The short answer
Pack light, pack the paperwork, and leave the valuables at home. MedlinePlus advises bringing a full list of medicines, and the medicines in their containers if possible, plus eyeglasses rather than contact lenses, basic toiletries, comfortable clothes and flat shoes with rubber soles, a phone charger and important phone numbers, while leaving jewelry and valuables behind.
MedlinePlus says to bring a list of all medicines, with dose and how often each is taken.
Bring eyeglasses rather than contact lenses.
MedlinePlus suggests flat walking shoes with rubber soles and comfortable clothes.
Leave jewelry and other valuables at home.
On this page
Choose how you want to read this
The whole article, with every detail and caution.
This page is for patients and caregivers getting ready for a hospital stay. It covers what to pack, what to leave at home, and how to plan for going home.
Pack for a small hotel room with no wardrobe
Wanting to bring comfort from home is a good instinct. But a bag that is too full becomes one more thing to manage.
Two groups of items matter most. First, the paperwork nobody else can supply. Second, the few small things that make a strange room bearable.
The paperwork
MedlinePlus advises bringing a list of all your medicines to the hospital, and, if possible, the medicines in their containers. Include the dose and how often each one is taken. That is the most important item in the bag. It is the one thing the hospital cannot piece together without you.
NCI suggests gathering and organizing important paperwork for your loved one, such as medical records and advance directives. Ask the hospital team which records they need.
If an advance directive exists, keep it with that paperwork.
Clothing and footwear
MedlinePlus suggests flat walking shoes with rubber soles. It also suggests comfortable clothing such as shorts or sweatpants. Add a loose outfit that is easy to put on for the trip home.
MedlinePlus names rubber soles, so choose shoes with grip.
Toiletries and personal items
The MedlinePlus list is short and sensible. A toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. An electric razor only. It advises bringing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses.
Also on the list: a cell phone charger, and important phone numbers written down somewhere other than the phone. Batteries die. A locked handset takes the whole address book with it.
What to leave at home
MedlinePlus is clear. Leave jewelry and other valuables at home. Remove nail polish and makeup before you go.
If losing it would upset you, it should not be in the bag.
For the person keeping vigil
NCI's caregiver guidance suggests bringing easy-to-prepare food from home. Sandwiches, salads or packaged foods all work. Check with the nursing staff about what the patient may eat.
Pack for yourself too. Your own charger and your own medicines. NCI's caregiver guidance has a section on caring for your own body, because looking after your own health is part of the job.
Think one step ahead to discharge
MedlinePlus suggests an easy-to-change-into outfit for going home. Ask the team early about transport, new prescriptions, and what to watch for and when to call them.
A short list to work from
Here is the whole thing on one page:
- The medicine list, plus the medicines in their containers if you can
- The medical folder and any advance directive
- Glasses, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, an electric razor
- Comfortable loose clothes and flat non-slip shoes
- A phone charger, and phone numbers written on paper
- No jewelry or valuables
Anything else can come in later with whoever visits next. That is a much smaller problem than arriving with a bag too heavy to carry.
Common questions
Should I bring the actual medicine bottles or just a list?
MedlinePlus advises bringing a list of all your medicines, and, if possible, the medicines in their containers, noting dosages and how often each is taken. Ask the hospital team if you are unsure what to bring.
Can I bring my own food?
NCI's caregiver guidance suggests bringing easy-to-prepare food from home, such as sandwiches, salads or packaged foods, for long stretches at the hospital. Check with the nursing staff about what the patient is allowed to eat.
What about paperwork?
NCI suggests gathering and organizing important paperwork, such as medical records and advance directives. Ask the hospital team which records they need.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Your next step
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Where to get help with this, by name
A hospital social worker or financial navigator is the best first call if you have one. If you do not, these organisations help at no cost to you.
- Patient Advocate Foundation — (800) 532-5274. Case managers take on insurance appeals, denials and medical debt with you. Free.
- TotalAssist (Patient Advocate Foundation's copay programme, merged with the PAN Foundation in 2026) — 866-512-3861. Help with medication copays, coinsurance and deductibles, insurance premiums, and office-visit and administration charges on the day of treatment, across nearly 150 conditions.
- CancerCare — 800-813-HOPE (4673). Oncology social workers, free counselling and support groups. Limited financial help with transport, home care, child care and lodging for people in active treatment who meet their income guidelines — funding is first-come, first-served, so call to ask what is open.
- Triage Cancer — 424-258-4628. Free legal and financial navigation: insurance, employment rights, disability.
- Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) — (800) 955-4572. Information Specialists answer questions on treatment, insurance and financial problems.
- HealthCare.gov — 1-800-318-2596. For questions about the external review process — the independent review your insurer is required by law to accept.
Your state Department of Insurance regulates insurers and takes consumer complaints. On Medicare, your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free one-to-one counselling. If a specific drug is the problem, ask the manufacturer about its patient assistance programme.
Phone numbers checked 31 July 2026. Programmes and eligibility change — if a number has moved, please tell us.
Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Sources last checked: 2026-10-02 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-11Next planned review: 2027-08-11
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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