Anyone with an ostomy knows how hard it can be to find the right ostomy supplies. Even way back before I actually had my surgery, I really hated having to go to the store on a regular basis. There’s nothing worse than having to hop in my car, drive all the way to the store, stroll through the busy aisles, and wait in long checkout lines just to purchase my groceries or supplies for that week. Honestly, there is nothing worse than trying to go to the store after work. Not only is it a huge time waster after a long day of working, but it also adds to the frustration of dealing with traffic and crowds of people at the end of the day. To tell you the truth, there would be another plague if it were up to me - there are way too many people on this planet. Okay, that may have been a little intense and I do not mean it. However, my complaint still stands that buying ostomy supplies in-store is way too much work and just not worth it. That is why I have simply started buying my ostomy supplies online. Have you ever bought something online? If you have, then you know that there are pros and cons to buying different types of products online. Honestly, the online shopping experience differs greatly from product to product, so I was doubtful about how buying the ostomy supplies I needed online would be. I am happy to report, however, that buying my ostomy supplies online was a super good decision that I will continue to make as long as I have this dang stoma with me.
Along with what I talked about earlier (the crowds, the time wasting, etc.), buying ostomy products online is better than shopping in stores for several other reasons. The first reason is that most in-person stores do not actually have a very good selection of ostomy supplies or products available for purchase. This makes me incredibly angry whenever I see this; after all, ostomates are people too, right? Well, some people don’t think so.
You would not believe the amount of times I have gone to a Walmart, Target, Walgreens, RiteAid, or any other big store that has simply not had ostomy products available for me to purchase. I mean, do ostomates really not matter at all? I eventually got so sick of it. I decided to start looking for alternate methods of purchasing the stoma supplies and accessories that I need. Some people with ostomies actually purchase their products through various hospitals or medical institutions - this is usually a very good option, as most hospitals have fairly decent prices on their ostomy products and also offer a good selection; however, I do not live close enough to a large hospital to make the trip to buy ostomy products worth it.
After I started looking for ostomy products online, I knew that I had struck gold as far as I was concerned. Online shopping is great because I can do anything I need from the comfort of my living room couch. No longer do I have to deal with long checkout lines or people wondering what type of products I am buying. Plus, shopping online offers a much wider selection of ostomy related products.
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