Medical alert I'd.

Discussion about medical jewelry

by Theknotguy - 2018-04-26 08:01:17

There was a discussion on the forum about 4 years ago about medical alert jewelry.  It came down to 50% said it worked and 50% said it didn't.  I volunteer at a hospital in the USA and talk with the EMT guys when they come in.  They say they're trained to look for medical jewelry now and want you to wear something.  It really helps them if you're unconscious.  Then again it might not.  But anyway.,,,

I opted for wearing the jewelry.  It has a thumb drive inside with critical information - enough for people to find my doctor - hopefully not enough to help someone steal my identity - what's in my wallet will do that.  I've engraved critical information on the outside so the EMT's will know what to look for.  Will it work, who knows, but I feel it's better than nothing.  

You can find some pretty nice stuff if you look around the Internet now.  

P.S.  When I was  hiking with the dogs and collapsed on the trail - which set everything off for me, I only had the dogs to tell people what was going on.  And they weren't very articulate.  Even with medical alert jewelry they might have not gotten the information they needed but it's at least more than what the dogs gave out.  

P.P.S. EMT's and hospital used what was in my wallet to find out who I was.  Since I was totally unconscious someone could have easily stolen it, stolen my identiy, and left me as dead.  But they didn't.  So I'm less reluctant to have enough information on my medical jewelry to find my cardiolgist in case they find me unconscious again.  

Medic Alert jewelry

by LondonAndy - 2018-04-26 20:02:01

I have several conditions including being on Warfarin and being an insulin dependent diabetic, and I wear a Medic Alert bracelet, on the assumption that if I am unconscious a paramedic will go to my wrist to take my pulse and see it.  

The Medic Alert version has a few lines to engrave main points on the back, and a medically qualified guy called me to suggest some changes to what I had put on their online order form that would be more relevant to a paramedic, which impressed me and I went with their suggestions.  There is also a 24/7 phone number to call for more details, and they have all my medications, hospital discharge report, next of kin, doctor etc etc, though there is an annual subscription for that part of the service.

To be honest I don't think I would worry if it was 'only' a pacemaker that I had; compared with things like being on warfarin, I think there is not much reason for a paramedic to know about the pacemaker, though others may take a different view.  But they are not expensive and you can choose when to wear it of course, so if you are concerned it wouldn't hurt to have one available.

One thing I found was that I hated having a metal bracelet - the clinking was a constant reminder of my medical ailments, and annoyed me.  So now I wear a material strap with a metal plate part for the information, which is comfortable and silent!

Medical ID

by Firefoy - 2018-04-27 01:20:30

NYdrifter88,

Get the ID.  You can get different types from different companies.  I have a Road ID and it is made so that it slides over my watch band.  No metal braclet to worry about and it is totally up to you what you want to put on it.  I am an active duty firefighter/EMT and yes we do look for them.  

Tim

Road ID!

by Kcambridge - 2018-04-27 11:13:55

I have a Road ID, too. I wear it whenever I'm out walking/running/hiking/biking/swimming/etc. I love it. My sister's an ICU nurse and she recommended it. It's relatively inexpensive, and so I have two: one that slides over a FitBit band, and another that's just a rubber bracelet that I wear to the pool. I mostly just like the peace of mind that it gives me. https://www.roadid.com/

Hello Amazon!

by Washingtonienne - 2018-04-27 22:12:30

I have a nice, classy ID bracelet I bought from a jeweler that simply includes my name and that I have a pacemaker.  But since it is nice and I don't want to break it, I found a simple silicone bracelet on Amazon for a few bucks that I wear when doing active things like hiking, sailing, or working on habitat build sites. It doesn't include any personal information but would inform someone of my robot parts if I couldn't speak for myself.  

Thanks for your advice

by Nydrifter88 - 2018-05-03 20:16:41

Thank all of you for your advice and opinions. I got a medical alert necklace from eBay for around 5 dollars.