Medical Id Tags?

[bellaluna]

I was reading through the links in the "help yourself to info" post and noticed there are links for medical ID tags/bracelets and such. I was wondering how many people here wear a medical alert ID, and if you do, what does it say (if you don't mind my asking)?

I'm just curious, because it sounds great in theory, but I don't know how a medical ID tag would help a person with POTS... but maybe I'm wrong!

Mary

[Guest tearose]

No, I do not.

[flop]

I wear one from a UK company called "MediTag" that has a 24 hour phone line that will give all my medical details if a paramedic or hospital phone them.

The pendant itself has the medical snake&staff symbol on the front and an engraving on the back that gives my name, ID number and the phone line number plus the following:

"Syncope (POTS), Asthma

Steroids, Bisporolol"

I chose the wording as all doctors will know what syncope means but probably won't know "POTS" so hopefully they would phone for the details. I have taken lots of steroids (prednisolone as well as fludrocortisone) over the last few years so if I was badly injured the doctors would need to give me extra steroids. I also wanted them to know about the beta-blockers because they might mask a fast heart-rate indicating medical shock after an accident. I couldn't fit the word "beta-blocker" in the allowed space so I put the actual drug name instead.

I suspect that the tag won't make much difference if I have one of my simple collapses as 20 seconds later I can tell everyone what the problem is. I wear a tag incase I get a severe injury from falling or incase a "normal" emergency happens to me like a car accident or any other time that I wouldn't be able to tell doctors about my medical problems.

I guess whether to wear medical ID is a personal decision but I know my parents are happier letting me get on with work etc knowing that the information is available should anything happen to me.

Flop

[Dawg Tired]

I have Medic Alert. Mine says

Pacemaker

Neurocardiogenic Syncope

Sick Sinus Syndrome

I had to call them because SSS and NCS are not choices the have on the online signup.

[Ernie]

Hi,

I wear a medic-alert bracelet. In all the thousands times I have fainted nobody has never looked at it. No doctor, no EMT, no nurses, nobody. I often wonder why I keep wearing it, especially since I am paralyse and cannot speak for at least 10 minutes after a syncope.

[Angelika_23]

I wear a small bracelet, with the red symbol on the front and on the back it says "POTS" and "Call Husband at (cell phone #). That is all I could fit on it as it is a very small bracelet, more like a pretty bangle bracelet.

I have gone to the ED and they did look at the bracelet and asked me about it.

It makes my family feel better to know I have it just in case, like Flop says, an emergency or car accident or something so they don't give me any wrong medications. My husband knows all my meds and times and also my (now five) diagnoses.

Hope this helps

Angela

[pat57]

I have an Italian charm bracket with 3 med alert symbols and reads, syncope- lay flat.

When people catch me they want to hold me up in chair which makes things much worse.

[delphicdragon]

I don't wear my bracelet anymore as I have gotten thinner and it falls off. :-/ I do have MedicAlert though, and it lists Asthma, Hypermobility Syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Orthostatic Hypotension (closest I can get to POTS) and corneal abrasions. I've actually found that when I wore the bracelet, Drs never looked at it. Most just asked me what I had, and when I listed my conditions gave me a piece of paper and told me to write it out for them. One thing I do have that is useful is a sticker that is applied to my car rear window that has the asclepius (the twisted snakes/ medical symbol) on it. This way if I'm ever in a severe car accident, the paramedics know that I have mutliple medical problems. I would say that it is useful, and if you can afford it, I would get it.

Sara

[joiedevivre516]

I have a Medic Alert charm (with the attached services of listing all of your conditions, meds, allergies, doctors, and contacts) on a Lauren's Hope chain, which I love. Haha my husband practically insists on it because he gets so nervous that I'll pass out or have a seizure somewhere and no one will know what to do with me! The bracelet itself just says "Dysautonomia; PICC line; see wallet insert," which has a copy of all of the info on the Medic Alert website. The best thing about getting a really inexpensive medic alert charm and then attaching it to the bracelet is that it only costs about $10 to order a replacement charm when the info changes. For example, I'm about to have my PICC switched to a port, so we've just ordered the new charm as well. I would really recommend having one!

Kate

[Megan]

I wear tags. They list my name, POTS (only spelled out) as well as asthma and depression with all my meds listed and my medicine allergies as well. I have two tags on one chain, though, because all of the info wouldn't fit on one. On the rare occasion people have not known what to do and called the EMTs, they've said that they wished more people wore medical tags. My parents definitely feel better that I have them.

Meg

[bellaluna]

Excellent information, thank you all for sharing. I guess that there are some very good reasons to wear one, and I too think my family, my husband in particular, would be more at ease knowing that the info was readily available to emergency workers if something were to ever happen and I could not speak for myself.

I may have to look into getting one...

Mary

[MightyMouse]

I wear a medic alert brand bracelet and have maintained an account with them for many years. My bracelet reads:

Drug Allergies, Asthma, Dysautonomia

My biggest concern is if I were unable to communicate or unconscious, that someone might give me an antibiotic or other drug, not realizing I'm allergic to nearly all antibiotics and a few other drugs too.

I've post links before on making your own bracelets to go with a medical tag, you can go to my personal website, then look at the top navigation bar on my mainpage to find the make your own bracelet link.

http://www.missmightymouse.com/

[bellaluna]

Nina- thanks so much for the link- when I looked at one of the websites that had the fancy "custom" bracelets, I thought to myself, "hmmm- I could probably do that myself"... and now thanks to you, I have the instructions! Thanks!!!

mary

[Rachel]

I have a medical id bracelet. My tag says "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome; low blood pressure". My home care nurse (who had also been an ER nurse) recommended that I get one. I've had it for 3 years now, and so far I've never been in an emergency where I have needed it, but it is nice to have some sort of id just incase. An EMT might not know exactly what POTS is, but they will understand tachycardia and low blood pressure. At least they will know that something isn't right!

When I was in the hospital to deliver my baby, the nurse asked what my bracelet id said. That is the only time I've been asked about it by someone in the medical field. However, every other time I've been in contact with doctors, nurses, etc. it has been for an appointment. They always ask about diagnoses, allergies, etc. anyway, and so they don't need to ask about my bracelet. My bracelet is for an emergency situation when I can't speak for myself.

I bought my first bracelet from Lauren's Hope. I wore the same bracelet every day for 2 years and was so tired of it! Then last year I found Nina's instructions on her website and have since made another 9 bracelets for myself. (You had very clear and easy to understand instructions, Nina. Thanks! )

I need to get a new id tag. I'm not sure what I will have engraved on it this time. POTS and low blood pressure doesn't quite describe the severity of my symptoms, so I'm still working on coming up with a clear and concise description. One thing I am definitely going to put on my next id tag, though, is my phone number. I often forget my own phone number even on a "good" day. I serously doubt my ability to recall information like that in the event of an emergency, even if I'm not unconscious.

[dawn]

I bought a pretty gold plated one online. It is small with a little medical alert charm on it.

The front has my full name, dysautonomia (POTS)

The back says beta blockers, my hospital name.

Dawn