Hey y'all,
What to do or where to go when you run out of bags? I just had my stoma revised 2 weeks ago.. It is much larger .. so none of my old appliances work and I am on my last bag until the beginning of September. I live in a small town and there isn't any resources here. My doctor's office uses a brand I am allergic to along with the hospital and they are an hour and a half to two hours away. Anyone else been in this situation and what to do?
If you're not real close to anything, order some online with fast shipping. What kind/size do you need?
Call your preferred brand or ostomy carrier, talk to a rep, explain your predicament, and ask for expedited shipping.
Why Join MeetAnOstoMate?
MeetAnOstoMate is the largest online community where over over 40,000 ostomates swap tips in real time.
But, it's not all about ostomy. We talk about everything.
Many come here for advice, others find lasting friendships, and some have even found love.
🔒 Privacy is very important - your profile is not visible to the outside world.
over 40,000 members
Hi Beth,
Yikes... that sucks! Call your health insurance company and explain your problem. Even if they won't pay for more supplies, they should know what suppliers are in your network that are close to you physically. "Close" being relative, of course. The other thing I'd try is calling your ostomy product company (Hollister, Coloplast, Convatec, etc.) and find out from them where your nearest supplies are located in relation to you. Most medical supply businesses can Next-Day ship you something if you order by noon. The other option is to re-use the bag you're using now, unless it's a one-piece that's not removable. In which case, you might be able to completely cut out the inner barrier (leaving the outer ring part of the bag) and use double-sided tape to attach to a different barrier. I know that's getting kind of 'primitive', but desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say. So get on the phone before noon, and you can hopefully have some new bags by this time tomorrow. I don't think there's any quicker way. But you might want to PM Bill, as he's a wizard at making ostomy supplies out of practically nothing! He's in the UK, so 4 hours ahead of us... so he might be around. Where in Virginia are you? If you're close to MD near Dahlgren, I can bring you something and meet you somewhere. Just let me know.
;O)
Bob
Do you have a local pharmacy that might carry ostomy supplies? Not a CVS but a true pharmacy. Otherwise, like Alex said, you can order online. Amazon has supplies. Not the cheapest but fast.
Hi Beth, I hope you were able to find some pouches. I'm not sure what I would do. I think there is a drug store here in town that has some on hand but I don't know if they have my size. I order from an online company. Something I should look into. Good luck with everything.
It's probably something we should all look into, as she brings up a good point. What would you do if you pop open your last box of 10 barriers only to find out they were defective.....or the wrong product for that box? Do you keep spares on hand, or because of insurance purposes do you only have enough to get you through the 60 or 90 day increment that they pay for? I for one need to spend some time thinking about that going forward. We already talked about product shortages, but there are times I just plain forget to order my supplies until I'm down to my last couple barriers. Life would get really shitty (pun intended) real quickly if I ran out of barriers or bags. I'd look pretty funny walking through Walmart with a 5-gallon bucket clipped to my belt to catch all my crap running down the front of my shorts as I walk through the store. Although......it would probably get me to the front of the checkout line pretty darn quickly!
;O)
So true, Bob. I have no insurance, so I don't have to worry about them. I do keep extra on hand. But if there were a real shortage, I'm not sure what I would do. I would love to know how to make a 'homemade' one or a DIY ostomy pouch.
Easy as.....
🔒 Login to see image
And...
🔒 Login to see image
There really is no excuse for any ostomate to not have a 2-week "buffer" stash of ostomy supplies. If your insurance won't pay for it....go on eBay and search for the products you use. Quite often, you can buy estate items at a fraction of the normal cost. I have insurance, but I find I can sometimes buy my stuff cheaper than my deductible.
I will buy lots and put them with my emergency candles and water. LOL
Alex... I think we'd all like you to post a video of that. Might come in handy some day!
;O)
Changing an ostomy barrier by candlelight! Alex... there's a second video you should make!!!
;O)
Amazon carries some imported one-piece bags that are surprisingly cheap and work well enough. Delivered the next day. They're emergency use only as I much prefer a two-piece system but 20 in reserve is comforting.
I'm not sure the females could resist a guy with a duct-taped Ziplock on his stomach in a candlelit room. If I have a short night at work, I'll see about making a video.
Hey Henry,
I did, and with the distributor, they won't release anything early due to the insurance. And the brand I use, I talked to 3 different people, explained my situation, and they will not even send me 2-3 bags to just get me by. So heads up with Coloplast if you're ever in a jam of a situation, they literally will not help you. I even offered to show them proof of my stoma and the hospital release papers, told me oops sorry not happening... they don't care if you're literally going to crap yourself.
Hey Bob,
Well, as that's always something we should worry about. My situation is that I had a revision in the middle of shipments and my old bags are too small, and my order of large bags won't be here until the first of the month. I needed help because my size changed due to surgery. I asked if they could just send 2 to barely get me through until my shipment. Coloplast said no. I offered to show them the new size and take pictures of the hospital papers proving I had a revision. To Coloplast, they did not care. I spent all my money on the upcoming shipment, so I don't have any money to pay out of pocket. So my question is, why do we have to struggle when we are literally in a no-win situation? I live in a small town where there are no support groups. The 211 state number does not carry ostomy supplies, but hey, if you need tampons, they have them. There are no medical equipment stores around me. My doctor's office and wound care nurse are over 2 hours away and only carry Hollister, which I am highly allergic to. So Coloplast was no help at all. They did not care. They said, "Oh well, you're on your own." The distributor will not release anything early because of the insurance. So we, as ostomates, have no help, no resources, no emergency line, and no one giving two shits about us literally shitting ourselves.
Beth, I have some bags and rings I could send you. What size are you and what do you need? I have pre-cut 1 1/4 inch one-piece bags. I'm not a premium member - we can still PM, right?
Hi Beth,
That's really eye-opening to say the least. I try samples from the big three and they call me day and night asking if I want more. You're a real customer and they won't help you out. That's just wrong, no matter how you look at it. I'd say you might want to look into insurance from someone else, but that's not really the issue. Customer service is. I don't know if Colo has a Facebook page, but if so I'd leave them a nice description of what went down and how they failed you as a customer. You'd at least be giving others who visit their page a heads-up for the future. And I find most companies are petrified of Social Media and the damage it can do to their reputation.........so you might find they'll bend over backwards to make it right, once the higher-ups in the company read what transpired. Not that that's any consolation now.....but still worth doing.
The reason I mention changing insurance is because different companies have different medical supply places in their networks. And working with a good supply company can make all the difference. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal, which is pretty awesome. When I switched from Hollister to Sensura Mio a few months back I had to use a different supplier because the one I was using didn't carry the specific Mio products I needed. So I picked one really close to where I live and they are the nicest folks ever. When I placed my first 90-day order I had a deductible that wasn't met, so I should have had to pay them $350 for my supplies. But I never got a bill. So I called and talked to the pharmacist. I said I wanted to pay my bill and it should be around $350. He looked up my account and said.......'yeah....but don't worry about it." I was like......really??? He said yeah, we make enough off what you ordered, so keep your money. And they did it the second time.........and I suspect they'll do it again this next time I order. And I'm sure if I called and said I need some bags or barriers to tide me over to my next order.......they'd be on my front step tomorrow. So there is something to be said for shopping around when it comes to suppliers in your Insurance Company's network.
Like Alex said, if you tell us what size things you need, I'm sure everyone can pitch in and get you those........or something close to it. That really goes for anyone on here that's in a jam.........could happen to any of us, so we need to stick together!! Cuz shit happens. (as if we don't know THAT already)!!
;O)
Bob
Hey Bob,
I used to have Comfort Medical as my distributor and now it's Edge Park when my insurance changed when I had moved. With my insurance company, I have now Edge Park is the only one they cover that carries the brand I can only wear.
And it is horrible, isn't it? That being a customer in literal desperate need, they don't help... and I never asked for a large amount. I literally asked for like 3 bags because of my situation.
I think I will do that, make a comment on some network and telling others. One lady I spoke with at Coloplast went and talked to their supervisor, and the supervisor still said no. It's just beyond crazy and absurd that we can't get help.
Lol ... I know it's not really funny, but it's sad that us ostomates would have to come to that.
Beth, I was wondering if it might pay to ask for some free samples. Those major ostomy supply companies want you to switch to their products, so they're pretty generous with what they send.
Hey guys, I have no idea why I am just getting alerted that I have new replies. I wasn't trying to ignore any of your suggestions or questions.
Check out Ostomy211.org. Free supplies for emergencies. Just checked, there is a $30.00 donation required.
Married,
I had checked them out... My local state doesn't have those resources, and the one you're talking about only takes orders once a week and won't be mailed out until a week to two weeks. I had paid my certain percentage for the bags, so I didn't have anything at all to pay out of pocket. I wanted to post it so others can know how it works. The reality is, we actually don't have help when we are in those types of situations. We don't have resources or help at all, actually.