I�m making a �hospital bag�. I know, most girls my age who pack a bag in advance to take to the hospital are having babies. I�m most certainly not- I just have a serious and chronic respiratory condition that might require hospitalization at any time. Having been admitted to the hospital on several occasions (I average once a year), it seems prudent to have those things ready that make the experience less unbearable.
In the bag, there will be the following things:

6 pairs of clean underwear. I cannot stress enough that it is of utmost importance to have clean underwear. The gowns are open in the back and it�s always a good idea to cover your ass, but you really won�t want to wear the gitch you came in with if you�re there for four or five days. Trust me. It�s really unusual for me to be there more than a couple days, 6 pairs gives me a week�s worth, if I count the pair I�d be wearing. If I get stuck there for more than 7 days, I should hope someone would be able to get me a few more from my apartment.
A pair of slippers. The floors are cold and you can�t walk around barefoot, and those paper slippers they have are neither warm nor comfortable. I have yet to meet a human being that these things fit.
2 pair of cozy pyjama pants and a sweater. Partly for modesty, partly for protection against the cold.
Two novels. Hospitals are boring, and there�s not really anything wrong with my mind. Also a sketchbook with pencils, a hand-held Tetris game I bought at the dollar store, and a cheapass mini-scan radio with headphones from the dollar store. Batteries for said items.
A toothbrush and toothpaste. There�s nothing worse than being in the hospital for three days and not have anything to brush your teeth with.
Deodorant. It�s demoralizing to feel stinky. They don�t always let you shower every day, especially if you have an I.V. in, and you do not want to feel repugnant- especially if you�re hoping for visitors. Washing with washcloths in the bathroom never seems to do it the same way as a proper shower or bath.
A hairbrush. They never seem to have anything but teeny tiny combs, and those are no good if you have any amount of hair. Also take a few elastics to pull hair out of face. If it�s a few days before they let you into the shower, you will want to minimize how bad your hair looks by braiding it out of your face. The elastics are the �no metal� kind- the metal elastics can be a hassle if they should want to take X-rays.
Shampoo and conditioner. If you can take a shower, nothing boosts your mental health like being able to wash your hair and know it�ll be as nice as at home. Don�t attempt to wash your hair with whatever strange concoction they have in the wall dispenser in the hospital shower- I think it�s really a scented tangling agent. Their soap usually smells kind of strange, but is generally ok.
An address book with the names and phone numbers of my closest friends & family, and assorted work numbers, so that all the appropriate people can be reached if I am admitted. Work has a right to know I can�t be there, and friends should be called because it sucks to be in the hospital and nobody visits you because they don�t know you�re there. My family especially needs to be called, because they have a history of calling the police and reporting me missing if they don�t hear from me for two or three days. Also the number of my dogsitter. Oscar must be taken care of.
Feminine supplies. If you get your period, or are admitted while having one, you don�t want those three-inch thick diaper-like maxis they have there. You want your own stuff that you�re comfortable with.
A change purse with about 20$ in coin. You should have quarters for the payphone, so you can call the aforementioned people of interest. Loonies, toonies and quarters� I�m a vegetarian, lactose intolerant and have an allergy to sulphites, and an allergy to eggs. They don�t always pay attention to this sort of thing. They�re supposed to, but they�re busy and sometimes get sloppy- far better to just be prepared than take it out on busy and overworked hospital staff. I�ve had them send me a breakfast of bacon and eggs, and a glass of milk. They�ve also been known to send me instant mashed potatoes (there is no such thing as an instant potato product without sulphites) and packets of crackers that have sulphites clearly marked on the ingredients. It�s a good idea to have some change for the cafeteria just in case they offer you something totally inedible. They also sometimes offer you food that is technically edible, but genuinely horrid.
A spare set of keys for my apartment, so that if I need something important from there or can�t reach dogsitter right away, I can give them to someone and they can get inside.

I think that pretty much covers everything- I can�t think of anything else I�d really need. Part of me thinks this is the smartest, most practical thing I could possibly do, part of me considers it morbid and asking for trouble.