Take the Steps Today to Prepare an Ostomy Emergency Travel Kit
Now that you have an ostomy, you must be prepared for all of the emergencies that come with it. I was told that I should carry a bag or case with extra ostomy supplies in it.
I needed to have it with me at all times. It consists of the appliances(wafers & ostomy bags), the cleaning wipes, the Hefty baggies, a disposable waste bag, and some air freshener.
These are the items that I keep in my bag in my car.
The ostomy appliances, the ostomy foldable bag, plus the appliance wafer will both end up having problems when sitting in the elements in your car for a considerable amount of time.
You would not want to keep them in your car for nine months. Just the temperature changes will be enough to take the life from them. Yet not even counting on any dampness and especially direct sunlight.
One Very Important Note: you should always be rotating the supplies you keep in your car for freshness
From now go to use these and have doing their job because you know that the supplies in you kit are fresh because you have rotated for freshness.
Do I Need An Ostomy Emergency Bag
When someone recommended to me that I should put an stoma emergency bag together I was like, you have got to be kidding me.
I just wanna forget this thing exists. The problem is it does exist and not being prepared is not what I needed to deal with.
A couple of reasons why you need an emergency bag with you. My wife and I were traveling by automobile on a road trip. Our destination was 350 miles away.
Within 100 miles of leaving I was smelling what smelled like a large fart from someone. So I figured we had better make a rest stop.
Once I stopped the car, I got out, stood up, and took a peek at my appliance and sure enough I had a breakdown with my appliances.
So out comes the kit, and off I go to take care of the situation. Never pretty but I was prepared to handle what had happened.
However a couple of months earlier I was not as prepared as I needed to be. That became a big problem. A smelly clean up in a public restroom, where I was hoping someone else would not show up.
So it is your choice to be prepared or not to be prepared
What Do I Put In My Ostomy Emergency Kit?
You need to have at least one set of the appliance that you currently use. You will need to have one ostomy bag, and one matching wafer for it.
If this is new to you, maybe you should be carrying two of these to make sure you are covered for any situation.
The second thing that is very important is a set of paper towel sheets. I would recommend at least 10 sheets. Hopefully this will cover any clean up situation for you.
You probably should have some type of wet wipe to clean up with moisture the soiled area. These can actually be some type of wet wipe or moist sanitary towelettes of some sort. They will help to thoroughly clean off the skin area where the break out has occurred.
&
Lysol Disinfecting Wipes, Lemon & Lime Blossom, 35 Count, 3 PackSee Amazon Special PriceKleenex Cottonelle FreshCare Flushable Cleansing Cloths – 42 CTSee Amazon Special PriceWet Ones Antibacterial Hand & Face Wipes Singles, 24-Ct (Pk of 5)See Amazon Special Price
Hefty Slider 2.5 Gallon Jumbo Storage Bags, 12 Count (Pack of 2)
You will also need to have some skin prep cloths to use to help treat the skin around your stoma before you apply the new appliances. One critical thing is to have some bags to put your soiled waste items in for proper disposal.
A large zip-locked bag, would work nicely here, in unison with a bag trash bag for the storing of the appliances themselves.
As you may not always have a good place to dispose of the clean up items, so you may need to take the package with you.
I have had the experience of not having enough disposable storage with me and it was difficult to find a right place to throw all of it away.
Please do not forget a complete change of clothing may need to be with you. The smallest leakage may cause a soiling of all three pieces of your clothing if you are a man. If you are a woman it is probably very similar unless you are wearing some extra piece of clothing.
It is very easy to get your lower area of your shirt or your top, your underwear, as well as your trousers, or pants, or maybe you are wearing a pair of shorts or a skirt think about having replacements for them as well.
I have had to change at least three main items twice in my travels. It is embarrassing if you are not prepared.
George writes from first-hand experience about having a stoma and living with an ostomy. As a former cancer patient and a survivor of colon cancer, you can draw from his experiences. His goal is to help you as he shares the realities of living with an ostomy.
Leave a Reply