What's in my hospital bag for an outpatient procedure?

My hysterectomy will be an outpatient procedure, unless I need to stay overnight for some reason. So, I'm packing my bag for all eventualities, mostly comfort eventualities.

Going over what I packed last time... second verse, same as the first, really.

• Cervical pillow, which makes lying on your back with a hypermobile neck a lot easier.

• Sugar skull lap robe - yeah, they have blankets, but they're not fuzzy blankets, and they're only warm when they're fresh out of the warmer.

• Surgery robe. Apparently, the only time I might need a drain is if the vaginal cuff develops an abscess as it heals. I've never had abscessed sutures before, and I've had plenty of sutures, so I doubt a drain will be used. But it's still the best robe I have for post-op, for a number of reasons, including the knee-length and the exposed forearms for IV access.

• Dopp Kit, which I don't expect to touch, but it's still nice to know I have it if I do need an overnight, or a touch-up on anything hygienic while I'm there.

• A paperback copy of Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, which is a collection of short stories retelling classic fairy tales from a feminist lens. Seems appropriate for hysterectomy reading!

• A new playlist of upbeat music, and a freshly charged Bluetooth speaker... I'm bringing my external instead of my muffs this time... it's much smaller than the muffs, mostly, also it doesn't cut me off from conversation with my mom (my surgery buddy) and my care team.

• My pouch of charging cords and a battery charger that usually lives in my adventure bag.

• A pair of light absorption period underwear - I was told to expect a little vaginal weeping from the sutures for the first couple of days.

• A silk bonnet, because the hair growth challenge continues! I'll wear my hair into the hospital in dual cornrows to keep it tidy under the surgical bonnet, and change into my silk bonnet ASAP for length protection.

• A small box of Bare Bones instant bone broth (not a sponsored link). They like to see how your digestive system handles broth after you wake up from anesthesia, but most chicken bullion cubes have soy protein... so I bring my own.

And that's my bag.

As I type this, I have 3.5 days left of prep... which is good, as today is a rainy, low pressure day, and I'm only allowed Tylenol at this point, so I'm planning on spending a lot of the afternoon in a hot salt bath. I can get busy later. Though there's not a lot to do...

1. I need to wash the clothes in my hamper. On Monday.

2. I need to wash my bedding. On Tuesday.

3. I need to make a few jars of refrigerator oatmeal, and a fresh batch of fudge balls for snacking. Probably on Monday. Day before surgery is usually pretty exhausting already, between the bedding and the shower.

And then, I'm ready.