What to put on medical ID bracelet? (this is long)

I think I need to get a new medical ID bracelet because there are things I think should be on it that aren’t on my current one.  When I got this bracelet, I was mostly thinking of RNY-related stuff.  I didn’t even think to put on it that I am allergic to penicillin, which now that I think about it seems important.  So I’m hoping you all can help me decide what to put on a new one, especially some of you nurses or other medical folks.

Currently I have on the front:

My name
gastric bypass
No NSAIDS
No sugars
No blind NG tubes

And on the back I have:

In emergency call
my partner’s phone number

The one I am looking at (I think it’s the same one I have now, or at least a very similar one form the same company) can have five lines on the front, 14 characters each, and five lines on the back, 20 characters each.  So I need to figure out what things are most important to put on there and how to say them with no more than 20 letters.

Here are my thoughts:

My name – I’m thinking that needs to be on there, right?

Gastric bypass – that seems important.  The reason I don’t have RNY gastric bypass on my current bracelet is that it was too many letter to fit on one line and I figured the “RNY" part wasn’t that important, they’d know what I meant if it just said “gastric bypass."

No NSAIDS – that one seems important to me.  I know some people think it’s not that likely you’d be given NSAIDS in an emergency when you were unconscious, though.

No sugars – that one I think I could leave off, probably.  They probably aren’t that likely to give me a lot of sugar if I am unconscious, right?  And if I did get sugar, the worst that would happen is I would dump, and while that is unpleasant, it’s not life threatening.  Plus if I was unconscious, would I even know I was dumping?

No blind NG tube – this one I think is really important for me.  Based on my history, it seems possible I could end up needing an NG tube when I was unconscious or not able to tell them not to do it blind.  I have a history (although it was many, many years ago) of suicide attempts and had to have an NG inserted in the ER on two occasions.

Emergency contact number – it’s very important to me to have this on there.  But I was wondering about putting “ICE" and the number, so it would fit all on one line, instead of spelling out “in emergency call."  They would know what “ICE" means, right?

Now, as far as what’s not on there now that maybe should be.

Penicillin – Should I say on there that I am allergic to this?  How can I say it in 20 letters or less?  If I say “PCN allergy" would they know what meant?  I’m thinking they would.  But how likely are they to administer antibiotics in an emergency while I am unconscious?

Mental health stuff – I was thinking it might be good to have PTSD and DID on there, because if I am having a flashback or am dissociating or something, I might not be able to communicate very well and they wouldn’t know why.  Except I’m thinking many people wouldn’t know what DID means and it would take too many letters to spell out “dissociative identity disorder."  I could just put PTSD, though.  Should that be on there?

Reactive hypoglycemia – I didn’t even have RH when I got the first bracelet.  Should it be on there?  In case my sugar crashes and I pass out or something?  Or should I just put “hypoglycemia," which is fewer letters?

Am I overlooking anything?  There is no way I could possibly fit all my meds and supplements on a bracelet, but is there a point in saying something like “takes meds?"  Does it help them in any way to know I take some meds but not which ones?

My partner does have all the info about my meds and all my doctors’ numbers and stuff, so they will get that info when they call him, but I realize that in an emergency it might be a while before they get around to that.

Any other thoughts?  I know I’m probably making this more complicated than it needs to be, but on the other hand, if I’m going to pay for a bracelet and wear a bracelet, I might as well make sure it says the right stuff on it.  And hey, thanks if you actually read this  whole thing!

 

Where are you getting you bracelet?  Are you using one  from a pharmacy or an online supplier?Is one style better than another?

This is where I got my last one.  It didn't take long to get here, I was happy with the price, and it does have room for a fair amount of information on it.

I don't think any one style is better than another, but I have been told by some EMT's and ER nurses that it's best to have one that looks like a medical ID bracelet.  There are some that are designed to look a lot like pretty jewelry, and those might be overlooked in an emergency.  I have been told by other EMT's and nurses that they are trained to look carefully for medical jewelry and should not overlook one, no matter how cute or pretty it is, but others say it could be overlooked and I can see how that might happen in an emergency when everyone is moving quickly.

I am wearing a CARE bracelet. It's kinda cool. It is a USB flash drive that holds all your info. Conditions. Meds. Doctors name and contact. I got mine at Walgreens for about $20. You can even print out a hard copy. I get so tired of repeating my meds.

I've thought about that.  I'm wondering how likely they are to have time to plug it in and read all the info in an emergency.  Would there even be a computer to plug it into on an ambulance?  Maybe some EMT or RN folks can chime in here?

Whenever I have a doctor's appointment, I take a printed list of my meds and supplements with me.  It's a LONG list.

I used to believe in the medic alert thing. Now not so much.   I've heard of them causing problems for people because they out too much on them.

I would put surgery type and date, allergies, RH and ICE.

The other stuff is not as critical in my opinion.

You may need aspirin if you are having a heart attack.  The ng tube thing seems to be overhyped.  Medical personnel are trained to stop insertion if they feel resistance.


Dawn

I use MedicAlert because they have a toll free number and a registration number which goes around the edge of the bracelet.

THEY keep the details of history and contact information....no need for anything but essentials on the bracelet. They also keep emergency contact information (no need to get a new bracelet if your partner's phone number changes for example!) It is very simple to update your information on line.

The penicillin allergy is a must, IMO.

And I am a huge supporter of medicalert jewelry in some form or another - I have said it here many times that my son is a paramedic and sees this in action every day.

I have considered getting a medic alert bracelet and after the events of the past few weeks, if I did I would only get one that said "RNY gastric bypass".  I was admitted to the hospital with an internal hernia and intussuseption (spelling?) and they inserted an blind NG tube to relieve the pressure in my stomach.  The nurse was fully aware that I had gastric bypass, she measured, inserted the tube (not very pleasant I may add) and then to ensure she had properly placed it drew out some water that I had used to help swallow the tube.  All was well done.  As a result of having the NG tube you cannot eat or drink so they give you an IV which has sugar in the solution so you don't becomedehydrated and I am a person who dumps on sugars.

 As for the NSAIDs, if I were having a heart attack I would take them, I would rather live and cure an ulcer than have to live with the consequences of the heart attack, but that is just my opinion.

You can eat and drink with an NG tube.  Now, depending on the reason you need an NG tube, you may be unable to eat or drink due to that problem.  But the NG tube doesn't prevent you from eating or drinking.

I'd take an aspirin if I was having a heart attack, too.

That is something to think about if having a heart attack.  I never considered it.  I have to agree with you.