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Emergency preparedness is important for everyone.  Weather conditions can disrupt electricity, water, and shipping.  You should always have canned goods, flashlights, water, extra batteries, and an emergency radio on hand just in case.  But what if you have a medical condition, like an ostomy?  This brings a whole new reason for emergency preparedness.   Most people have their ostomy supplies delivered to their home directly from an online medical supply store.  When shipping halts due to impas …

There are standard wheelchairs and there are transport chairs, how do you know which one will best meet your needs?  The first step is, you need to determine how you will be using your new wheelchair or transport chair.  Will you be pushing yourself?  Which chair will work best for your budget?  Will a caregiver or family member be pushing you in the chair?  Another consideration is, how often will you be using your chair?Transport Chair Information:Transport chairs have small front and back w …

Diabetic foot care is something that needs to happen every day.  One of the best ways to care for your feet is to closely monitor your blood sugars and whenever possible keep your blood sugars in the range recommended by your medical team.  People with diabetes are more likely to develop feet problems than other people.  Your feet should be physically examined by your health care provider at least once a year.  If you have problems with your feet, they need to be examined more often.  Always con …

 Intermittent catheterizationmeans you use a hollow plastic tube called a catheter to drain your urine.  After the urine is fully drained, the catheter is removed and then discarded.  All intermittent catheters are classified as a one time use medical item, they are not designed to be reused.  There are other types of catheters like Foley indwelling catheters and condom catheters, your doctor will let you know which type works best for you.The catheter is inserted into the urethra and then trave …

Through out your day you move your body. You tie your shoes, reach for a glass on a high shelf, you go to work, you sit down and you stand up again - all day, every day. You move and your ostomy bag needs to move with you. It needs to be as comfortable as possible and it needs to work. Coloplast has a new product that is a skin-friendly tape alternative that is specially designed to keep your ostomy wafer secure. Coloplast Brava Elastic Barrier Strips are now available in 3 different shapes t …

Express Medical Supply is celebrating their customers with FREE GIFTS!  Every order placed between February 9th - 13th will receive a free gift!  The free gift is for any order no matter how small and because this is such a great offer, supplies may be limited so substitutions may occur.  Each day will mean a new surprise gift!  Every night at midnight, the free gift will change, so each day is a chance for something new to be added to your order!  The gift is for all of our customers who place …

Living with an ostomy is challenging.  There are real adjustments that have to be made mentally and physically when you have an ostomy, whether your surgery was planned or a result of an emergency health crisis.  Regardless of what led you to your ostomy, your body is different afterward and you have to adjust to those differences.  I have talked to people who have an ostomy because of Crohns, IBD, cancer, car accidents, and once because of an alligator attack while frog gigging.  All of them h …

How to Say Goodbye to UTI, Even When You Use Catheters:1. Use Only New CathetersEvery time you cath yourself, you should use a brand new catheter each time.  Reusing catheters can lead to infections because catheters are difficult to sterilize.  The eyelets at the top of the catheter can harbor bacteria and other matter that the eye can't see.  When you use a brand new catheter every time you cath you are cutting down on the amount of bacteria that is introduced into the urinary tract.2. Sterile …

In 1995, Marty Postlethwait founded the Shadow Buddies Foundation to help her son Miles. Miles wanted a friend just like him, someone that had the same physical challenges that he was born with, he wanted a doll that could shadow him to his doctor's appointments and be a friend during treatments. Marty took action and she made Miles his Shadow Buddy. Shadow Buddies started with dolls that represented 4 different medical conditions and has now expanded to include 26 conditions.An amazing aspect o …

Nitrile, Latex, or Latex-Free Medical Gloves: Which Works for Me?There are many varieties of medical gloves.  How do you choose which type of gloves to use?  What should you look for in an exam glove?  What is a nitrile glove? How do you know if you are allergic to latex? It can be daunting to see a shelf or online medical supply store full of many varieties of the same item. They are made of different materials and they have different costs, so how do you know which one you need? Personal pre …