Medic Alert Bracelets - Do you wear one?

Do you wear a medical alert bracelet with information about your epilepsy/meds?

  • Yes

    Votes: 173 44.6%

  • No

    Votes: 184 47.4%

  • I've never thought about that!

    Votes: 31 8.0%
  • Total voters
    388

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Hey, Steph,

My pendant is on a 28" necklace. It leaves the pendant invisibly and snugly nestled inbetween... *ahem*

Anyway, no one sees it. I'm hoping that if needed, the first responders will think to pull it out. Otherwise they'll find it at the hospital.



P,S. On a previous topic, I've asked Medic Alert (www.medicalert.org) to carry non-nickel (hypoallergenic) stainless steel jewely. Hope they make that change.
 
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hey Endless,

I would definetly try the pendent, my only problem is i know that i would loose. I have a hard time sleeping with necklaces...i usually feel like i am being choked (but that is probably an entirely different board all together). I went with the sports bands for a few reasons, the biggest being price. The second being that it is adjustable, when i spoke to the people at medic alert they were serious about having a precise measurement of my wrist..with the sports bands it seems a little simpler and i can adjust how tight or loose it is. Also i used to have a watch (years ago) that was somewhat similar to the band, and i wore it every day.. so maybe from a distance people with think that it is a watch ( i know i am in my own lil happy place). But like i said, i do like the idea of it being hidden ... ah.. well you know. So if I get paranoid, i will def try the pendant. Thanks :)
 
Hey - medic alert does have a watch! It's a little pricey for what you get, and it looks like a guy's watch, but I bet a jeweler could swap out the strap for something more attractive.

For summertime I have one of the plastic sports bracelets, but I made it into an anklet. The lightweight plastic kind are definitely more comfortable than the metal ones. I made a pretty bead strap to go on it. :)
 
The main thing is that doctors have access to your records. I had a seizure on a trip. Thanks to my Medic-Alert bracelet (gold) the doctors in the ER were able to find out everything about my health. That includes family members to contact. I am able to update my information about my medicines, doctors and allergies.

Ruth
 
This time I was stupid. The doctors in CA, not only want the Medic Alert bracelet or necklace, they also want the bottles of Medicines that I am on.

I was in another county. We were visiting my brother in law who is dying of cancer. I had a seizure and fractured the bone by my eye. They had no way to get in touch with my doctors. I was in the ER for 8 hours. I was confused and out. They must have given me something strong.

They decided to send me home, so I could see my doctors. They had no idea who my doctor's were or what medicines I was on. I keep a Medic Alert card in my purse. In CA, they will not look in my purse. My husband was upset and did not think about my Medic Alert card that was in my purse.

I will never forget my Medic Alert bracelet again. I repeat, I was stupid. Now that I am home, I am seeing doctor after doctor this month. That is how bad I am. I am getting better.
 
Don't beat yourself up Ruth. Life never stops being a learning experience. Besides, if I beat myself up for things I thought were stupid I'd never do anything else.

You have other wounds to tend to right now so don't give yourself more worries than you've already got.
 
Thank you Epileric for your encouraging words. You are right.

Today, I have noticed that my fractured bone by my eye is swollen and is in some pain. Not much pain.
 
I've worn a Medi Alert bracelet sine i was diagnosed. Its was the first thing that they (EMT's, ER Staff) looked for and the hospital was able to call and get all of my info the 1 time I was out long enough that they transported me to the ER. Proved its worth to me that day, will always have it on after that!
 
Bracelets

I first started out with a bracelet but that was an issue because they apparently don't make one small enough for my wrist :mad: I went back and ordered one designed for a child which fit better but then developed a rash to it...too bad, because the child's size fit well but they didn't have them in sterling silver.

So if you are very small framed like I am or tend to have allergies to nickel-based stainless steel, then the bracelet might not be the best way to go. I finally found a small pendant made of sterling silver (not cheap, but not outrageously expensive) that I can live with. It's not so big as to make me feel like I am wearing a scarlet letter, but it's noticeable enough that (hopefully?) anyone would notice it if I were unconscious or something.

I also see the point of people not wanting to wear the medical ID's, as I didn't at first...I still tend to keep the necklace tucked into my shirt.
 
I wear a MedicAlert bracelet, but not with my E details (yet). I will probably update my details now that I'm home (was diagnosed days before going overseas).

I've found we have a very positive culture about MedicAlert bracelets in Australia, and a lot of people I know wear them. There is no stigma with wearing one. Whenever I've needed an ambulance or emergency attention, all emergency staff have checked for a bracelet except once (out of probably 8 episodes), and certainly every time I've been to surgery.

I have a life-threatening condition, and if mentioned in conversation, whoever I'm talking to invariably asks "I hope you have a MedicAlert bracelet?" so you can see people would rather you had the bracelet than didn't - at least people in my world...

Chel
 
Yes, be sure and update your details. Otherwise, when they call Medic Alert, they will go by the information that Medic Alert has.

Medic Alert started in Turlock CA, the state where I live. From the very beginning, it was accepted by doctors, ambulances and hospitals. I was given one by a friend about 2 years after they came out. I did not know about them until then.
 
Now I am mad that I don't have one. It was my own fault. I think for Christmas I'll ask my family for a really nice one. Bracelet. I had a seizure in the middle of the street the other day. Last tuesday. Luckily I was with a friend of mine who has epilepsy. So she saved my life. But it scared the hell out of me. And I have 3 or 4 lovely stitches on my chin and I think I broke a bone in my ear. Hair line fracture. The people that picked me up new me. If you don't have a medic alert braclet or necklace . Get one. God finally talked me into it.
 
That's almost the exact same thing that convinced me to get a bracelet. I remember having a seizures while walking on the sidewalk but when I came out of it I was in the middle of a crosswalk with cars honking & zooming past me.
 
I used to wear one, it was one of the sports type because all I have to do is look at something with nickel in it and I break out in a rash:eek: But I quit wearing it because 1) I had all my information on a card in my purse, and 2) I've been all melodramatic and self-pitying because this last year and a half I've never been alone:roll:. I'm always at home with my dad, or running errands with my mom since I can't drive. I figured they know my condition and meds so why bother paying Medic Alert. But you all have opened my eyes. Loved ones can panic and EMT's don't always check for information cards in purses. I need to get paid up with Medic Alert, update my information, and find my bracelet.
 
After I first was diagnosed with epilepsy, I never wore one. But recently, I have decided that it would be a good idea if I did. I wear one that is stainless to work, and I have a sports one that I wear to the gym. I also just ordered a set of 'dog tags' that might be more comfortable for certain activities, but have not recieved them yet. I have no idea if they are worth anything yet, as I have not had a seizure since I started wearing them, and the majority of my seizures happen at home when I am sleeping anyway. But I figure it is better to be safe than sorry...
 
Hi travel bug,

I was with my husband and son when I had my bad seizure and fractured the bone by my eye. I thought they knew what to do. I was wrong. My husband did not go into my purse to get my Medic Alert card. He forgot all of the medications that I take.

In other words, both my husband and son panicked. I was outside of a hospital when it happened. It was a nurse that noticed that I was bleeding outside of my eye. She put me in a wheelchair and took me to the ER. They must have given me strong medicine because that is the last thing that I remembered until I got home about 12 hours later. I was in the ER for 8 hours.
 
Hi, Travelbug,

I'm allergic to Nickel, too. I called the MedicAlert people and asked them to start offering hypo-allergenic stainless steel - in other words, nickel free. They said it was a good idea and they'd look into it. That doesn't help us this very instant, though.

In the meantime.... I ended up ordering a silver rhodium-plated pendant (non-tarnish) from the Medic Alert site, without the included chain. You have to call, not order online, to get the pendant alone. I ordered the rhodium-plated chain from http://www.dreamlandjewelry.co

Ordering separately ended up being cheaper than ordering the pendant/chain combo from medic alert, and I got a much nicer chain at the exact length I wanted.
 
It finally came today... the first thing that i tried to do was put it on (its the sports style one) Ya, i had my buddy help me figure it out, but it hasn't left my wrist since this morning and i don't think that it will. To top it off i did get it on sale, hey five bucks is five bucks. An interesting fact that i learned when i ordered my bracelett and enrolled in the program was that medic alert is a non profit program, AND that they ask for donations to help people buy and get braceletts that can't afford them. SO for all of you that use money as an excuse... call them and see if you qualify and find out about the program! I didn't fully inquire about the program so i am not sure about all the details. My hubby is definately happy that i am wearing it... it swallows my wrist.. it looks huge and makes my wrist tiny, BUT it is comfortable. I also got my card, a magnet for the fridge and a sticker to put on my windshield which the hubby will do for the just in case.. hey if ya got it use it is his motto i guess. So i am wearing it and it only took a week to get here and wasn't as expensive as i thought it would be. I am happy now. For all of you that posted all of the good info... as i said before and i will say again..

THANK U FOR CHANGING MY MIND!

Like i said, my hubby seems really happy that i finally got one, I didn't know how much he really wanted me to get one, until i actually ordered it.
 
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