Ostomy and the Pandemic

It is 2020 and times are a bit hard.  Unemployment is rampant and supplies for stores are hard to find depending on your location. Yes as a benefit we are all able to wear PJ’s and lounge where nearly 24/7 three hundred and sixty five days a year at the moment, but there are some lesson to have learned from what we have been through. If you have an ostomy and are dealing with a stoma then you have a little more to worry about then the average person.  It just means you need to be more prepared.  A little preparation can go a long way in making sure you are safe and also happy when stuck at the stay a home orders we are all experiencing in our state. 

So a few tips I would give about keeping the correct ostomy supplies around.  It is as simple as that. Have extra ostomy supplies around! Know how many bags you will need and what types of adhesives you will need and how many you use each week. Now think back to the worst times you have had and emergency situations that you have come upon in the past. 

That is what you want to be prepared for and that is the amount of extra supplies you need on hand.  This pandemic has brought this into perspective.  We want to have enough toilet paper around because it may be off the shelves of stores for weeks at a time.  The same thing goes for having enough food and medical supplies as well. If you have allergies make sure you have a month of extra pills set aside and also keep those stores of food up as well.  Some tows ran out of food really quickly and have been unable to resupply for weeks at a time.

Another good idea to allow you to have extra supplies available is to buy in bulk. No not the bulk of purchasing one or two at a time, but get the big packs.  Most suppliers sell in sets of five but if there is a bag you really like and works well with your body see about purchasing a large stock of them and at a discounted rate. Most online retailers or even pharmacies are able to work with you and can give discounted rates. As always stay safe, keep enough supplies around and talk with your medical provider if you have any questions on storage.