Issues with Ostomy Supplies Arriving Damaged from Heat?

Hey warrior,

It has been driving me nuts, especially when I don't know how many conversations I have had with FedEx, the drivers, and the head manager. I literally have contacted everyone that I could think of to try and fix the situation. I tried finding a different delivery service, my insurance company, my distribution company which was like talking to a wall, and I tried calling one of the manufacturers of the product I use to see if they could help. What I don't get is why, and I say this for all people that need medical products like insulin, oxygen, etc., they don't use or have a delivery service that's just for medical products. So, stuff could be at a better temperature instead of in a hot box and thrown around with a bunch of other stuff and not handled properly. Even UPS is better, but no company likes to contract with them since they are a little more expensive than FedEx. But FedEx sucks at delivery; even with regular stuff, they suck. And I have a Walgreens, but that pharmacy needs to go. We had a good pharmacist; don't know where he went. Question for you: how do you think that would help?

Hey Bob, I've been on everyone's case, and FedEx out here is lazy. They have instructions, and they seem to fail to follow the instructions on every delivery. They were supposed to bring it to the door and knock instead of throwing it in the yard somewhere. They never did. I always stay outside waiting for them, signing upon delivery. It took them 5 months before they would do it, and some drivers still won't do it. Again, I have to sit, wait, and stare out the window waiting for them. I have contacted Bryham and have called them 7-10 times. Trust me, I am working my booty off over here trying to get someone to do their job, to listen, and to get the problem fixed. That is one thing about me: I will try and find a fix and won't stop until I do. And I work my way through different channels, calling different people to try and get it resolved. I won't stop calling until it gets fixed.

I was thinking if Alex can get his supplies from his local pharmacy, maybe you can too.

Here's another thought, way out there but feasible.

The BBB... Better Business Bureau. Sic their ass on any company giving you a hard time. The speedy wheel gets the oil.

Also, always get the names, titles, and date from anyone you speak to. It will take time. Getting BBB involved can help.

Just a tip for going through a local pharmacy: use one near a hospital if possible, as they will be more likely to have or be able to source items. A smaller independent pharmacy is also probably more likely to be able to help. I learned this through the pharmacist I was using at the time of my colectomy. As a newbie, I was so afraid of running out of supplies, I set up some backup plans.

That's what I thought too with Amazon. Until I contacted them about the last stuff I purchased that was messed up and had gone missing for 3 days before I got it. I asked them if I could have my stuff delivered a different way, told them what had happened and what had been happening, and they said no.

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

It's funny you mention that. Every time I go to the hospital, I have to bring my own supplies because hospitals carry the cheap stuff that doesn't work for me.

I don't use local pharmacies for my ostomy supplies. No reason to.

Thank you for the tip, which should go to Beth.

I am good with Edgepark as my supplier. Order everything online and boom, it's here within a week.

There are consumer advocacy agencies designed specifically for her issues.

I hope that helps her cause. Melted supplies should not happen.

Let me clarify. My prescription is through a local pharmacy, but they do not stock all the ostomy stuff locally because there are too many kinds of ostomy products to make that feasible for any company. So, the local pharmacy acts as the middleman, so to speak, getting my supplies shipped to me from distribution centers. Usually, my rings, remover wipes, and lubricant come from one place, and my bags come from another. Sometimes they come all together, but usually, they're separate. If I remember correctly, since I haven't looked at a packing slip in a long time, my bags come from Texas and the other stuff comes from Chicago via UPS. So, just like 99% of everyone here, my supplies sit in hot warehouses, get shipped on hot planes, and are thrown into hot trucks, etc. Mine also come fairly frozen sometimes too when it's -15 outside.

You think the way I do. I have the names, time, and dates of when the order was received, when and who I called, and the time, etc. I have thought of the BBB. I have had to do it twice in the past for way different reasons to call.

Thank you, Warrior. No, it should not happen at all. And I too have to bring my own bags to the hospital. I am highly allergic to the brand they use and carry.

Ok, then count yourself lucky you don't have to go through what I have been going through, and you have bags, rings, etc. that you can use that aren't damaged.

Great minds think alike, kiddo.

If you had experience with BBB, then you know how they get things done. When I used them, another agency contacted me too. The more agencies involved, the better the success.

Not only do I bring my own ostomy supplies, I bring and use my own meds.

Keep at it, Beth. Oh, I think it was consumer affairs that reached out to me when I contacted BBB.

Hi B. I hear ya. I'm out of ideas then. Maybe you can volunteer as a beta tester for Amazon's drone delivery program. Just tell all your neighbors not to shoot it down. Duck season is right around the corner!!!

;O)

Bob lol 🤣 right, and I have a neighbor that would definitely shoot it too. And I am still working on other ideas... I am always trying to find a solution to the problem. I will continue until it gets resolved some way. I tried looking to see if they have delivery service just for medical supplies, which I don't know why everyone's supplies are delivered that way.

FedEx and I have a million times and still do. I have talked to a supervisor, a manager, and the driver that comes.

Yeah, they seem to, and you never know with the BBB how many people have already filed a complaint. Sometimes it just takes that one phone call to put everything in place. Why your own meds? I mean, I can understand it as much as they get things messed up for not paying attention. I can understand.

Some of my meds are not available through the hospital pharmacy.

Also, you know how you want to keep taking your meds on time? Not 4 hours later? It's happened where some mornings I don't get my meds. I take them in the morning around 6:30 a.m.

Impossible. You are at their mercy waiting. Fudge that noise. When they come to give me my morning meds at noon, I say nope. Not today. Maybe tomorrow. Then I get visits from the resident on call. That's a fun conversation.

I'm using One Source Medical. You may want to give them a try. It may be that your supplies are getting shipped and then transferred around too much, as in being in the back of a truck for too many days and multiple trucks. It's hot in the southern US and humid. 

When I order mine from One Source, they send them, and I have them sometimes the next day or within a day. I know in Tennessee it's a lot hotter than Ohio, but the skid marks? No, that's bull crap; they are sending them to you that way. And I know what you mean about fighting to get what you need and in good shape from my experience with Byrum a few years ago. 

My stoma supplies have been of reliable quality until last month. Now, I've had to return several boxes of bags in a row due to low quality.

One, not related to heat, offered me my first leakage experience... at work, of all places. Three bags in a row all leaked from the same exact place (just above the closure), so I returned that box.

Then, the next three boxes in a row had poor adhesive and didn't stick well; they all had to be returned. Until I read this, I hadn't associated it with the heat... I was just thinking they were bad production lots. But the heat makes sense.

I just know that ostomates have enough going on without unreliable stoma products, and I'm hoping this trend gets sorted out quickly.

Hey Rodr,

Just curious, what brand do you use? Because I have two issues going on: one is my products come way overly hot and meaty, and then also I've been finding holes in my bags from Coloplast. Didn't know if you were having issues too with Coloplast or if you used someone else.

I use a Hollister one-piece.