Anyone who has an ostomy or has to live with a stoma knows the pain of trying to find the right ostomy supplies on a regular. Sure, the doctors are great at telling you all about the surgery of getting an ostomy and how that will change your life, including the activities that you are able to do and the foods that you are able to eat, but nobody warns you or prepares you for the ever-present responsibility of having to purchase ostomy supplies every week for the rest of your life.
I have personally found it really difficult to keep up with the needs of my stoma in regards to ostomy pouches, stoma products, and all around finding the right ostomy supplies and accessories that I need to keep everything going smoothly with my physical health. There are not as many places to buy good ostomy supplies as one might think – most people don’t even know what an ostomy is. That should tell you how hard it is to find various ostomy products in your normal supermarkets and department stores. The laws of supply and demand do not exclude even the most niche medical supplies, no matter how necessary they may be. Since not a lot of people need ostomy supplies (besides people with an ostomy), stores do not care enough to keep a good supply and variety on their shelves.
With all that being said, I definitely have had to come a long way when it comes to finding the right ostomy supplies for my specific needs and getting the products I need without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money. I remember back to when I first had surgery and the hospital informed me of the ostomy products they sell. At the time, I figured that I would be getting all the ostomy products and accessories from the hospital and consequently did not look into many other resources or suppliers.
However, once I found out that my insurance would not cover the cost of purchasing ostomy supplies at the hospital supplier, I realized that I would need to look for alternative sources from which to buy the ostomy products that I needed. This was definitely a stressful time in my life since I was trying to balance my budget with my need for ostomy supplies, all while recovering from my recent surgery to have my stoma put in. The thing about ostomy products is that your best bet is to go shop for them online. Once I found this out, the whole game changed for the better.
Shopping online for ostomy products is definitely the way to go. Since the internet is becoming such a big part of our market today, it makes sense that you can buy ostomy products thereto. In fact, you can pretty much buy anything online these days if you are willing to look hard enough. Now that I order my ostomy supplies online, I don’t have to worry about making specific trips to random stores to try to find the products or brands that I like, and there is a much greater selection for me to choose all from the comfort of my own couch. Anyday that I can enjoy quality ostomy supplies that are covered by my insurance is a good day in my book.