Ordering Stoma Supplies

I recently saw a post on Facebook with a lady saying she had finally got around to sorting and organising her stoma supplies.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the  tidiness that caught my eye – but the sheer amount of products she had stockpiled.  Me and Ste both have ostomies and have nowhere near that amount and I thought I would address why and how we manage our supplies in this post.

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My Delivery Company – Bullen

I get my stoma supplies delivered from Bullen.  I have previously written a review on them so won’t go on too much, but find them fantastic!  You can check out my review here

Bullen call me every month so I can place an order.  Sometimes I ask for an extra 2-4 weeks till I order if I have plenty of stock.  They are brilliant and don’t ever forget to call which means I don’t run out.  This definitely takes the pressure off me trying to remember, which is good as I have a memory like a sieve!

How Often and What I Order

So I place an order roughly every 1-2 months.  I normally get two boxes of bags – I use Salts Confidence BE bags and order whichever two colours I am short of.  I change my bag almost every day and get thirty in a box.  I will then order three packs of wet and three packs of dry wipes which are supplied by Bullen.  I get two or three (depending on my stock) each of adhesive remover spray and barrier spray.  I use the Salts adhesive remover and the Trio barrier spray.  I also order a box of the Trio adhesive remover wipes as find this is good to remove any sticky residue when I take off my bag,.  I will also order two or three packs of the Trio baseplate extenders.  There are twenty in a packet so there are ten uses in each as you use two.  I don’t use these every day and so order as and when needed.  I also occasionally use the Brava ostomy powder but I literally only need to get one every siz months roughly as they last ages!  That was one of the things that stood out to me in the Facebook post I mentioned at the start of this post – the lady had about 15 bottles of this which would take years to use, even if you use it every day!  I also get a pack of disposable rubbish bags from Bullens.

I am very grateful for the NHS who supply my ostomy products and feel this system should not be abused.  Over ordering happens so often in the ostomy community and it is something ostomates need to be aware of.  With so many cuts happening we need to ensuyre that this can stay in place, so ordering just the items we need is very important.  I always suggest having a little spare stock, just in case your delivery is delayed for a little while which could be due to a number of reasons (holiday, snowy weather, prescription issues etc).  But please don’t be stockpiling years worth of products – so much can change including the products we use and I hate to see things going to waste.

OstoBuddy App

The OstoBuddy app is an app designed for ostomates to help them monitor their ostomy and supplies.

Check out the OstoBuddy website for links to download on Apple App Store and Google Play

There are sections in the app to document your supplies so you can keep track of the stock you have.  You can enter when you have used products so it is easy to see when you need to re-order and what you need to re-order.  You can also track your output and remind yourself of when you last did a bag change.

It’s so good and helps remind me when I need to change my bag and how many I’ve left.  You can add photos to it to track your skin if it is sore.  You can write down little notes on it too.  The new version that is out now lets you track your output, it’s consistency and the amount.  My memory is awful and this app is amazing and helps me remember when it is time to change my bag, how many bags I have left and when it’s time to order.

Lisa

This is definitely worth a try if you struggle to keep track of your stock and it is free to download.  

Christmas Order Date

Last but not least I wanted to share the final dates to order your stoma supplies to guarantee delivery before Christmas.

Trio Ostomy Care – Wednesday 19th December (UK only)

Coloplast Charter – Friday 7th December

CliniMed & SecuriCare – Friday 14th December

Medilink – Friday 14th December

Bullen – Wednesday 12th December (stoma producst/medication orders) and Monday 17th December (stoma products only)

Respond – Monday 17th December

Pelican – – Wednesday 19th December

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I hope this has been helpful and gives you an idea of how to go about ordering your supplies. Please feel free to message or comment if you would like help with anything I have mentioned above and don’t forget to get your Christmas orders in ASAP!