Up dos for hospital stay?

[joflakes]

Hi all,

I'm going to be staying in a hospital for a long while, seven to ten days.

I want to have my hair up tightly so I can leave it the entire time, I don't want nurses etc messing with my hair.

what up dos do you recommend? I can't sleep with any buns on my head.

i was considering corn rows but I can't do them :(

any advice appreciated!

thanks

jo

[Juanita]

I was going to suggest going to a hairdresser specialising in braiding.

[joflakes]

That might be an option but I don't really have any spare money :(

[Sharysa]

Just wondering, why don't you want the nurses "messing with" your hair? Even if they can't help style it, they'd certainly be able to help comb/detangle it as well as they can.

And unless you have magically well-behaved hair, you probably won't be able to leave your hair up for TEN DAYS STRAIGHT. Even black people only leave cornrows in for about a week before they need to take it out for a couple of days to let their scalp and hair breathe.

The only real option you seem to have left is braids, so I think two or three French/Dutch braids would be fine for four or five days before you need to detangle them and redo them.

[monsoonstorm]

perhaps use some watered down aloe and do two dutch braids, one on either side, like pigtails? The aloe might help keep them a bit more together, plus they are off to the side so that they don't interfere with you laying down.

[joflakes]

Just wondering, why don't you want the nurses "messing with" your hair? Even if they can't help style it, they'd certainly be able to help comb/detangle it as well as they can.

And unless you have magically well-behaved hair, you probably won't be able to leave your hair up for TEN DAYS STRAIGHT. Even black people only leave cornrows in for about a week before they need to take it out for a couple of days to let their scalp and hair breathe.

The only real option you seem to have left is braids, so I think two or three French/Dutch braids would be fine for four or five days before you need to detangle them and redo them.

Because it'll stress me out and I want to reduce my stress as much as I can. I am protective of my hair!


perhaps use some watered down aloe and do two dutch braids, one on either side, like pigtails? The aloe might help keep them a bit more together, plus they are off to the side so that they don't interfere with you laying down.

I do that all the time anyway. Maybe I could do two on each side if I practice some before the op? Hmm.

[makeminea99]

Crown braid, or hair taping maybe? They're quite comfortable, although I've never left them in more than 2 days.

[Madora]

Two braids. Easy to wear, easy to redo..and if at all possible, rebraid every day. Braids left in for days are not fun to detangle. Good luck!

[melusine963]

I also recommend two braids. One added advantage would be that they're easy to detangle and redo one at a time, in case you don't have the strength or energy to deal with your whole head of hair in one sitting.

[tigereye]

I'd suggest hair-taping. I did it before for 5 days straight. My only complaint was an itchy scalp from not touching it, but, not only was I wearing a helmet the entire time (and those helmets seem to trap all sorts of annoying, irritating stuff in), that was during the time of sores and rashes before I discovered I was allergic to SLS, and SLES, so my scalp was always itchy back then, and it's not really a fair judgement. I haven't had cause to wear my hair the same way for a week since then.

[Anje]

If your scalp doesn't get angry with funny hair positions, I'd suggest trying a bun way on top of your head anyway. Failing that, two braids is probably the way to go.

[Sharysa]

Because it'll stress me out and I want to reduce my stress as much as I can. I am protective of my hair!

I really don't think that most nurses would try to yank a brush/comb through a post-op patient's hair, but it IS your hair after all. And it seems the Dutch/French pigtails are the most agreed-upon solution to your problem.

[rags]

I've been here, am a veteran of long hospital stays! The two braids definitely work the best for me, either Dutch or French. If you can redo them, all the better. If you can't they will still probably be okay (at least mine are). Now that I have one; the next time I end up in hospital I'm going to take my silk bonnet and put on top of the braids and let everyone laugh at me. :p

[Madora]

One observation from experience: while in hospital I required a catscan. I had my hair up in a double braided bun. Was instructed to remove the pins and tie up my hair somehow (all spare of the moment, just before the scan was to start). I ended up tieing up my 2 foot braids in a series of knots and somehow tucking in the ends. Looked ridiculous but it did the trick. Lesson learned...no metal hairpins or updos in hospital!

[Aliped]

Last time I was in hospital for a while I had two English braids. They weren't left for days though, as I had relatives visiting me, who brushed and re-braided it daily.

[ravenreed]

I never so much as had a nurse offer (or threaten) to touch my hair. As long as they don't get in the way, they won't care. They are too busy. Braids are probably the easiest for both you and the medical staff to deal with.

[PraiseCheeses]

I really don't think that most nurses would try to yank a brush/comb through a post-op patient's hair, but it IS your hair after all. And it seems the Dutch/French pigtails are the most agreed-upon solution to your problem.

You might be surprised about that. :rolleyes: :p It was unbelievable how careless and downright rough some of the nurses were with me right after I had my neck fused.

Another vote for two braids from another member of the been-there-done-that crowd. Easily pinned up, easily taken down, easily redone if needed, and no lumps on the back of your head. Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but bring a silk pillowcase or at the very least a large silk scarf that you can put over your pillow. Hospital pillows can be super-scratchy and are no doubt treated with some of the harshest chemicals known to mankind. Hopefully you'll have someone who can help you a bit with your hair and your pillow.

Sending you good vibes and well-wishes, and :grouphug:. I hope you are okay! :flower:

[Sharysa]

Holy crap, really? My mom had a herniated disc operated on a few years ago, but her hair's been in the mom-bob ever since I was born, so I don't think her hair would have been a problem.

[duchess67]

Two braids sounds like the best idea. When I was in the hospital my hair was short like around APL at that time, never even bothered to brush until the day I came home. Hair was the last thing on my mind. Now when I look back I wonder why no one offered to brush my hair :(
Best wishes and hope you get well soon.

[MandyBeth]

Veteran of "Man, I wish it was only 10 days" type stays.

Braided pigtails. Much easier on everyone.

However, you'll possibly see increased shedding. Some start quickly, some start months later.

Anyone staying with you? DH redid my braids daily, then my Daddy at least got tangles out and I could manage bad English braids.

If you can, take a pillow and satin pillowcase with you, you'll sleep better. But, some hospitals won't go for that.

But, end of the day. You're in the hospital to get better. Focus on that, your hair can be untangled later. If you can't sleep with your hair up, then leave it down.

ETA - As a founding member of the "Ha! You call THAT fine?" club - aka literally cat fine hair - my braids compact down really, really well. I think rags is also a member, so that may relate to why we can wear braids longer without major problems. Mine get fuzzy, but they're not falling out.

[rags]

Yep, definitely a member of the cat-fine hair club. Maybe that is why our braids stay well, I'd never thought about it. Oh, and I third or fourth the take a silk scarf or pillowcase if you can.

[lunalocks]

I tried hair taping for my shoulder surgery, but it didn't stay in past recovery! Thank goodness a cap somewhat contained it. So try whatever your choice is some night before you go so you know if it will stay, be comfortable, etc. For my next surgery, a french braid with a scrunchie worked well. I was able to comb it out daily and re braid or bun on the very top of my head which is comfortable for ME to sleep.

I am sorry you have to have a scary surgery. It;s not fun. Many hugs to you.

[tigereye]

Hmm. My hair is definitely not fine any more (my hair is a dense mixture of everything from fine to course, but most are about medium), but straight forward twin braids don't work for me. They start coming out, my ends start tearing from rubbing on things and I actually get horrendous tangles all over if I sleep on them. It's why I suggested hair taping. I had no such issues with that, it has no metal pins to interfere with scans, it's easier for me to sleep on, and it stays up for days without need to be redone

[ladyfey]

Another fan of 2 braids. And the nurses really don't have time to brush/comb your hair, so don't worry about that!

[Mishka_84]

My daughter has BSL length (but she's only three, so take this with a grain of salt), and she was recently in the hospital 5 days. We started out with two dutch braids, and those lasted three days before they were too tangled to last. Again, three year old, thrashing about and stuff, so hopefully yours wouldn't tangle as badly as hers did. After that we did what we call her "hospital hair", basically a top knot fastened with a hair elastic instead of any pins. It kept her hair out of the way and out of her face, but still constrained. She was able to sleep with it in, though I did have to fix it once a day.

[lapushka]

Late to the party here, but I also suggest 2 English braids. You can redo them *easily* vs. Dutch or French braids, and you can make them as loose or as tight as you want.

[shutterpillar]

I'd also agree with braiding of some sort. French and english braids have always been my favorite while staying in the hospital because they can be slept on comfortably.

[dulce]

I have an eye condition where I get frequent retinal detachments requiring surgery and complete bed rest with as little head movement as possible for the week after each surgery-no hair brushing-no washing-no changing clothes.I do a side caterpillar braid down the front,it is comfortable and doesn't pull the roots or anywhere else and is easy to adjust myself without much body movement.My case is extreme but I have found this style the easiest and the most comfortable,never pulls and does no hair damage yet prevents tangles. I use large fluffy very soft ''furry''[not real fur] but fur like texture ,almost like an angora[but is not] texture scrunchies to do the caterpillar braid,they are so soft,they just slide easily when I want to adjust them and no metal in the hair.I prefer this over any other braid as it does not frizz up.