Stoma guard and insurance

Sam.....


Re:
"But I cannot drive with my seat belt on either. "

Seat belt manufacturers tell us NOT to wear anything between
the belt and the body.

The reasons for that are important, since anything that interferes
with the proper operation of the belt's intended purpose, will
cause it to fail to keep you safe.

At high G-force rates upon impact, the belt is designed to give
at a very controlled rate, but it must be snug against the body
prior to, and during the initial impact.

A simple device placed between body and belt can become
a dangerous implement, cutting through flesh and bone.

And if not that, it can seriously impair the functioning and design,
and fail to keep you safe. As much as a small pillow between
belt and body, is enough to cause it to fail.

My wife was a passenger in a high speed accident on Rt95
in Florida. The belt broke her pelvis, hip and arm during impact,
and she was wearing it properly. Her brother was thrown from
the vehicle, landing face-down aside the roadway. He too was
wearing his belt, and it remained intact and buckled throughout
the entire incident. He may have neglected to fit it snugly, since
some types allow a ratchet action to leave the belt loose upon
the body until travel begins. The belt must fit snugly!

Do not underestimate the power upon impact; do not be careless
with the wearing of the belt in the manner it was intended to
be worn. When the manufacturer instructs the wearer to avoid
anything between belt and body, it is dangerous to do otherwise.

I would sooner forgo the belt, rather than wear it improperly.
The belt can kill you as easy as it can save you.

Stay well.....

John

John23 said:

sammer4u -

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Ostomates!

Most people have no idea of the design of seat belts,
and less knowledge of how they should -not- be used.

I guess we all take them for granted, until we're involved
in an accident where we learn in a really cold and blunt
manner, about the hazards of wearing them improperly.

A seatbelt worn improperly, can cause more damage than
if not worn at all (the manufacturers state that loud and clear!).

The air-bags were a great invention, until it was realized that
they can kill an infant sitting in the front seat. A passenger
or driver can have eyeglasses driven into their brain, if an
airbag deploys improperly..... Life, is not without it's perils.

So, what we might think is safe can be a major hazard.... but
hey... how many of us even think about it? The gubberment
passes legislation, and we follow it, cuz it's the law.
(wow, what a Holiday rant, ehh?)(sorry)

So anyway, I can't wear a seatbelt unless I want to end up
with a pouch full of blood.

What physician in his/her right mind would sign a form that
exempts the patient from wearing one? In this litigious society,
an accident where the patient dies would bring lawsuits from
the surviving family, regardless if the absence of a belt was a
concern or not.....

During a random stop, the officer accepted my explanation
for not wearing the belt. Mitigating circumstances should always
prevail, along with common sense... your mileage will vary.

Do what you feel is best -for you-!

Best wishes for best health!

John

Intresting. I try to fasten
Intresting. I try to fasten my belt where comes across just above my stoma.

steve g said:

Seat belts and ostomy
I knew that the seat belt issue would be a problem so I went to DMV and asked if I could get an exemption stated on my license. I was told that Florida made no such exemption and should get a letter from my doctor. I wear coveralls which do not have a belt and my thoughts were, if a cop wasn't smart enough to recognize that I couldn't wear a belt then what good would a letter be. I have been stopped twice in New York, the first time I had to explain, the second time the officer asked if there was a reason for not wearing a seat belt. When I answered yes, he said medical and I answered yes, that was the end of it. I still have a port so in addition to the lap section covering my stoma the shoulder belt rubs on the port making it impossible to wear a belt when driving. As a passanger the port is not a problem but still have the stoma issue. I have used a loose belt on the passanger side but after reading John's post, I will rethink that, Thanks John.......... Steve

Stoma Guard
I am using one of the Stoma Guard 'belts' and I am wearing it under my seatbelt. Reason for that is simple physics. The way the stomaguard is built is that it uses layers of neoprene (thick and wide) around the stoma so there is a large surface area that is on my 'normal' skin around the Stoma. That together with the brass cover (also wide and right under the seatbelt) gives almost as much surface contact to the skin as I would have without the stomaguard.

I live in South Florida where we frequently get voted as 'most terrible drivers', so I wouldn't take the risk of driving without the seatbelt - ever.

Is there a risk that the stomaguard might do damage ? there probably is. But is there a chance of instant death on the highway without a seatbelt ? Absolutely !
So I am taking my bets and use a decent device with a lot of rubbercushioned padding that might hurt me vs. a certain death on I-95 any day.

Hope everybody had a good start into this year and god bless !

Toddi