both feet
• Slippers (hospital socks are terrible and if you have CRPS in your feet, you will hate the texture) bringing your own non-slip slippers will help you get to and from the bathroom easier

Footwear:

• Tennis shoes (you will do Physical Therapy at least once a day)These are my favorite shoes, they have a wide toe box and lots of cushion altra shoes
• Quick slip on shoes or slippers

Toiletries:

• Glasses
• Contact solution (although I would suggest leaving contacts at home)
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Mouthwash (sometimes you get sick from the ketamine, so having this is nice)
• Floss (if you will actually use it)
• Face Cleansing Clothes/Wipes. I like the lavender ones. Although you won’t be wearing make up, it is nice to re-fresh your face when you are feeling icky
• Peppermint Oil (it is calming to me to put on pillow or wrists- also helps with nausea)
• Lotion (believe it or not, you may be able to touch your CRPS limb so why not give it a little love with hydrating lotion)
• CHAPSTICK! Crucial!!! You won’t want it to leave your side!
• Shampoo/Condition/Body Wash
• Dry Shampoo (a lifesaver after not being able to shower for 3 days)
• Soft wash cloth (you will have tape everywhere from IV lines and EKG stickies and having a soft wash cloth from home is better than the rough ones at the hospital)
• Soft bath towel.
• Hair-ties, (I straighten my hair prior to going into the hospital because I can wear it straight for 3-4 days without too much oil build up. When it is straight I don’t have to worry about a pony tail in the middle of my head that is uncomfortable to lay down on. I sometimes braid my hair in pig-tails so it doesn’t hurt to lay down.)
• Toilet flushable wipes (these are also crucial- remember you can’t shower often so it is a nice way to feel clean)
• Deodorant

Comforts from home:

• My body pillow
• My main pillow (bamboo pillows are awesome!) bamboo pillow
•  wedge pillow (keeps sheets off of your feet if you have CRPS in feet)
• Silky, faux fur throw that is light and cool but also warm

Electronics:

• Smart phone! I love playing games on the phone when I am bored. I also love taking photos on ketamine (I am a huge photography fan and love to document the experience)
• LONG 6ft power cord for phone (to plug in behind bed and not worry about getting up and down to charge and re-charge.)***very important, as you will most likely be too dizzy to walk across the room to answer your phone!
• Headphones, I love my beats because they drown out sounds and music sounds really good. But anything will work.
• Calming playlist of meditation or music. Whatever floats your boat but having musical, instrumental music is sometimes relaxing on ketamine as it helps with some visuals that you may have
• Apps that kill boredom! Candy crush, Dots, bejeweled, anything!

  

• Apps for Meditation: Insight Timer app is incredible for meditation and visualizations for relaxation.
• Ipad
• Computer BE CAREFUL WITH THIS! Mine slid off the bed last infusion and I was lucky that it was able to be fixed! Be careful with this one. I use my computer to watch movies, Netflix, etc
• ALL CHARGERS
• Audio Books

Misc:

• Journal
• Coloring, art supplies- adult coloring books are fun if you aren’t dizzy
• Magazines
• Books (I am usually too dizzy to read- but someone can read for you)
• Card games- Uno could be fun with a loved on
• Notebook- have the dr write down what they tell you when they round. If you are like most people, you won’t remember what is said. Also to write down the questions you have but suddenly can’t remember when they are standing in front of you! Also, write down the name of your nurses and patient care assistants. These people are your lifeline and sending a thank you card at the end of your stay is a nice gesture. (you can send all the nurses a thank you to the unit or individual notes)