Question:
Are we required to have Medic Alert Bracelets?

I noticed lots of people mentioning that they have medic alert tags after WLS...I was wondering, do we all need them and if so , where do we get them from?    — Renee B. (posted on May 30, 2003)


May 30, 2003
No, you are not required to wear one. I wear one because of other medical conditions that I have, like I take coumadin. Wearing a Medic Alert bracelet or tag is stricktly voluntary. www.medicalert.com
   — ChristineB

May 30, 2003
You are not required to wear a medic alert bracelet. A good reason to have one is because if you are transported by ambulance or taken to the ER while unconscious they may want to insert an NG (nasal gastric) tube which goes down your nose and into your stomach. When they insert it, they guesstimate where your stomach is. Because we have a pouch now what may happen is they will puncture through your pouch and that would not be good. My bracelet states, "Do not blindly insert NG tube related to RNY gastric bypass. Use fiberoptic scope." This means that they would use a scope with a camera on the end so they can see what my insides look like and place the NG tube correctly.
   — Kristen S.

May 30, 2003
Not only do I wear a bracelet, I have a pendant I wear too, just in case one falls off (I had a dream I lost the pendant, so I got a bracelet, too). I got mine from goldwareid.com. Mine says: "Gastric Bypass. No N/G without scope."
   — scottiemaam O.

May 30, 2003
Hello all, I wear a medicalert bracelet too, mine says "Gastric Bypass, Avoid NG tube" along with some allergies i have. I took the MedicAlert bracelet to a jeweler and had them put a nicer silver charm bracelet chain on it, and i have 6 small charms on it, so it doesnt look so 'medical' LOL....I just hope any paramedic recognizes it for what it is!
   — Nancy D.

May 30, 2003
If you go to my profile page, and click on my website page, you'll see a link to an excellent site to buy ID bracelets. They have all kinds. :)
   — Diana L.

May 30, 2003
Wearing a medic alert bracelet is entirely your choice, but I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. My bracelet reads 'RNY Gastric Bypass, No Blind NG Tube'. I got mine from medicid.com -- they have pretty gold designs that look very much like "normal" jewelry, but they took five weeks to get my bracelet out to me (and that was with overnight shipping!) :-(
   — Katherine T.

May 30, 2003
As everyone stated below, you don't have to get a medical alert bracelet, but it's sometimes better to be safe than sorry. Mine doesn't state anything on it out gastric bypass. It just says, "No NG Tube without Endoscope." I got mine from www.diabeticdrugstore.com. Mines a pretty beaded bracelet. Hope this helps!
   — Renee B.

May 30, 2003
I got mine from MedicAlert.com. I'm a single mom and on the road a lot. I was worried about a possible car wreck or something happening while I was with my son alone. It is really pretty gold filled and looks like a charm bracelet (chain) - it says "Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass. Do not blindly insert NG tube. Use endoscopy."
   — Melissa B.

May 31, 2003
I don't wear much jewelry, and didn't want to start now; also didn't want everybody asking what's wrong with me lol....so I have a card in my wallet (where the ID might go, and I put my driver's license with my credit cards) that says in big letters "NO NG WITHOUT ENDOSCOPE" and under that, RNY gastric bypass patient....If I had to get a bracelet I'd want to disguise it so much they'd never look at it anyway, and they are supposed to look in your wallet if you're alone and everything, and anyone I'm with knows about the NG thing, so I guess I'm covered.
   — Kimberley E.

June 1, 2003
My surgon dosen't require one, but strongly suggests it. I've heard some horror stores about wls pts being in accidents, and having an ng tube put in, and causing the pouch to rupture. That's not my idea of fun, so I went to medic alert's website, and got a bracelet. One of my friend's a paramedic, and suggests you get the bracelet insted of necklace though. He says they sledom check neck jewelery, but if you are wearing a bracelet, they will see it when they go to take your pulse.
   — mellyhudel

June 1, 2003
I wear one also, I was told that if a IV was started that we cannot have the normal ones with all the SUGAR because it would cause us to DUMP and that would not be good, and also for the blind scope problem. It was not required but I thought better be safe than sorry. Tony
   — tonyskid




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