And so it happens. If a flare gets bad enough, hospitalization becomes necessary. Two primary feelings here: fear and relief.
Fear is pretty self explanatory. Hospitalization means it’s serious and you’re in trouble. For me so far, 50% of my hospitalizations have ended in surgery. If the flare is bad enough, surgery can mean an ostomy. In my experience, people with Crohn’s and Colitis fear ostomies more than death.
Were you surprised to see relief? It’s true and there are a few reasons for it. First, you only get hospitalized when you are really sick, so it means that you’ll get some fluids, nutrition, rest, and pain management. Second, it validates what’s going on. Maybe this is just a me thing, but even when I’m really sick, I can’t help but wonder if I’m just being dramatic and whiny. Having to be hospitalized means it’s real. Third, you can finally let go of everything else and just focus on getting better. It may sound strange, but the best rest I’ve gotten in my life has been in the hospital. Think about it. You’re sick and in pain for months, and trying to juggle health with work, relationships, social life, and other things. Going to the hospital means letting everything else go. You can’t do anything but rest. Lastly, being hospitalized means that abstract fear becomes concrete reality. As I’ve mentioned before, people with chronic diseases tend to live in constant dread of getting sick again. Going to the hospital means that you can let the dread go and actually deal with a real problem. Kind of messed up, huh?
Regardless, you’re usually not going to be caught off guard by being told you need to be hospitalized. You know when things are bad enough that it’s a possibility. That being the case, I recommend packing ahead.
Hoot’s Hospital Packing List
- Phone charger
- Headphones
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss
- Deodorant
- Nail Clippers
- 2-3 pairs of socks
- 2-3 pairs of underwear
- Laptop or tablet (wikipedia, netflix, solitaire, whatever)
- 2-3 books (different genres for different moods)
- Pen and paper (for just in case you decide to start cartooning)