Recently I found it would be a good idea to take along a “go bag” when I take my wife to appointments. She’s having some problems with urination and maybe not getting to a restroom soon enough. She wears Always Discrete and hasn’t had any problem with leakage.
What do some of you take along and what sort of bag do you carry it all in?
I know I could Google it but would rather hear from folks on here. Y’all are more interesting!
I want to add I really enjoy this forum. I’ve learned a lot on here. One important thing I’ve learned is when to back off and shut my mouth. So thank you all!
One time, my mother wetted the car seat because she was leaning to the side when she sat. It took a lot of cleaning and airing to get rid of the odor. Yuck!!! From then on, I put an underpad down wherever she sat. So glad I did because she did have more leaking accidents.
Change of pants if she wears them. Otherwise a snap button housedress.
Baby, wipes, lotion and her brand of depends.
A couple of books or magazines.
A couple of waters and some small snacks.
All this can be put into a large ladies purse or backpack.
This will cover her not thru just long appointments but also er visits up to admission.
If you'd rather always be prepared on the spot but travel light, a 'man bag' of your choice could contain one change of underwear. Add wipes, rubbish bag, hand sani if expecting to get caught far from bathroom facilities.
Any sort of tote bag will do.
Or a 'crossbody bag' or 'courier bag' works well if you need your hands free.
Can also contain a water bottle, paperwork etc which is the reason you brought a bag with you! (If your wife is sensitive about the other items & forbids them coming along - have experience with that 😜)
PS. Socks - if she wears.
So many times the socks get wet! However, not going to hurt anyone too much to get home without any. None better than wet!
My husband, who is subject b to sudden bouts of dizziness always carries some of his anti-dizzy meds in his. Came in handy just today.
TNtechie, your comment on a first aid kit reminded me of when I cut a finger at a friend’s house. I asked him for a band aid. We searched all over the house……no band aid, no first aid kit. I finally remembered my wife had a first aid kit in her car. Viola! Band aid!
I always kept a list of meds. with complete details along with blood type. To me this is good to have in glove box as well in case of accident and you aren’t able to explain what is needed. You can also keep this list in your phone.
My Dh always gets stuck accompanying me to the ER, and it’s not always convenient to get to a hospital’s snack-bar.
Or they may be closed to “outsiders.” A hospital I go to regularly for blood checks had both a nice cafeteria and snack bar with fruit, sandwiches, coffee, etc. But for a 2-year period of the pandemic it was open only to staff. A sign said “visitors” could not go there and people with appointments (i.e. patients actually) were not allowed as they were considered "visitors". I take a para-transit bus to this hospital and the first time this happened I went for about 6 hours with no food. Water I could only get by going into a medical office and asking for a cup of water.
I used a cloth tote bag to carry this. Put mom's wallet in tote with a printed list of her medications, health issues, doctors and mine & sister's phone numbers.
Having someone with medical needs for a day trip would be similar in some ways: I found this website about a go bag for ones with dementia by the Alzheimers Society that would be helpful: https://alzheimer.ca/sites/default/files/documents/Be-ready-for-an-emergency-department-visit_My-ready-to-go-bag_Alzheimer-Society-Canada.pdf
Ziplock bags can have a variety of uses, too (vomit bags, trash bags- especially for used personal care products, waterproofing electronics, etc.) I keep the extra-large size in my go bag. They are really useful if traveling, too- one of the dirtiest things in any hotel room anywhere I once read was the TV remote so the first thing I do after unpacking is drop the remote into a storage bag). These also have very little weight to them.
A dry washcloth (you could store this in one of the Ziplocks). Baby wipes are great but can dry out. A washcloth beats trying to clean someone with restroom paper towels any day and is very light-weight.
Cough drops. Useful not just for when you're sick. I often find that overly conditioned air can give me a dry throat regardless of how much water I drink. Also very light to carry.
Review your go bag regularly and toss out any expired food, trash, and to make sure the baby wipes are still moist. I keep a 3-day emergency go bag in my vehicle and check it twice a year for the same reasons.
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