I have been a numbers person my entire life.  When in school, I thrived on the ability to “crunch” numbers and put them into formulas, and create all kinds of answers.  I became a natural progression for me to choose a career that not only involved my love of numbers but also finances.  I have a master’s degree in business, and after college, I landed a job with a very prestigious financial planning firm.  Life was going really well until I suffered a car accident six months ago.

I was traveling north towards Manchester, IN, for an appointment.  I had approached the bridge with extreme caution since the roads were a bit slick due to the wintery conditions that had been sweeping through the Midwest.  It happened so quick that I didn’t have a lot of time to react.  I hit a patch of ice that spun my car into the guardrail just at the very end of the bridge.  Thankfully I remained on the road and did not go down the hillside.  Fifteen feet sooner, and it would have been so much worse.  I suffered internal injuries and a tear in my colon.  

When I woke up in the hospital, I was very confused.  Things were foggy, I had a fever, and I couldn’t stop shivering and itching.  Thankfully the doctors were able to figure out that I was having some kind of reaction to one of the meds that they had given me.  I was not aware of any allergies to medicine, but thankfully now we know.  It did seem to take, what seemed like forever to get something else on board, but once I had that changed and my system was clear of the other medicine, I was able to relax and take in my new reality.   The surgery to repair my colon went as well as expected.  I did have to have a stoma and colostomy bag put into place to help my systems to function properly.  As I laid in the hospital bed, I remember thinking about the statistical outcomes of this procedure in regards to life expectancy, infection possibilities, and the finances needed to cover all the things.

Thankfully with the type of job that I have, I have been able to take some time off for healing, but also able to work from home when needed.  What an amazing blessing that was.  The care and the maintenance needed were overwhelming at first.  What products to have on hand, what was needed if I was out in public.  What suppliers were the best to purchase the ostomy bags from, and the list could go on and on.  The nurses and medical staff that I have become very familiar with have literally made this transition amazing.  

I have learned thus far in life that things happen that we are not always prepared for.  Sometimes these are life threatening, life altering, and lifesaving.  My colostomy bag is not convenient, but how amazing is it that I have the ability to work from home if I needed to due to complications or just any overall concerns related to my newest condition.  I would encourage anyone who is experiencing similar medical procedures of any kind to know the facts and to gather all the information that is available so that with that knowledge, you will be able to better facilitate your healing, and your life will not be greatly affected.  

It is 2021 and the times are not any better.  The lies about COVID-19 are out and it turns out we destroyed our economy for pretty much the flu. But still many people have been jobless or have been forced to work from home this year.  The economic change has been huge and the way we do business and even travel has changed. It hurts to see this truth. This really hits home when you have a stoma and rely on ostomy supplies to live and be happy because there is something more than normal goods that you need to survive.  You see with all the changes in the economy and politics riots and violence along with the shutdowns all contributed to some supply chain issues in the delivery of medical supplies.  Most of it didn’t make the news and that is what still blows my mind. Because of this, I want to go over more of how to be prepared for when or if this happens again.  Bad things happen all the time and being prepared is wise.

Now we all know the propaganda of all the news channels is real in the United States.  They are mostly just lies created to keep us fighting and to increase marketing money.   I don’t believe the news very often due to the bias on all channels, but I do believe what I see and for some people in major cities, this could be a big problem if round two of COVID-19 shutdowns start again. So rather it is a medical emergency for those who rely on ostomy supplies and their local pharmacy and big box stores get burned down and trucks stop delivering it is important to be ready.  It is true, many delivery trucks to two major cities refused to drive in due to the rioting and looting of the trucks.  Police were told not to interfere and those truck drivers valued their lives more than their job.  Did it make the news, not really, but those who needed the supplies felt it. We know when things happen that they can happen again and that is why I think it is wise to be prepared. 

We may be increasing our own domestic supply of medical goods, but is that enough?  But what if next month you get stuck without being able to get online deliveries or being able to go to a local shop and pick up your needed ostomy bags?  It is psychologically important for me to be ready for the worst logical case.  I didn’t see anyone have more than a two-month shortage.  I, therefore, think that having two months of extra supplies on hand is a wise choice.  This is a lot of supplies and can be expensive.  Just make sure you have enough ostomy gear on hand.

Don’t go out and buy everything at once.   If we all do it, then we all will suffer because supply will actually run out.  But if we all slowly add a few extra days to our orders then we will be able to build a study supply of extras that we may or may not ever need. In my own mind, it helps me to know that if an emergency situation happens I know that I will be able to live happily and safely.