This topic is all about preparing for a hospital stay if you're undergoing an ostomy reversal. The advice comes from someone who has been through it and is doing well a month after their procedure. They share a list of items that made their hospital experience more comfortable and manageable.

- For sore skin, consider bringing soft toilet paper, flushable wipes, and Calmoseptine or a similar cream, applied with a surgical glove.
- To combat dry mouth, use Oasis or Biotene mouthwash before you can have ice chips, and keep Blistex or ChapStick handy for your lips.
- Don't forget important paperwork and electronics: a medication list, insurance card, driver’s license, copies of your living will or advance directive, and your cell phone, iPod, or iPad with chargers and an extension cord. Also, bring paper and a pen.
- For comfort, pack a personal pillow with a distinctive pillowcase, lightweight magazines, two small baskets or containers for organizing bedside items, an eyeglass case, eye mask, multiple pairs of earplugs, slippers, a short robe, disinfectant wipes, and hand gel.
- Toiletries should include a hairbrush, barrettes or ponytail holders, moisturizer, deodorant, shampoo, moisturizing soap or shower gel, toothpaste, toothbrush, lavender-scented pillow spray, bathroom air deodorizer, and Kleenex.
- For morale, consider a glass bowl filled with mini candy bars and a thank-you card for the staff. Also, bring cheap sleeveless nightgowns altered with Velcro at one shoulder, so you can step into them easily despite having an IV, avoiding standard hospital gowns.

Here are some additional pieces of advice and insights:

1. For noise and rest, pack plenty of earplugs and request a room away from the nurses’ station to minimize nighttime noise.
2. Bring all your regular medications in their original bottles and review them with your surgeon beforehand to avoid substitutions by hospital staff.
3. If it's winter, add a warm bathrobe to your packing list. Modified Velcro nightgowns or similar adaptive clothing can improve comfort when connected to IV lines.
4. Ask friends or family to bring you meals, as hospital food might not be to your liking. A candy bowl for the staff can help build goodwill and attentive care.
5. Hospital stays can range from 24 hours to about a week, with discharge typically delayed until you've passed stool. Reversal surgery is generally easier than the initial resection, especially if done laparoscopically.
6. Laparoscopic reversals can shorten healing time, with small port incisions often closed with skin glue. Some surgeons use titanium staples for reconnection. Stoma sites usually heal from the inside out over several weeks and are rarely problematic.
7. Keeping a sense of humor and a positive mindset can aid recovery. While reversals are considered simpler, complications can be serious, and some patients opt to keep a well-managed ostomy rather than risk another surgery.