Endometriosis Excision Surgery: Hospital Bag Essentials

Endometriosis excision surgery is usually an outpatient procedure, but you’ll want to prep an overnight hospital bag in case you do get admitted. 

Especially if you have more advanced endo and adhesions attaching your organs together. 😬

Depending on how your surgery goes and how much they need to remove, your doctor might admit you to the hospital to keep an eye on you after surgery.

An overnight bag will have your essentials just in case they’re needed.

Your support person will hold onto your things while you’re in surgery. The hospital I went to had a locker where Josh could put my bag and our coats.

My most recent surgery was a robot-assisted laparoscopy which lasted about 4 hours. 

Your doctor will let you know how long they think your procedure will last. 

Let your support person know so that they can bring something for entertainment. A book or phone charger and headphones can be useful for them.

Side note- when the surgeon talks to your support person, after surgery, ask them to record the convo of how it went on their phone. 

Josh did this and we were able to share the recording with my IVF doctor. He found it really helpful to have that fresh overview of what she observed during surgery.

What to Pack in Your Endometriosis Surgery Hospital Bag:

Phone charger–

You’ll be able to use your phone if you have some downtime before your procedure. And after you wake up for entertainment.

And of course to keep loved ones informed. 

If you get admitted into the hospital then you’ll really want your charger handy. It makes entertainment like streaming much easier. A long cord is ideal since you won’t know of the outlet situation until you’re there.

Glasses & case –

(If you wear glasses or contacts.) 

You’ll need to wear glasses, not contacts so make sure to bring your case. Your support person will hold onto your glasses while you’re in surgery so have a case to keep them safe.

RELATED: Excision for Endometriosis Surgery: How to Prepare

Toothbrush & paste-

I like these travel toothbrushes that fold and I had a little sample toothpaste tube from the dentist.

Loose fitting outfit-

This can be the same outfit that you wear to the hospital. Since it was cold out I wore loose-fitting sweats, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. 

If it’s warm you can wear a loose dress. I’ve worn this one during stims when I’ve gotten extremely bloated.

Make sure your clothing choice will keep the pressure off your incision sites. 

Since my pants were loose I was able to wear the same outfit when leaving. 

Scrunchie –

I like these satin ones. I combed out and braided my hair so that it would fit in the hairnet and I wouldn’t have to worry about crazy tangles. 

The nurses told me that braids work really well for long hair if you’re going into surgery.

If you have tangle-prone hair like me, then I also recommend this detangler spray. I used this to help detangle my hair the night before my surgery.

RELATED: What is Endometriosis: Overview, Symptoms, Treatments

Extra undies-

The hospital might supply you with some disposable undies, but you might find your own are more comfy. 

If you have period panties then you could pack those just in case you have some bleeding after surgery. As long as they are loose.

I just used the disposable ones from the hospital. They were loose and didn’t put pressure on my very sensitive abdomen.

Pads –

If you don’t have period panties bring a few pads for possible bleeding.

Sleeping Mask –

If you need complete darkness to sleep and rest, a sleeping mask will be essential.

Hospital rooms aren’t the darkest with glowing buttons and nurses popping in every so often.

Extra socks –

When you change into your hospital gown they’ll have you put on generic no-slip socks. 

They aren’t the softest or the warmest. 

My room was really cold, so having some extra warm socks would’ve been great. 

Lip balm –

A cold and dry hospital room does not make for hydrated lips.

Bring your favorite lip balm. I really like this one from Naturium. It’s so hydrating and lasts a long time on the lips.

Lotion/Moisturizer-

I’m combining these because I would bring one product that you can use for both. 

I used this hand cream from Biossance. It has similar ingredients to their facial cream, so I knew it could pull double-duty.

I’ve also used Egyptian Magic– a little goes a long way and it’s great for really dry skin.

Id & Insurance card –

You’ll need these to check in for your procedure and then your support person will hold them along with everything else. 

I didn’t bring my whole purse. I just grabbed the few essentials that I knew I’d need.

I.e. my little card case wallet thingy.

Headphones

You might find headphones helpful if you want to listen to music or stream a movie.

After Surgery

The anesthesia can cause nausea, so you can ask for vomit bags for your drive home. You can get some off Amazon to keep in your car or home too.

 At my pre-surgery physical by the hospital, I was told that I had a 60% chance of nausea. When I had to swallow a pill after waking up, that was 100% confirmed.

They’ll fill your abdominal cavity with gas during your procedure, so you may feel extra bloated. Some of that gas can also make it’s way up into your shoulders. 

You might notice that your neck & shoulders feel sore. You can ask your hubby or support person to rub those spots or use a heatable to help ease the pain. 

I used one of these handwarmer-sized heating gel packs.

For your incisions, you’ll be able to use scar-away when the incisions have healed and are no longer scabbed.

My doctor recommended silicone scar cream and rubbing the incisions to help the stitches dissolve and reduce scarring. 

It’s been a few months and my incisions are still pink, but definitely less noticeable.

You don’t need to get a special bag- any tote or backpack you have that is big enough will do the trick. 

RELATED: Recovery Essentials for Endometriosis Excision Surgery

Do you feel ready to pack your endometriosis surgery hospital bag?

If you’re preparing for an endo excision surgery then you may also enjoy this post for how to prep.

It’s everything I found helpful to do before surgery to set myself up for an easy recovery.

I’ve also compiled all of my recovery essentials in this post. It includes everything that helped me to recover quickly and easily.

And if you’d like to know more about endometriosis, this post has all the basics and resources to help you with pain management and finding a surgeon that specializes in endo.

I’d love to know: what are your hospital-bag essentials? Is there anything you’d add to this list? Let me know in the comments.

If you’ve got endo surgery coming up I wish you the best of luck for an easy and speedy recovery! 

💛