Lets start right off by saying, you were born speechless. This challenge was overcome with a helping hand from your parents, relatives and friends. Now you have been challenged again, with the added complication of the big c. This happened to me thirty three years ago and I was faced with a six week period of silent communication.

Now it is different, no waiting period, almost instant verbal communication for some with a promise of easy verbal communication soon. I am speaking of the T/E puncture technique.

Sure it is unhandy to have to cover the hole in your throat to speak but is easy to speak quickly. Well, almost easy. No silent period

The silent period has its drawbacks and its virtues. The drawbacks don't over shadow the virtues. One of the virtues is that you get back to your childhood religious beliefs and call upon them to help you in your time of need. Hopefully you will make promises that you will keep and help the others that will follow you.

I was very fortunate that I lived in the Los Angeles vicinity and had a choice of places to go and people to see who could and would help me. My first choice was the American Cancer Society. I went downtown Los Angeles and got a list of support groups in the area and made an appointment with their professional Speech Pathologist for the following Saturday.

I had about thirteen groups to choose from plus an evening speech class at Beverly Hill High School and Long Beach College. All were volunteers except the ACS, BHHS and LBCC. The main purpose of these support groups were to overcome the depressive nature of being speechless.

I was both depressed and speechless after six weeks of Surgeon ordered no speech. I had radiation prior to surgery and each suture hole became infected. What every I poured into the feeding tube in my nose oozed out of the holes. it took about two weeks to heal but still orders not to try speech.

Now it seems simple to me to speak using the T/E technique. But now you can learn esophageal speech easily. The T/E device has a check valve in it that will not allow air to be forced out of the stoma. That's right your can force air into the esophagus for speech and not disrupt the workings of the T/E device installed in your stoma. Now it just takes some simple exercises to expand the volume of air injected or inhaled into the esophagus for speech.

Start by saying T, C or B. Put your lips together and say the letter with force. Say it many times and soon it will come out Teeeeeeeee. That is esophagus speech. Now the challenge is yours to win.

I have never carried an artificial larynx or a amplifier. I find an amplifier only amplifies the ambient noise, canceling the increased volume of my esophageal voice.

Lets get something straight now. The Medicare deductible amount should not stop you from ordering Stoma Care Products. You can buy any amount and we will file your claim with Medicare, but Medicare will only credit your deductible with the amount your doctor has prescribed. If your prescription states you use one Foam Filter per day Medicare will only allow $34.00 of your purchase will go against your deductible. If you use more consult your prescribing doctor for a new prescription to cover the amount you actually use per day.

Medicare will also pay for batteries for your artificial larynx. Medicare has set the standard and will allow the purchase of two batteries every six months. Naturally your Doctor's prescription must state you need an artificial larynx to qualify. Everything your Doctor prescribes qualifies for a Medicare reimbursement.

Get your deductible out of the way as quickly as possible so you won't hesitate to call your Doctor whenever your feel the need.

| Shipping |

How would you like to save 25 to 50% on your next order for Stoma Care Products? Take a look at the receipt on your last order. If there is a shipping charge that is the amount you can save. Yes, this saving is yours if you stop now and send us a check in the amount of your next order. State on the order when you want this order shipped. We will hold your check and deposit it only it when we ship this order. Allow at least a week for delivery because we will use the USPS. Yes, free shipping and handling on all orders received with payment in full. Another good thing about this new service is you will feel secure in the knowledge that you will never run short or out of the products you need daily.

To keep this rhythm going, just send us a check when you receive your order and be sure to give us a date for delivery. If you can remember when you dated the first check you can tell how long it takes for delivery. This new system will well except during the Thanksgiving to New Year's Holiday Season.

Shipping is getting costlier every day. Even the USPS is raising the price of a first class stamp two cent sometime this year.