Medical Alert Bracelet?

[L4UR3N]

Do you have a medical alert bracelet, and if so, what does it say?

For all the things I have wrong I really should have one Anyone know of a cheap place to order a decent one?

[surfgirl14]

ok there is this place called CARE and it sells the medical ID bracelets that are pretty cool. And u cn put a lot of info in them. Just go to google and type in CARE medical id bracelets and the site should pop up. They are $20 bucks which is not bad.

[surfgirl14]

I have yet to get one yet but I want to get one of those. I heard they are good. I would put like my name , age , gender , main diagnoses , meds , primary doctor , allergies, emergency contact , and the doctor who treats my POTS. That is just what I would put.

[DoozlyGirl]

Got my bracelet at Walmart in the pharmacy section for less than 10 bucks. I really like it cause it is discrete, looks like jewelry at first glance, but has a simple medical alert symbol on it in red. It has a hinge and the words OPEN engraved on it. Beneath is my private information. General inserts come with it, but for $15 you can send away for a customized printed attachment they prepare with your personalized information to put inside the bracelet, made of waterproof non-corrosive aluminum. I was able to include my name, DOB, MD to contact and phone number, diagnosis, allergies, meds. I then carry additional instructions and emergency meds on me (MCAS meds). You can order a new insert as your diagnosis or doc changes. Company name is MCAX, in Bristol RI.

Recently looked into getting a USB bracelet, and asked my cousin, an EMT about it. He advised against it, stating EMS can't access them in the field and local EDs around here, don't routinely access the information anyway.

[L4UR3N]

Thanks for the replies!! I'm definitely going to look into getting one from either the CARE website or Walmart .

I was wondering more about what do you put in terms of diagnosis, and not so much about the other things which you should have (such as name/birthdate/meds and allergies).

Most doctors dont even know what POTS is, so EMT's will have no clue LOL. I was trying to think of how I could word it in terms that they would understand, and would get me the treatment I need as quickly as possible. Most likely the treatment I would need would be IV fluids, but they are more likely to give me a beta blocker before giving someone with hypertension fluids.

I'm not sure if putting "idiopathic hypovolemia" is the right thing to do or not. It would definitely get me fluids, but its not an "official" diagnosis, more of a speculation. What do you think? Have you come up with anything else to describe your POTS in terms they would understand?

[DoozlyGirl]

Hi Rissy,

When I first got my medical alert bracelet, I had just experienced my first episode of anaphylaxis, complete with ambulance ride to hospital. This was way before I was diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy. Now that I am pursuing a MCAS as possible cause of my issues, I have been wondering what to put on my new placard. I am considering Anaphylaxis, systemic mast cell activation and either syncope or orthostatic hypotension. I am even looking up these terms on google to what these terms mean to others.

Talking with my cousin last week made me realize that EMTs don't have to really know much about the disorder, they just have to know what to do for you and get you to the hospital. This framed things a bit for me.

My question for you is what happens when you may need emergent care? If you have excelerated tachycardia, call it what it is - postural tachycardia relieved with X and X. ( such as hydration, then betablocker) Do you pass out? May want include syncope. Is your BP involved? then NMH or NCS would work. You also probably want to make sure you include SVT and if you have multiple runs of PVCs, (you could call it called bigeminy or trigeminy ((check spelling)) which likely will carry more weight ), since those rhythms could convert to another more unstable rhythm. My cousin reiterated that if he found me passed out at home, they have to do a lot ot assessing to figure out why: blood sugars, alcohol, drugs, allergic reaction, and it may take some time to get to a cardiac, especially with a younger person.

On a sidenote, have your urinary methylhistamines been attibuted to a current disorder?

Post what you decide and see if others respond.

Take care, Lyn

[surfgirl14]

Hey. I put on mine (risk for fallings , synocope , orthostatic intolerance , autonomic nervous system disorder, etc.) things along those lines. Hope this helps.

[juliemc77]

Glad to see a post on this, as I have been contemplating a medical ID bracelet for some time. I came across http://www.medicalert.org, which was posted on the FAQ's post in this forum (it's a pinned post). Because of the lack of knowledge of POTS, and because certain situation and conditions can affect how my body works, it seems like a service like this would be a better route. I fear that if I had just a bracelet and it said even understandable terms like tachycardia, it's not enough for EMT/ER docs to work with. At least with this service, the docs can call and get a complete picture based on medical record information. I've already had to deal with medical procedure issues due to the POTS, that resulted in a 6-month delay, and I was "with it" to explain it all (again and again and again). I can't image what would happen if I was brought into the ER unconscious and not able to tell them anything!

I haven't made a decision yet and I'd like to hear what others have to say.

Has anyone used this particular service? A similar service (are there others?)? What are your thoughts? Please weigh in...I think the idea of a medical bracelet (at a minimum) is something we should all consider.

[sonyasmith12]

I just got one last week, all I put on it was Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome , then under that diagnoses I put call --------- then they can get all the accurate information from a trusted family member or friend.

[peregrine]

I don't have one (though I do have a wallet card) - if I start having more issues (such as actual syncope or presyncope I can't treat on my own) I will probably get one. My instinct would be to probably just put "dysautonomia" or "autonomic nervous system dysfunction," my medical allergies, and "see wallet card" on it. The rest of my medical history (although really important for an ER doc to see, especially my medications) changes more often than I'd want for something engraved and won't fit regardless, but is also less immediately critical for someone like an EMT to read. I do like the idea of "postural tachycardia relieved with X and Y" - that gives them a brief starting point (though I would put it on the wallet card for more space).

[Batik]

I don't have a Medicalert bracelet, but I do have emergency booklets, one in my handbag and one by my bed. I got them from an army supplier, they're A6 with 20 pages composed of transparent plastic pockets, so that you insert paper into the pockets. This means that you can update them whenever necessary, which with my long list of medical conditions is essential. I put Red Cross stickers (actually trimmed England flag stickers, it was the best I could find for some reason) on the front, which makes it obvious what it's for and also improves visibility, as the booklet came with a camouflage dark green cover that blends beautifully into the depths of my handbag.

Inside, I have emergency contact details, a list of my medical conditions, a brief explanation of ME (if I get diagnosed with POTS, that bit will be getting rewritten), a list of the medication I'm on (both daily and for acute use), a pain scale (I need something to refer to, I'm hopeless with a basic "on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is it?"), instructions on what to do and what to watch out for in case of collapse, and things like where I keep snacks, where my clothes are, where the emergency hospital bag is kept.

[flyingsquirrel]

Take a look at RoadID. They are made for runners/endurance athletes but they have two lines that can be customized (name and date of birth) then they have a phone number, website and PIN # that link to your medical info that you can keep continually updated. I think it's only $10/year which is much less than similar "medical" services I have looked at and you have constant access to your info. EMS/ER can either call the phone number (they have multiple international numbers) or logon to the website with your PIN and get access to all the info that you have entered.

I have the basics...demographic info, insurance, emergency contact, doctors' names and contact info, medications (and why I take them), allergies (and the reaction), medical conditions...and I also have a one paragraph description of IST and one line descriptions of the different treatment needed for three common conditions (because of the IST/meds). I also keep my current immunizations and glasses prescription in there for the sake of completness and for when I'm out of the country.

[Birdlady]

I have one, but not for POTS. I've never had a life threatening situation with POTS..I'm not even sure what they would be?, so I don't even have it listed on my bracelet. From what I've heard, sometimes EMTs don't even read them or too much information can actually be detrimental. Mine is simple, it has my name and Adrenal Insufficiency on the front. Then on the back it says exactly the dose and what meds they are to give me in an emergency. If they don't folow this, then I will die, so it's more important they know that than know I have some weird thing called POTS...

[flyingsquirrel]

My partner is a paramedic...they WILL look at them if they can find them (they aren't going to go hunting for a wallet card or a notebook). Mainly they are interested in medications, allergies, and medical conditions (and name and date of birth) if you can't tell them that information at the time.

[mully2014]

Lauren's Hope is where I ordered mine from it holds up really well and you can have different bands that hold the alert part. All my friends and family comment on it and love it. I like that it looks like jewelry and can get a starting point for anyone that would be around me when I pass out. I put my name, conditions (NCS: syncope : fainting, P.O.T.S.) then allergies, and a contact number for a family member. I had fainting put on the alert so anyone would be able to understand that it was I medical condition and it was a normal thing for me. I didn't include meds because they are constantly changing. For me the medical alert bracelet became even more important after I had mutiple concussions and ended up losing my memory.