United Ostomy Association, Inc.
Evansville, Indiana Chapter
Re-Route

 
Contents:

TIPS FOR AVOIDING INSURANCE FRAUD
STAYING ODOR FREE
DRUGS AND ESOPHAGITIS
AN ARTIFICIAL SPHINCTER
CONTROLLING LEG CRAMPS
OH SAY CAN YOU SEE?
DOES YOUR STOMA HURT?
NEW TEST SAVES LIVES
CARTOONSVILLE

Re-Route Archive

Volume 25, Number 6  March, 1998

TIPS FOR AVOIDING INSURANCE FRAUD
Via: Pittsburgh Triangle
There are many occasions for companies to abuse the government and insurance programs. Just this month, I received a notice from an out-of-state company selling ostomy equipment and billing Medicare and supplemental insurance companies and mailing a three month supply with no shipping charges. However, I would have had to take a Uniform Care Kit with each order. These are accessory items that are not needed by most ostomates and would retail for approximately $80 to S90. They bill Medicare and your supplemental insurance carrier about $4,105. They will not accept your order unless you take the kit. This inflated and unnecessary cost to Medicare is what contributes to rising costs. This probably legally does not constitute fraud, but it certainly is an abuse of the system. Do be suspicious of any offers over the phone that sound too good to be true. 'Tree" may mean only that the supplier is waiving your 20% co-payment and making it up by filing an inflated claim. CAUTION: Don't give telephone callers your Social Security number or Medicare or insurance policy numbers. Don't give out information about your medical condition. Medicare doesn't market equipment or call beneficiaries to solicit business. Check your bills and "Explanation of Benefits" statements. Make sure you actually receive equipment and services for which you and Medicare are billed. If there is a discrepancy, call your insurance company and insist on getting an answer to your questions. Don't hesitate to report any wrong doings to the Medicare Fraud Department. 

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STAYING ODOR FREE
Via: Indianapolis Chapter 
How often should I empty my pouch? A good rule of thumb for the person with an ileostomy is to empty the pouch every time you go to empty your bladder or when the pouch is one-third to one-half full. The person with a urostomy may need to empty the pouch more frequently. With a colostomy, the pouch should be emptied as needed, usually once or twice a day. What can I do about odor? The modern odor proof pouches, if kept clean and changed regularly, should free you from this worry. However, your own body chemistry and certain foods can affect stool odor. Some of the foods you might want to try out and then avoid if the results are unpleasant are those in the onion and cabbage families, eggs, cheeses, and beer. Asparagus will cause urine odor. If you have a urostomy, consult your doctor if the urine smells especially foul. A urinary tract infection may be present. 

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DRUGS AND ESOPHAGITIS
Via: The Ostomist. Seattle, WA
Have you ever suffered agonizing chest pains after taking medication? Medical experts say that drug induced esophagitis can result when capsules and pills linger in the esophagus for lengthy periods if swallowed with small amounts of water. This is particularly true if the patient is lying down. According to experts, the solution to this problem is to drink a lot of water (a cup full), and remain standing for a few minutes after taking the pill. 'These suggestions are not always easy to follow," states Dr. Hans R Neuman of Wilton, Conn. in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr.Neuman further states that a "simple method that is always useful for recumbent patients is to swallow a few bites of banana. It will melt and provide a smooth costing that adheres to a tablet or capsule." 

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AN ARTIFICIAL SPHINCTER
Via: So Neveda Town Karaya 
Of great interest to ostomates who have had their rectums removed is a recent procedure under development in England. The surgery gives the patient a new sphincter, the muscle that controls bowel movement Muscle is taken from the patient's thigh and sewn around the patient's large intestine at the exit. Wires connect the muscle to a pacemaker-like device called an electrical stimulation that controls its movement. The device, implanted under the skin near the ribs, charges the muscle with electricity that enables it to stay closed. When the patient feels the need for bowel movement he passes a hand held magnet over the stimulator, shutting it off. This allows the muscle to relax and the bowel movement to occur. The patient then passes the magnet back over the stimulator, the muscle contacts, and the opening closes. "This operation offers new hope to patients whose only other alternative would be a permanent colostomy," declared Dr. Norman Williams, a professor of surgery at the Royal London Hospital, who developed the technique with E Sidney Watkins, a professor of neuro-surgery. Dr. William said, "We've done the procedure on 22 patients and the success rate is now up to 70%." 

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CONTROLLING LEG CRAMPS
Via: Mayo Clinic Health Letter
If you have ever been jolted awake by a log cramp, you know how sudden and intense the pain can be. Several factors, including dehydration, the use of diuretics or overuse of your muscles can trigger leg cramps, which usually occur during rest or sleep. For relief straighten your leg and point your toes upward while you gently rub the cramp to help the muscle to relax. For a calf cramp, stand up and put your weight on the cramped leg and bend your knee slightly. For a thigh cramp, keep both legs straight and lean forward at the waist (use a chair to steady yourself). Use a cold pack to relax tense muscles. Use a warm towel or heating pad later if pain or tenderness persists. To prevent cramps, stretch daily. Before bed, stand 2-3 feet from a wall, placing your hands on the wall. Keep your heels on the floor. Lean toward the wall and bend one knee, hold ten seconds, straighten your leg. Repeat with the other knee. Stretch each leg 5 to 10 times. Drink 6 to 8 cups of water daily. Fluids help your muscles contract and relax. Try not to sleep with your toes pointed (as people tend to do when sleeping on their back or stomach). Sleep on your side, don't tuck your sheets and blankets too tightly - they can bend your toes down. Your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant for frequent leg cramps. Note from author: Bananas are high in potassium and help avoid cramps. A banana a day helps keep the pain away. 

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OH SAY CAN YOU SEE?
Via: North Wind News
Can you see underneath the pouch when you are changing, in order to discover any wrinkles in the tape, or skin problems under the stoma? Two-sided round (magnifying and regular) mirrors with wire stands are ideal for checking up on things around and under the stoma, whether or not you can hold the mirror. Place it on the top of the water closet back of the toilet for general checking, or on the sink counter for closer viewing of the stoma when placing pouches. Place the mirror (turned upwards) on the toilet seat or chair. The underside of the stoma is then visible. After applying a one-piece system, tape the clipped spout lightly to the abdomen above the appliance, lifting the pouch. The underneath of the pouch is then visible for smoothing and taping wrinkles in the appliance tape. Picture-frame with tape over any irregularities. Remove the lifting tape and tape it to the back of the pouch, You now have an emergency closure if you happen to lose your clip. You can also fold the unclipped spout over a couple of times and seal your pouch with it preventing loss of contents, after removing the clip to change. 

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DOES YOUR STOMA HURT?
Via: Metro Halifax News & Ostomy, Toronto
Congratulations! You are a medical miracle! Stomas have no sensation. You can cut, bum, do anything to the stoma and you will not feel a thing. Stomas do not have receptors for pain. When people talk about pain from the skin around the stoma that skin, the peristomal skin, is full of nerve receptors which are sensitive to such influences as heat, cold, chemicals and adhesives that cause pain. However, it is the skin that senses the pain, not the stoma. Sometimes this lack of stoma sensation can lead to problems. For example, an incorrectly fitting appliance may cut into the stoma, but no pain will be felt. A stoma can be badly damaged before the problem is noticed. For this reason, it is important not to wear your pouch for a long period of time (more than a week) since it is good to periodically see if the stoma is ok. 

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NEW TEST SAVES LIVES
Via: The Continent Connection & Northwind News, Anchorage, Alaska 
Bladder cancer, a killer disease notoriously difficult to diagnose, can now be detected with 95% accuracy by a new test for abnormal genetic material in the urine. The test could mean early treatment for thousands of patients, say researchers. Dr. David Sidransky of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said, The simple urine samples can be analyzed for the presence of abnormal DNA, a telltale sign of cancer." The DNA abnormality appears at a very early stage - a time in the disease process when there is a high likelihood of cure. Researchers report the pilot study using the new test detected 19 of 20 patients with bladder cancer. Current bladder cancer tests detected less than half the patients with the disease. Dr. Carlos Cordon-Cardo, a bladder cancer expert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York said, The New test is very important in saving lives. Labs now find only 20-30% of bladder cancers in the early stages.

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