General
Medical Alert Bracelet
Updated August 13, 2024
in General
Tonight in Support Group, we discussed self advocacy. We shared about keeping all our medical teams updated on what’s going on with us. A hot topic was medical alert bracelets. Here are some companies that you can use to get medical alert bracelets or if you have one that you like, please share it
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1 - 15 of 15 Replies
Transplant Patient
Yes! thanks for starting this @Ldybug97
My medical bracelet is from Lauren's Hope. It currently has all my diagnosis' on it (my transplant and everything else), my emergency contact info and then I have a QR code that connects directly with my transplant team/pertinent info for whoever will be treating me in the event of an emergency.
Laurens Hope also👍
I have one but it only list that I had a liver to snd my meds I’m on. I need to look in to getting another one.
It a good idea to have one
I have so many medical issues now that I am going to have to figure how much/importance to put down. Just FYI if u r a LTP patient and u need a blood transfusion it must be irritated.
Transplant Patient
I have never worn one. Always made me uncomfortable to show the world that I have an issue but of course it is better to do so!
@Karin me too! The only time I historically wore a medical alert was when I was riding my bicycle. I still don't wear one everyday.
Transplant Patient
@Karin @TServold I wear so much jewelry anyway I doubt people even notice I have a medical bracelet on. For a while growing up I had a big, bulky silver one which I hated and that one stood out. I just ordered a new one, but it's smaller and has a chain more like a bracelet so I don't think anyone will even notice its a medical alert bracelet when I add it to my stack.
I have heard non-jewelry wearing people opt for things like a medical ID in your phone or a wallet card instead though, and if I didn't wear bracelets to begin with I might have opted for something like that
I ordered one from Amazon. It's a pretty rose gold and matches my jewelry. However, the only time I have worn it is when I traveled to Italy because I put my condition in Italian. I have a hard time wearing it because I don't like to be reminded of my health all the time.
I spoke to an EMS once who said that when the medical alert blends in; it gets missed. The ones on phones or in wallets get noticed maybe in the hospital but not by EMS. It's so hard to know what to do.
Transplant Patient
@TServold oh interesting! I’ve always been conscious every time I’ve needed an ambulance called and I always remember them checking my wrists for medical alert. My main concern is always language because I never know if they’ll understand what my diagnosis's mean
Hey haven’t been on here in a while cause of paramedic school… As a NYC EMT I cannot recommend medic alert bracelets enough. Anything at all to give us any info, especially with complex medical histories, is super helpful. And in NYC at least, your medical history gets saved in our computer system should you ever need to call again. But we can’t type in what we don’t know.
Btw, we’re trained to look for clues on scene and on the person since most people lie to us. And even if you’re unresponsive, at some point assessing bilat radial pulse rate, rhythm, quality is necessary. So if EMS personnel misses a bracelet on the wrist they’re not doing their job.
Moral of the story, get a medic alert bracelet. Lol.
@JCloo I had the same discussion last night with the EMT when I had to go to the ER. I’m fine but he was saying that a medical alert bracelet would help so much. When I was on dialysis, I was a frequent flyer so they had all of my information. The only problem was when I got to the hospital they kept saying, which arm is restricted for dialysis. I’m trying to tell the nurse that I had a kidney transplant. I showed her my bracelet which has a type one diabetic, kidney transplant, and a QR code with all the information. I was alert so I was able to answer all their questions. The medical alert would’ve been so beneficial at that point because they had all old medication since I haven’t been admitted in my regular hospital since early March 2023 before my transplant. The issue I had was minor so I was able to update everything them at that point.
Transplant Patient
@JCloo thanks for sharing! Always love to get information straight from the source. I think we’re all hoping we’re never in a situation where we need an ambulance but it’s wonderful information to have, and I’m so grateful there are people like you out there
It good idea to have a medical bracelet