Your Amazon Cheat Sheet for Hospital + Recovery

Cervical cancer and the treatments for it are very complex and vary from person to person, doctor to doctor. One option is chemo/radiation. The other is surgery to physically remove the tumor, if it is contained enough. For my case, my doctor advised the latter, which led to an open hysterectomy in August 2023.

I was in the hospital for 5 days following my surgery.

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 ($18.99)
   The hospital may provide an abdominal binder for you. If not, ask your doctor if you could benefit from using one and if it’s safe to do so. After my open hysterectomy, I wouldn’t have been able to walk without an abdominal binder. I wore mine for several weeks post-surgery and slowly weened myself off of it.

3. Sleep wedge ($59.99)
   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 ($39.99) or sweatpants set ($37.99)
   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 ($28)
   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. If you’re a Dr. Pimple Popper fan, you know she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to skin. I trust her with my life!

6. Deodorant wipes ($19.99)
   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 ($17.26)
   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 ($49.99)
   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 ($9.93)
   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 ($44.99) or ear plugs ($38.95)
    The constant beeping all hours of the day is enough to drive you nuts. I love the ear plugs or a noise-cancelling headphone moment to get some sleep, especially since the nurses will wake you up at all hours of the night to check your vitals. (Thank you nurses(!!!), but it’s hard to get quality rest.)

11. Weighted plushie ($19.99) 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. This is the exact one my friend gifted me :’)

Hopefully this list is helpful for you! Leave a comment below if I missed anything!

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from each qualifying purchase. Each item is an honest recommendation regardless. Your purchase(s) helps support the Hot Girls Have Cancer mission of providing education and community for women with cancer.

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