My Amazon List for Hospital + Recovery

There are many different treatment options for different stages of cervical cancer. One of those options is surgery to physically remove the tumor, if it is contained enough. This is the route my doctor advised, which led to an open hysterectomy in August 2023.

I was in the hospital for 5 days following my surgery. Asking how long you might need to stay in-hospital is a great question to ask your doctor as it will vary from person to person.

These are a few things I packed and a few things I wish I packed for my stay. I linked all of the items here, and included a download at the bottom for you to reference on surgery day:

1. Hot Girls Have Cancer Tote
   You’ll be bringing quite a few items to the hospital with you. Show your cancer who is boss with an HGHC tote of your choice.

2. Abdominal binder
   If the hospital doesn’t provide an abdominal binder for you, I would highly recommend purchasing one for at least the first few days of walking post-surgery. I was fully unable to support my lower tummy post-surgery, so I personally wore my abdominal binder for several weeks during my recovery.

3. Sleep wedge
   This was my #1 favorite purchase for my recovery. It’s an investment, so I’m sure pillows will work fine if you can’t splurge, but I loved the convenience of having one piece that perfectly fit and elevated my body at the perfect angles. I slept on the couch with this foam wedge for the first week when I was home so I didn’t have to go back and forth, and I have to be honest… I slept like a baby.

4. High waisted, oversized sweat shorts set or sweatpants set
   Not to be dramatic, but there were several days where I felt like an absolute bridge troll after my surgery — not cute let alone hot. High waisted shorts that were 1-2 sizes too big were my saving grace. I feel cuter (and most like myself) in a matching set.

5. Face cleansing pads
   I wasn’t able to get out of my hospital bed for about 2 full days, so I loved having these face pads to gently exfoliate my skin and feel clean even without fully washing my face.

6. Deodorant wipes
   The stank is real after a couple days of not showering. I wasn’t able to stand long enough to shower for about 3 days, so deodorant wipes came in handy when I knew I would be having visitors especially.

7. Dry shampoo
   The hospital may have a shampoo cap, but if not, I would definitely recommend packing some dry shampoo. This Living Proof is my favorite because it doesn’t leave any buildup and my hair actually feels cleaner.

8. Heated blanket
   If you are cold-natured at all, a heated blanket is a great idea. You’ll be hooked up to several cords and IVs, so if you can’t find a spare outlet, a normal blanket will do. But definitely take something cozy!

9. Sleep mask
   Between visitors and medication doses, you might be a little sleep-deprived. A sleep mask will help you sleep any time of day. Pair these with noise-cancelling headphones and you’ll be golden, day and night.

10. Noise-cancelling headphones or ear plugs
    The constant beeping all hours of the day is enough to drive you nuts.

11. Weighted plushie or small pillow
    Providing a slight pressure on my incision site helped the pain when I was in between medication doses and when I was riding home after the hospital stay to provide a buffer between the seatbelt and my incision.

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