Let’s discuss a few best practices for the proper storage of ostomy supplies. It’s important because you won’t want your pouches to receive damage or struggle to locate something in a jam. Plus, nobody wants to lose these items since they aren’t cheap to replace.
Therefore, we have three ways to store ostomy supplies. These are distinct strategies for keeping items secure and easily accessible during routine changes and/or emergencies.
Create a Pantry or Cabinet for Nothing but Ostomy Supplies
- Some patients dedicate an entire pantry, closet, cupboard, or cabinet for storing their supplies. Even a durable box or large container could serve as a miniature warehouse for everything you need. The key to making this work, however, is organization.
- We recommend compartmentalizing your supplies by item, being sure to label everything. It’s important to keep specific items, like pouches, barriers, and irrigation sleeves, separate so that you can find them. Your goal is to sort everything neatly to avoid losing track of what you have. This is critical because it’ll let you see when you’re running low on something essential. By catching a shortage fast, you can order fresh supplies before exhausting anything.
Cooler Storage for Grab n’ Go Usage
- Others prefer to arrange their ostomy supplies in a cooler or travel bag so that they have spare items wherever they go. This is a smart approach for ostomy patients who travel often. It’s also something you can do in addition to the cabinet strategy we mentioned.
- All you need is a cooler or travel bag, pack about five sets of products, along with any accessories or equipment you need for changing pouches. Don’t forget things like scissors, disposal bags, deodorizers, and anything else you need during an emergency scenario whenever traveling.
Individually Wrap Supplies
- One of the best ways to avoid misplacing anything is to wrap specific supplies individually. This is where you take your pouches, barriers, etc., and place each item into ziplock bags, then put them together to make ready-to-use ostomy kits.
- One way to accomplish this would be to pick one night each week and create enough ostomy kits to last the entire duration. Make sure to create extra kits just in case you go through pouches or other materials faster than expected.
These are our suggestions for making ostomy-supply storage convenient and effective. Do you have another method for storing your pouches and supplies? If so, feel free to share ideas with us and the rest of the ostomy community.
Cymed MicroSkin develops and distributes the safest and most reliable ostomy-care products. We also enjoy helping ostomy patients discover practical ways to handle their condition. Contact us and learn more at 800-582-0707.