NHMike wrote:...What would be cool is if there were lockers in the lobby.
In my hospital they have lockers, but they also have a very strict set of rules on the use of the lockers: Everything that you put in your locker has to be inventoried and witnessed by a third party.
For me, this was a problem on two fronts:
First, in order to place my wallet in the locker, I had to empty it of its contents and everything in each of the wallet pockets had to be registered in the legal inventory, by serial number or description, and countersigned by the hospital's witness. This included my drivers license, my bank cards, and everything else. Since I had just been to the ATM to get some cash, I had to itemize each and every bank note in my wallet by denomination and serial number, etc., etc.,
Second, I had brought all of my regular prescription drugs with me so that I could follow my GP's prescription while I was in the hospital. Well, they said that I would not be able to use any of my own prescription drugs, or OTC products (e.g., aspirin, acetaminophine, ..) while in the hospital, and that if I needed to have such medications while I was in the hospital the surgeon would prescribe them for me but I would have to buy them from the hospital pharmacy. So, they (temporarily) confiscated all of my medications and OTC products for the duration of my stay in the hospital. Anything I needed had to come from the hospital pharmacy, not from my own pre-purchased supply.
The main problem with this was that it took me over half an hour to complete the legal inventory and this delayed the start of my surgery.
But that was only half of the problem. After I got out of surgery, I had to sit with the witness and go over the inventory item by item to verify that everything that I had put in the locker was still there and intact. That delayed my transfer to the surgery recovery ward.
Your hospital will no doubt have a different procedure, but I thought that I would mention my experience anyway. You have about a week before your surgery. In this time you could discuss any of you concerns with the hospital Admissions staff to make sure that you understand what will happen to you and to your belongings once you check in to the hospital.
What I would suggest is that you come to the hospital with a combination padlock gym bag that is big enough to hold your street clothes and your other personal items such as cell phone, charger, computer, etc. Then when you have to change into the hospital gown and slippers, put all of your belongings in the locked,labeled gym bag and ask that it be sent to your room on the surgery recovery floor.
In any event, I would not describe my experience with our hospital locker room as "cool"...