Medic Alert Bracelet

I've been wondering whether WLS patients should be wearing a medical identification bracelet and if so, what information should be given in regards to our surgery.   Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Dale

Not sure what to put on it but for some reason I would think it would be a good idea.

I wear one that states 'Lapband Patient - No NG Tube'. The key is to mention 'No NG Tube'. A NG tube is a Nasogastric tube which is a medical process involving the insertion of a plastic tube through the nose, through the throat and finally down into the stomach in the event that you arrive to health care in an unconscious condition for the purpose of feeding your body nutrition while they figure out what is wrong with you... with a WLS patient your 'insides' have been modified in one form or another so they could do serious damage if they do not know what modifications have been made. In my case, I have a Laparoscopic Band around my esophagus that reduces the aperture (opening) into the top of my stomach. If they would attempt to 'Intubate' me for feeding purposes, there is a high probability that they would perforate (Poke a hole in) my esophagus. I hope this helps you with your decision by giving you the information on why it is important.. For the record, I ordered a Medic Aler****ch off of eBay that was less than $60.00 including engraving and shipping. I started out with a bracelet, but really did not like wearing a watch AND a bracelet, so I condensed it down to just a watch that performs both duties... I have since then been in a situation where I was picked up by an ambulance and one of the first things the attendant did was pull my watch off and read the inscription. I was awake so then the attendant asked question concerning my condition. In other words, it does work.

I hate jewelry so a bracelet is not for me.  It is important to put an "ICE" contact in your cell phone.  Most emergency folks look for a person's cell phone if they are in a non-responsive position.  They look at the contacts for an entry labelled "ICE" which means "in case of emergency." I have 3 ICE entries....one for my wife, and one for each of my 2 kids.  Each entry contains all of their phone numbers.  When setting up the entry, I precede ICE with a space, which puts it at the top of the list so that the emergency folks see it immediately. This advice should be given to everyone you know whether they have had WLS or not.  As a motorcycle rider, I learned this from some of my fellow firefighter riders.

I have a brother-in-law who is a paramedic, and I still didn't know about ICE. I'm going to have to talk to that boy. I just finished setting up several I.C.E. numbers in my phone. I have it (my cell) with me at all times. Thanks for passing this information along to us.  Guys- this is very important. I've been transported to the hospital twice in my life. The first time was pre-op and I was completely unresponsive (dead, basically). The second time I was post op, I was awake, but I was telling the paramedics that I was 20 years old, when actually I'm 37. Do you think I would've been able to give them specific info on WLS? Probably not. Luckily, my wife called for the ambulance, and gave them all the info they needed. Accidents and other things happen when you least expect them. Thanks again for the info Mike. Ron

My Surgeon suggests that I wear one. It has my full name on it as well as: Gastric Bypass My Surgeon's name His Phone Number Caution With NG Tube Isertion No NSAIDs this is what he wanted on it. I wear a dog tag type necklace.  pan head

Answering as a practicing Paramedic....... Emphatic YES!!  It is a good idea to enter the info into ICE - some phones now actually have a preset ICE entry in your phone book. Also, even better.....especially if you are predisposed to any possible condition that may result in you being unconscious....get a Medic Alert tag.  These can be preregistered with all your info available via a 1-800 number and through a website that allows health care providers and public safety workers to access your info.  They can also be engraved with various conditions such as "GASTRIC BYPASS/BANDING - NO BLIND NG" which wills stop me from poking a hole through your gut and causing lots of problems for both of us.   http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx BY THE WAY ---- MedicALert is a secure database that only releases information to authorized and registered providers.  Joe schmuck can't just call in and say HEY GIVE ME INFO ABOUT HARRY P OTTER.........it doesn't work like that.

I tried the link above and it went directly back to this posting.  Did I do something wrong?