Emergency Car Kit for Ostomates

It never fails, when I am on the run--this is when I will have a major ostomy malfunction! My solution to this is not to crawl under a rock and hide;  though that would be very nice sometimes, it is to keep a stash of supplies in my car at all times.

I found a small backpack (not even big enough to hold a school binder) that fits nicely under my car's seat. I love this little thing! It cost me about $9 at Walmart and it's worth it's weight in gold.  It has saved my butt (hee hee) more times than not. I can grab it and do a quick pouch or even, the whole ostomy change right in my car. I've also taken it in to numerous convenience stores, restaurants, and other public areas. It has everything I need in it. The nice thing is it doesn't shout OSTOMY either.

Here's how I fill my little back pack:

  1. Disposal Ziplock Bag
  2. Ostomy Pouch
  3. Wafer
  4. Eakin Seal
  5. Skin Prep wipe
  6. Flushable Baby Wipes
I take items 2-5 and I place one of each inside one disposal ziplock bag. This way everything I need is right there. It also allows me to just grab one set of items to throw in my purse or put in a pocket instead of taking the whole bag with me in somewhere. I should also mention, I keep a travel size thing of wipes in my purse too. 
Ostomy bag
Wafer
Skin Prep
Eakin Seal
Disposal Ziplock
I try to keep about 5-10 kits in the backpack at all times. During extreme heat, I check the supplies regularly to make sure they are not damaged. 

I also fill the back pack with all of these items in loose form too. That way if all I need is a new pouch, I can just grab that. There have been times where I need to empty the contents of the bag I'm wearing but no where to do so, like the side of a busy highway or somewhere there isn't a public restroom. In that case, I just empty into one of the disposal Ziplocks and then I can throw it away when possible. This option has been a huge relief many times, especially when we drove from Amarillo to Seattle this past summer. Instead of trying to use an empty cup and worrying about the poo spilling and smelling, it was sealed up and out of sight. 
Disposal Ziplock  filled with supplies
for one full ostomy change

I used to bring extra clothes along too after my surgery. I often made a HUGE mess when I had to change out my supplies but as I've gotten better and more used to my ileostomy, I've not needed a change of clothes in a long time. I wear dark colors mostly so if I happen to have a leak, thankfully it doesn't show after I've mopped myself up with the baby wipes.

Do you have an emergency kit? What do you keep in it?








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