Thank you Mini for sharing this brilliant & perfectly timed (for me) post. I’ve an appointment at the breast clinic next week which I’m trying to stay positive about. I was wondering what to wear, so will definitely be more Liz, I’ll luckily have a giggly friend with me too who’ll lighten the mood! x
Rukmini, you have my whole heart. I love this advice! Liz Taylor is my icon too. My daughter had 14 hours of surgery on her back aged 16 and the recovery took two years including two months where she was not allowed to sit at all followed by six months of severely restricted movement. One scar goes from the nape of her neck to her butt. Her other scar where they removed ribs resembles a tiger slash on her torso. They are dramatic and beautiful and she is proud of them.
We took gifts to the operating department staff. They tend to get overlooked, which was evident because they were surprised and thrilled to be remembered.
This is absolutely excellent advice and I will be saving this for the next time it’s needed! When I went into hospital to have my daughter - a scheduled section in the middle of the pandemic - I did everything I could to boost my confidence as my first birth had been such a traumatic disaster. M&S featured heavily to bribe the healthcare assistants, as did a new coordinating set of sliders and matching suitcase from ted baker - i wanted to retain some semblance of dignity! And lovely hand cream, a HUGE bottle of water and lip balm. I was so glad of all of these things (even though I’d kind of forgotten it would be pretty impossible to get anything out of the bag after having a c section). I’m loving this writing. Your recipes are also wonderful but I guess you know that! X
This is such a good list! I found myself unexpectedly in hospital on holiday in Wales a couple of years ago and had to get kind friends and family to bring everything in for me. I’d also add a roomy waterproof bag for the bathroom- there may be no hooks in the bathroom, so a Sainsbury’s bag for life will do a sterling job and is also handy for carting everything home afterwards . And thank god I happened to be wearing Crocs when I was admitted. I very much second the nice smelling stuff as well - odours from hell wafted around our ward, so I desperately craved a lavender pillow spray or similar. Lovely soap and a flannel for bowl washes too. Thank you for sharing your story and highlighting the little things that make a horrible experience bearable.
A perfect piece. And all excellent advice! I would also say if you know the food in your hospital is rubbish (mine was DIRE apart from the very occasional curry), then having some meals prepared that your partner can easily reheat for you and bring in is really useful. My husband managed this most of the time, apart from one day he panicked and bought a carton of soup from the corner shop instead of heating up one of the roughly 60 potions I’d put in the freezer!
And 2nd best is right. I have a lovely facial mist (that and lip balm so essential as hospitals are SO DRY), that I can’t use anymore because it now just smells of hospital to me. I must find someone to give it to.
I always look like a total mess on the school run but my glamour shortcut is a fur-trimmed cloak, velvet turban headband and shades. Can be thrown on in 3 seconds over my postnatal leggings and men's jumpers and makes me feel like a movie star trying to stay incognito...
Rukmini - I’m so sorry you’re going through this but I wanted to stop to say :
- My MiL went through this recently and is out the other end now and doing fine
-You might like to try a gel eye mask for soothing your eyes. It makes you feel so much better . Needs to be popped in a cool bag or frisge (better if they can do it but if not your husband or a visitor cd maybe bring it with them in lieu of flowers which often aren’t allowed)
-two other nice treatments to try : a mineral foot sock (available from Boots) and a hyaleuronic mineral soaked wet face mask (so no yucky cream or anything) Also available in Boots or Superdrug.
-Can I also give you a recipe for special Greek avgolemono chicken soup which our neighbour said was all she could eat during her chemo: so simple and nourishing and easy.
Mix one egg with one lemon
Cook chicken stock (just a couple of oxo) with a very small cup of arborio rice (say the equivalent of 2-3 thimbles of )
Once the rice is cooked and the broth is cool add the lemon /egg mixture and slowly reheat.
It’s that simple and gives you the carbs vit C and protein you need. If feeling nausea I don’t know another soup which is as good.
You’ve given us so many lovely meals over the years (I’d be lost without those traybake) it’s definitely our turn to give you a recipe
Perastika as my Greek granny would have said (may you get better soon)
I would also add this, for AFTER hospital. My sister got stuck in hospital for two weeks during covid and was too out-of-it to brush her hair. She came home thinking she would have to cut it all off, it was so matted. In full older sister mode, I marched to the nearest salon and asked for their best detangler. They sold me Mon Platin Black Caviar serum (does it contain caviar?? I bloody hope not) and it was a dream, I didn't have to cut any out.
Nice body products are really helpful with a nasty illness, of any kind. Stuff that smells nice: hospitals are so dehydrating and smell wrong, even a little bottle of lavender extract can help, but my mum went through a giant bottle of Molton Brown moisturiser when she was dying.
Really good advice here. Take food for sure! The last time I was in for a biopsy, I had to go in the night before. I ordered quiche for dinner, it was a bare inch at the widest point (the crust) and there was also a quarter of a lettuce leaf and half a tomato. I was genuinely ravenous by 9 pm. I didn’t take food, and worse, no money so I couldn’t take myself down to the in house (in hosp?) M & S. Lesson learned. I can laugh now, lol. Xx
Thank you Mini for sharing this brilliant & perfectly timed (for me) post. I’ve an appointment at the breast clinic next week which I’m trying to stay positive about. I was wondering what to wear, so will definitely be more Liz, I’ll luckily have a giggly friend with me too who’ll lighten the mood! x
Aaah wishing you the best of luck for your appointment, and so glad you have a great friend to go in with too :) xx
Super-useful and has made me want to go straight to M&S
My dad did ask if I was sponsored by M&S, sadly not 😂
Rukmini, you have my whole heart. I love this advice! Liz Taylor is my icon too. My daughter had 14 hours of surgery on her back aged 16 and the recovery took two years including two months where she was not allowed to sit at all followed by six months of severely restricted movement. One scar goes from the nape of her neck to her butt. Her other scar where they removed ribs resembles a tiger slash on her torso. They are dramatic and beautiful and she is proud of them.
We took gifts to the operating department staff. They tend to get overlooked, which was evident because they were surprised and thrilled to be remembered.
This is absolutely excellent advice and I will be saving this for the next time it’s needed! When I went into hospital to have my daughter - a scheduled section in the middle of the pandemic - I did everything I could to boost my confidence as my first birth had been such a traumatic disaster. M&S featured heavily to bribe the healthcare assistants, as did a new coordinating set of sliders and matching suitcase from ted baker - i wanted to retain some semblance of dignity! And lovely hand cream, a HUGE bottle of water and lip balm. I was so glad of all of these things (even though I’d kind of forgotten it would be pretty impossible to get anything out of the bag after having a c section). I’m loving this writing. Your recipes are also wonderful but I guess you know that! X
This is such a good list! I found myself unexpectedly in hospital on holiday in Wales a couple of years ago and had to get kind friends and family to bring everything in for me. I’d also add a roomy waterproof bag for the bathroom- there may be no hooks in the bathroom, so a Sainsbury’s bag for life will do a sterling job and is also handy for carting everything home afterwards . And thank god I happened to be wearing Crocs when I was admitted. I very much second the nice smelling stuff as well - odours from hell wafted around our ward, so I desperately craved a lavender pillow spray or similar. Lovely soap and a flannel for bowl washes too. Thank you for sharing your story and highlighting the little things that make a horrible experience bearable.
A perfect piece. And all excellent advice! I would also say if you know the food in your hospital is rubbish (mine was DIRE apart from the very occasional curry), then having some meals prepared that your partner can easily reheat for you and bring in is really useful. My husband managed this most of the time, apart from one day he panicked and bought a carton of soup from the corner shop instead of heating up one of the roughly 60 potions I’d put in the freezer!
And 2nd best is right. I have a lovely facial mist (that and lip balm so essential as hospitals are SO DRY), that I can’t use anymore because it now just smells of hospital to me. I must find someone to give it to.
Thank you for this - again, so helpful!
I always look like a total mess on the school run but my glamour shortcut is a fur-trimmed cloak, velvet turban headband and shades. Can be thrown on in 3 seconds over my postnatal leggings and men's jumpers and makes me feel like a movie star trying to stay incognito...
Rukmini - I’m so sorry you’re going through this but I wanted to stop to say :
- My MiL went through this recently and is out the other end now and doing fine
-You might like to try a gel eye mask for soothing your eyes. It makes you feel so much better . Needs to be popped in a cool bag or frisge (better if they can do it but if not your husband or a visitor cd maybe bring it with them in lieu of flowers which often aren’t allowed)
-two other nice treatments to try : a mineral foot sock (available from Boots) and a hyaleuronic mineral soaked wet face mask (so no yucky cream or anything) Also available in Boots or Superdrug.
-Can I also give you a recipe for special Greek avgolemono chicken soup which our neighbour said was all she could eat during her chemo: so simple and nourishing and easy.
Mix one egg with one lemon
Cook chicken stock (just a couple of oxo) with a very small cup of arborio rice (say the equivalent of 2-3 thimbles of )
Once the rice is cooked and the broth is cool add the lemon /egg mixture and slowly reheat.
It’s that simple and gives you the carbs vit C and protein you need. If feeling nausea I don’t know another soup which is as good.
You’ve given us so many lovely meals over the years (I’d be lost without those traybake) it’s definitely our turn to give you a recipe
Perastika as my Greek granny would have said (may you get better soon)
X
I would also add this, for AFTER hospital. My sister got stuck in hospital for two weeks during covid and was too out-of-it to brush her hair. She came home thinking she would have to cut it all off, it was so matted. In full older sister mode, I marched to the nearest salon and asked for their best detangler. They sold me Mon Platin Black Caviar serum (does it contain caviar?? I bloody hope not) and it was a dream, I didn't have to cut any out.
Nice body products are really helpful with a nasty illness, of any kind. Stuff that smells nice: hospitals are so dehydrating and smell wrong, even a little bottle of lavender extract can help, but my mum went through a giant bottle of Molton Brown moisturiser when she was dying.
Really good advice here. Take food for sure! The last time I was in for a biopsy, I had to go in the night before. I ordered quiche for dinner, it was a bare inch at the widest point (the crust) and there was also a quarter of a lettuce leaf and half a tomato. I was genuinely ravenous by 9 pm. I didn’t take food, and worse, no money so I couldn’t take myself down to the in house (in hosp?) M & S. Lesson learned. I can laugh now, lol. Xx
Such a helpful and wonderful piece, Rukmini. We all need to be a bit more Liz x
This is wonderful - so generous and helpful. I especially like the idea of packing that hamper for a friend.