I suggest to have someone with you in the post-op to help tidy up. If not, before you get knocked out tell the nurses that you want a nurse to be there for you who will tidy you up. You're gonna be bloody (nose and mouth), it would be hard for you to get up, you'd have to dress up before you go home.
Pre-Op:
- If you have long hair, braid it.
- Bring a container where you can drool/spit for after post-op. You will need it during the car ride. (a little cup will not help, a bigger container will)
- Wear a buttoned up shirt, and an easy to wear pants
- A roll of bounty paper towel because you're gonna be bloody and you need to clean that up
- Some Q-tips cotton swabs (when you wake up, your eyes would be filled with morning glory, and your nose would be a little bloody, these would help you clean them)
- Something to hold on to for comfort (pillow, stuffed toy, your man. In my case, I had my mom)
- Cellphone to text what you cannot say to the person next to you
Also, when driving home, tell the person who's driving to drive smoothly. Hospitals are usually far away from home. And go home when there's no rush hour if you can avoid it. If the hospital says go home anyway, nag. The driver would be breaking and accelerating, and dodging freaks who'd like to get first in line on the freeway.
Post-op:
- 3-4 bottles of SmartWater. Those water bottles have the little sucking top, and you can squeeze the bottle because it's plastic. So it's easy to drink from it. Just squeeze it and liquid will come out of it. One of them can be for water, one for ensure, one of salty liquids, and the other for sweet liquids.
- Have your handy drooling container with you at all times
- And your handy ice packets. I find the jaw bra ineffective because it's not cold enough. So what I did was I taped 2 rectangular ice packets on the inside and wrapped the bra around my face.
- Toothpick.
- STRAINER.
- A cookbook of soups with high calories and protein (make sure you buy this A WEEK BEFORE YOUR SURGERY, so you can prepare your food on time) because remember, you're gonna be drinking LIQUIDS only because only liquids can go through your wired mouth.
- Tylenol capsules. Break the capsules so you can get the powder out and mix with water for medication. Hospital usually will give you liquid medication.
- If you have long hair, tie it.
Remember, after day one of post-op start talking

it will help the nerves get back to working which will boost blood circulation thus heal wounds. Walk around the house so your body will use energy. If your body uses energy, it will send some energy to heal wounds as well. If you don't want to talk, just move your mouth.
Good luck

it's just a week of a mouth wired shut. You'll be fine.