Discussion Forum

“I’m a spinal cord T – eleven, T- twelve who just recently broke her femur almost up to my hip joint. I have been dealing with Wilmington Medical Supply for my wheelchair tires. Also more importantly my urological supplies. I have a longstanding relationship with them even though they there are in North Carolina. They are exquisitely good… They keep up their paperwork for Medicare. I have to use not just any urological bag. I have to use specialized one I have been in this chair for 25 years. …

I do not want Competitive Bidding because I just don’t want to get some bag that is going to leak every time I lay on the bag because the closure on the bottom of the bag opens and closes when I lay on my side. I need a bag that does not go side to side. I need one that got closures up and down in the front so that when I turn on my side that it won’t leak all in the boot that I wear to keep my feet off the my heels off the bed for pressure sores. They understand exactly what you are going through. The supplies are on time. I do not want to just depend on the government picking my supply company. They really are good on their prices for what I need. I just love them to death. They’re probably are some other good companies out there but I don’t want to be told that I need a red rubber catheter which I can’t see whether I got an infection or sediment in my bladder which can build up to a bladder stone if I have passing blood if I have a really bad infection or injury . I need a clear tube… and I don’t want like what the Veterans had …the hard red ones …you know.. which probably was the least expensive. …

So please …please lobby for this Competitive Bidding does not go through. It’s just not fair to us. I feel sorry for the people that have oxygen that are not going to have someone maintain their equipment. … So, please do what you can so that I can have a life… such as it is, it’s been curtailed by this broken leg that I would like to be able to at least live another five years… Spinal cords are going up to almost 40 years now of life if they take care of their bladder and kidneys. And I do not want to have anymore surgery if I do not have to.

So thank you for listening and um..please summarize this call because there’s a lot of us that are spinal cords now particularly women… Thank you so much for listening.”

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