Distribution of ostomy supplies is spread out among several different categories and is tracked in the different categories set up. For the most part suppliers send gear to Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies and Online Pharmacies. It would seem that the market is growing astronomically this year and those numbers could be skewed for several different reasons and because of the current economic and political climate that we are in. So if you are new to the stoma that is now on your abdomen is there a better place than another to get your ostomy supplies from? I would really suggest that it's truly a personal preference and there is no one definitive answer for this situation and I would suggest that someone who gives a definitive answer actually has some sort of stake in the game financially. So what locations can I actually get your gear from. The first and foremost is a local pharmacy. This is usually a great place to support local business and to get in person information from your pharmacist. I actually like this option for new stoma patients because it gives them a safe place to talk and learn about their situation with a professional. The reason I like local pharmacists is that they buy gear and supplies based on the information they get from people purchasing it. This means that they see what people like and have the opportunity to talk and learn from their customers and are not usually tied to a specific brand. They have the options to find brands that people like the best and usually provide multiple options. Now some are truly just based on greed and profit and that is not a good thing. But I have found that the majority care more about the care of their patients then the profit margin on the product. Now going to the pharmacy is not the only place to get your supplies from. It is a great place but you can also find some awesome retailers online. There are many great companies that are not only just online pharmacies but also manufacturers of ostomy products. The brands seem to be fairly similar and their websites are really great for getting information and for seeing lots of different products. The pricing seems to be pretty good too on most of the brands and there are discounts for bulk purchases. It is also really cool to be able to try free samples of products. Now just a personal suggestion I like to call the companies and talk to their customer service to get more details on the samples before pulling the trigger on them. I have had good experiences with talking it through and found most companies to be rather helpful.
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