Thanks John for your kindly reminding.

Will do.

@john68

Always a good reminder, John. Thank you!

God bless,

Stella

Thanks, John!  It's funny that you mention this, since I've always considered getting my shipment of supplies to be about as exciting as getting a Christmas present.  I'm still kind of new to this, and I'm a bit strange like that.  What can I say, I like supplies.  😆

Glenn

John.. excellent advice!  With the recent flooding in British Columbia 🇨🇦,  we experienced all but the one nasty highway washed out & 17 major bridges attached to them.  Such delays in shipments as T.P., (non covid related surprise! lol! )  & so many grocery products were badly delayed proceeding to high cost food hikes & panic buyers once again left us without a fair deal. However the medical supplies were made a top priority. 

I've learned this importance of supply keeping from our group &  I now keep a 3 month rotating supply going all the time.  It did take time to build it up supplies & stay organized, but I think I've finally managed it... Lol!! 

Thank you all for a great year amoungst Ostomate friends! To those who enjoy the sharing of love, family & exchanging gifts & the Birth of Christ  the other reason for the season, may you all be with those you love & can possibly be with over Christmas & as we head into 2022,  ALL The Best in the New Year to everyone!  May we all have a safe, wonderful & HEALTHY as possible Christmas & New Year everybody!!   You too Squeaky...behave yourself!  lololol! 

Thank you, John; good advice, for sure. Having learned from forgetting to order until last minute and then having a couple of very uneasy days before supplies arrived,  I have been very slowly building up a box of extras, which has taken quite awhile. I write the order date down on the calendar so that I don’t forget. And Glen, it is going on four years since my surgery but I do get that “a package for me” excitement when the box is delivered.

@llholiday 

With my supply company, I have a regular order date and the usual supplies (unless I change things up) that I get each month. Since I use a one-piece system, I order the maximum that Medicare allows for my bags and my deodorant. Does your supply company have that system in place? 

Stella

@sjlovestosing My insurance company requires an annual prescription renewal from the g.p. (Which is always an ordeal - phone calls, email, scheduling, etc.), and always asks what is the exact number of each product that I use in a month and then the insurance company reduces the amount authorized.  They are now sending me a little less every month than they had. 

For a while, the supplier was asking me every time I ordered exactly how many of each thing I had left on hand. I have to order on my own, and my insurance will not cover anything unless the last order was at least a month ago, so I cannot order early - hence the note on my calendar to not forget to call them (and they won’t take orders online).

I understand that they are in business, but I feel like I am being picked on because I am an ostomate, and my dignity feels dented.

@llholiday 

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. You would think that the insurance company would be more compassionate. I am on Medicare and work thru an insurance co. So far, I haven't had any trouble. My supplier, Edgepark in Ohio, has an excellent website, and I am able to have my orders done automatically. They do send a reminder and ask for confirmation before sending out, which is helpful. 

Stella

@llholiday ...UhOooh for lands sake!! Thats absolutely ludicrous!!! They should all experience an  inverted cranky squeaky type very boistrous Ostomy for that kind of treatment of people!! Shame on them ten fold ! ! ! Thats really disgusting on their part. 

How can anyone possibly predict how the guts will going to do from day to day and what you will need?! How can you even plan a holiday around that and the possibilities of changes! I'm thoroughly disgusted in them...hehe...can... you tell....

Does your employer knows This?? Maybe you should go to them and tell them they have crappie untrustworthy insurance.  Tell the grit of the ostomy world.   I'm sorry but I just find that totally appalling! The company should be aware of this & they really should change insurance companies because of this. Its a humanistic matter of life. 

Thanks, Linda. My insurance has been very, very good for major medical but they can be stinkers about ostomy supplies. I asked my husband, “What do they think I’m doing with these things - selling them?” And he answered, “I betcha there are people who do.”

Golly.

Very simple solution here,  buy yourself a box or 2 of spare bags and problem solved! 

@llholiday 

That is crazy!!  It sounds like the supplier is as tough as the insurance company. Can you switch suppliers, or does your insurance require you to use this one?  My insurance (Kaiser) requires me to use Byram. Fortunately they are pretty good and I can order online with them. They don’t ask me how many I have left, but if I was in your position, I might be tempted to try to build in a buffer. Maybe set aside some emergency changes and not include those in your inventory count when they ask.  🤭

Hi - Liza, I am beginning to build a buffer, and should have started this a couple of years ago before the insurance and supplier got so tough (they are intertwined with the hospital/clinic system here, quite a nonprofit bureaucracy - don’t get me started on that 😊). When I did actually run out two years ago a nice woman at the supplier gave me a couple of spares from their emergency stash, which they got from donated supplies; they have stopped doing that since Covid. Dogtalkerer, you are right to suggest that, and I should; it annoys me to be paying insurance premiums that are so expensive, but I have actually bought Adapt and M9 on my own from another supplier, who was cheaper, because I use more than the one-a-month that insurance allows.

This is probably boring everybody off their chairs! So I’ll change the subject: for Christmas I bought the girls in my family these bracelets that have a sea turtle bead on them, and a computer code for each to track where their sea turtle travels. The company gives 10% of their profits to a wildlife organization. Well, the bracelets were a huge hit! Best gift ever!

@llholiday ...what a fabulous gift!! I did similar. Over the years... even though I plant flowers to attract Bees, I've  noticed a sharp decline in their numbers.  They're amazing critters and so deserve their royal standing as they work so hard for so little product! 

I was able to purchase a Honey Bee necklace for all my girls & grand daughters throughout summer.  Its a really well made Bee &  a sterling Silver silver chain.  They're so very cute!! 

The ladies loved their gift & the purpose of supporting the Bees & rebuilding their numbers.  It came in little plastic bags so I made little gift boxes for them to store them in when not in use.