How many of you wear a medical id bracelet, necklace, or charm?

How many ?

by IAN MC - 2017-08-25 04:37:16

In answer to your question there was a poll done here on the PM club.  

  From what I remember , the majority of PM recipients  on here ( around 55 per  cent )  do not wear any form of medical ID  . Worldwide the percentage of wearers will probably be far less because the PM club is atypical and tends to be a population of worriers

Whatever decision you make, you will not be alone !

Ian

intermittently

by Tracey_E - 2017-08-25 10:25:55

I'll be good about it for months, then go months without wearing one. I have one from RoadID I wear for races and I'm pretty good about wearing one when I travel alone. I have a whole collection of pretty ones so no excuses for them not matching my outfit. I have tags in a rainbow of colors from https://www.n-styleid.com/ and put them on bracelets from https://www.laurenshope.com/. They are interchangeable. I like the shape of the ones from n-style better, thinner and don't flip.

You'll hear stories of EMT's finding it and you'll hear stories of people who stop wearing them because they were in an accident and no one noticed it. One member didn't have one, no one noticed she was paced, and she was groggy and barely paying attention as she was wheeled in for an mri, fortunately she realized what was going on in time.

We used to have a member who was an EMT and she's the one who convinced me to wear one. My pacer is not in the usual spot and my scar is not obvious, so it's unlikely medical personnel would notice it immediately. What sold me on them is she said it can affect how they cut us out of an accident and how they transport us if they know we have it. Not all hospitals are set up to do surgery on someone paced because the pacer has to be monitored. So, say we were cut out of an accident and rushed for emergency surgery, but they didn't know about the pacer and took us to a hospital that can't help us, then we'd have to be transported again. It's not a big deal to wear one just in case.

id

by Tracey_E - 2017-08-25 10:30:36

The manufacturer will send you an id card a few week after that has your model and serial numbers as well as doctor contact. I keep it with my insurance card in my wallet. 

Also, all I have on my medic alert is my name, PACEMAKER and a phone number and password to my online medical record. OMR is free with any purchase from https://www.americanmedical-id.com/. I got the cheapest one just to get the OMR. That way as I change doctors, insurance, medications, allergies, I don't need to get new bracelets. 

could be the difference...

by The real Patch - 2017-08-25 12:04:48

Just ask a paramedic...

One night late, I  threw a wild raucous party inviting only paramedics, and myself of course. We got into a game of charades where they asked questions and I answered in signs. It was a very long evening before they put me into the back of their vehicle and took me for a ride complete with sound effects and screeching tires. One thing the imparted to me, and frankly I figured out for myself was that heart patients need to wear a medic alert ID.

I was unable to speak, probably too much excitement of the party, and they needed some crucial medical information especially the fact I am paced, and knowing you have a device isn't enough because being paced affects an EKG results.

They stressed patients need to wear an ID, as they look for one immediately. A card in your wallet or similar cute way of providing that level of information ain't gonna work because they aren't going to search for something like that. I mean come on use your head do they have time to search everybody's cell phone, or check a computer, or look through your wallet/purse?

Psst Patch

by IAN MC - 2017-08-25 12:16:28

Wanna buy a helmet ?   It will protect you if you're hit by an asteroid . Only 35 dollars !  

Ian  

  PS :   Money to my Swiss a/c please 

gonna do it

by confused - 2017-08-25 14:17:08

Hi,

I am glad you posted this because I really never thought about it.   After reading Tracy's reply I am going to order one.   Just looked at those websites and there are some really cute ones.  Wouldn't hurt to wear one that's for sure. 

Tammy

Forget Cute

by Artist - 2017-08-25 17:22:16

Tammy,  the EMTs I know definately say to not get a bracelet that is cute and looks like costume jewelry.  I have a simple, straight forward, very flexible and durable bracelet  with a lobster claw fastener and gently curved stainless steal inscribed plate.  I totally forget it is there, shower with it on and never take it off.  Then I don't have to worry about forgetting to put it back on.  I got mine on ebay and it was very reasonable. 

medical alert stainless steel bracelet from Amazon

by bridgermichael - 2017-08-25 19:59:04

I wear a single bracelet and have had it since the pm -  but have a card carrying drug as well now so I have just ordered for £14  a two symptom alert ( pacemaker and apixaban ) - I find it a good thing and better than just the silicone ones 

mike b 

ID

by TBrous&Chip - 2017-08-26 08:34:10

I often wear an ID bracelet especially if I am away from home and alone. I have a brown leather one and a plastic one for when I exercise.  I do carry a pacemaker card in my wallet but have heard that after an accident police officers may take valuables to protect them and paramedics may not have access to the wallet. If I am alone and cannot speak for myself a bracelet is cheap insurance.

I'll still take cute ;)

by Tracey_E - 2017-08-26 09:17:06

If it's the only bracelet I wear, and the id tag covers 1/3 of the bracelet, I don't think an EMT would overlook it. It's cute, but it's also still pretty obvious it's a medical alert. The odds of me wearing it are a lot higher when it matches my outfit. YMMV, of course. 

ID bracelet

by LondonAndy - 2017-08-26 10:18:49

I wear one: a wrist band with an engraved disk from Medic Alert (UK) which has the basic info on the back and a 24hr phone number a Paramedic can call for more info.  They have my hospital discharge notes from heart surgery, pacemaker insert info, diabetes and medication info, doctor and next of kin contacts. 

Braceket with ID

by TAC - 2017-08-26 12:27:09

You have to think on what will happen if you're brought unconscious to the ER. The only two important pieces of information you must carry, is the Pacemaker ID card and the list of very important medicines, like an anti-arrhythmic in case you are having a side effect or anticoagulant drug in case you need surgery or are having a bleeding episode.

Did it

by confused - 2017-08-27 22:47:28

Just now got around to ordering my bracelet but Artist I had thought that too.  Some were really pretty actually but I didn't think they would be noticeable at all.  But on the other hand I wanted something I'm more likely to wear like Tracey had mentioned.  So I think the one I ordered kinda meets in the middle. Hope nothing ever comes up that it's needed but you just never know.

tammy 

I wear an id bracelet

by DebbieH - 2017-09-10 17:39:41

My pm was implanted 8-21-2017, and I opted to wear a bracelet.  Purchased it from americanmedical-id.com and I'm very happy with it.  Wasn't sure what to have engraved on it, which I pondered for quite some time.  Here's what I went with:

Front of the id reads: MY NAME, PACEMAKER ON AUGUST 21, 2017

Back of the id reads: MFR - BOSTON SCIENTIFIC 3 LEAD MODEL U128 DOCTORS NAME AND PHONE

I don't see the harm in wearing a bracelet.

Debbie