Preparing for your stay in hospital

Hopefully, these tips will remove the mystery from your hospital stay and relieve some worries and concerns.

Sorting out the little things will let you focus on what’s most important.

Ask for help

Many people worry about who will look after everyone else while they’re in hospital. So, ask friends and family for support with your children, pets or home.

People are often keen to help but are not sure how to, so ask for specific things. For example:

• driving you to an appointment
• picking up your children from school
• putting your bins out.

Plan a visit

Find out if you can visit one of the isolation units you’ll stay in beforehand. This will help you form a mental picture of what your stay will be like, and hopefully remove the unexpected and reduce the chance of unnecessary surprises.

Hospitals and transplant centres have different rules and procedures. So, a visit will let you find out the details that will apply to you.

Many parents also find that being prepared for their child’s approaching hospital stay helps them cope with the situation. It might be a good idea to take your child along too, if you think it could settle their nerves. Take time to ask the questions that are important to you. For example:

• How often you will be able to visit?
• What are the arrangements for staying overnight with your child?

Ask questions

Any situation can be daunting if you don’t feel like you know what’s going on.

Concerns around smaller things can build up quickly, so take control of the situation by finding things out. For example:

• Is there Wi-Fi so I can stream my favourite programmes?
• Where can my visitors park?
• What can I expect from the hospital food?

Our information on protective isolation may be able to help, but your transplant team will also be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Let your work or school know

It’s very likely you’ll need to take a long time off work to recover from your stem cell transplant. Most people need at least 6 months before they are ready to return.

If your employer doesn’t know you’re preparing for a stem cell transplant, you should let them know. This will give them time to organise the necessary support you’ll need when you’re ready to return. For more information, see our return-to-work guides for patients and employers.

If you’re preparing for your child’s transplant, you should talk to their class or head teacher about it. The school needs to know how long your child is likely to be away. They also need to know about the support they’ll need to provide your child, before and after their transplant.