Medical Id Bracelet - Great Idea

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

I know this has been discussed some in the past because I've been in on some other threads for it, but I just wanted to start a new one because of a great site I just found out about.

I know there is debate over whether a medical ID Bracelet is necessary or not. I decided to get one just for my own peace of mind. I just put "Gastric Sleeve VSG - No Blind NG Tubes - No NSAIDs" on mine & thought that would be fine because the place I got it from really didn't have space for contact information or anything else on it. I just figured it would be okay that I had my surgeon's card and other information in my purse.

A couple weeks after surgery, I was talking to a friend who said she had one made also & she said how she put contact info on hers. She said she had never really thought about it before, but had recently witnessed an accident and she and her husband were the first people on the scene of the accident. The woman in the accident was in the car, but her purse had gotten thrown out of the car and it took them a while to find it. My friend said this got her thinking about the bracelet. She said she put most of the same info I did, but also that she's diabetic & also her husband's name and information (and I think our surgeon's number too).

Today someone was talking about it on my surgeon's support group and someone mentioned that they got one with a ton of info on it. She said it has her name, birth year (not full DOB), contact info for her son, her procedure & date of surgery, No Blind NG, No NSAIDs, and our surgeon's name & phone. When we asked her where she got it from, she said it was from Road ID (http://www.roadid.com/). I looked at the site and think it's awesome how much information they can fit on them and they're reasonably priced. They even have options for a wrist or shoe one and some other options. They also have an option for an interactive coverage (which is a subscription) where you could put a more complete profile that EMS could access online or on the phone.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share because although I pray that none of us ever needs emergency assistance, it eases my mind knowing the people who would help me would have the necessary information. I had never thought about how important the contact information is in a situation where my wallet might not be right there! I haven't found other sites that offer the same amount of information on a bracelet as the site above for a reasonable price in the past.

[GivingItMyAll 168]

Thanks for posting this. I'm going to order mine right after surgery. I don't want to jinx the surgery not happening on the scheduled date.

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

Thanks for posting this. I'm going to order mine right after surgery. I don't want to jinx the surgery not happening on the scheduled date.

LOL! I ordered my first one when I started my pre-op diet & it got here right before surgery, but I left it at home until after surgery. My friend who I mentioned above got hers from http://www.laurenshope.com/ & she was able to fit a lot of information on it too, but she said she has to dress up for work & wanted something fancier so hers was just over $100 and is really nice. I don't need anything fancy & don't have a lot to spend anyway. The one I got before was from http://www.n-styleid.com/medical-id-alert-bracelets/rubber-bracelets.html and was about $35 with shipping, but it didn't have enough room for all that info. Depending on which option you go for on the Road ID site theirs are even cheaper!

[kyllfalcon 768]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I take NSAIDS every day with no problems. Surgeon made me go off a week pre-op and 8 weeks post-op though.

[lowe1961 45]

can you tell me what this means No Blind NG, No NSAIDs

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I take NSAIDS every day with no problems. Surgeon made me go off a week pre-op and 8 weeks post-op though.

Every doctor is different. Mine says no NSAIDs for life after surgery on his paperwork. I asked him about it and he said that an "occasional" ibuprofen would be okay if necessary, but basically he says "no" to them. He said there are some that aren't as harsh on the stomach if someone truly needed them, but as a basic rule he says no. However, I do understand that some doctors don't care about it. Since it is something my doctor would rather have us stay away from, I think it's important for me to have on my ID Bracelet just in case. In one thread I saw before about ID bracelets someone pointed out tthat most EMS people would not be giving NSAIDs by mouth anyway in an accident situation & that's where my surgeon says they can cause problems. Again, it's more just for my own peace of mind based on my surgeon's rules.

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

can you tell me what this means No Blind NG, No NSAIDs

NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - like ibuprofen. Some surgeons say we aren't supposed to have them after surgery because they can cause issues in the stomach.

An NG tube is a nasogastric tube that goes through the nose into the stomach - basically a feeding tube. A "blind" one is one that is put in without them looking at all at what they're doing really, and this can cause an issue for our smaller stomachs because it can cause a problem in the stomach lining/staple line and could potentially puncture the stomach if they shove it in too far or too fast. It was actually on my discharge papers from the hospital as something to make sure is NEVER done after sleeve surgery.Therefore, it is something that would be important to be on a medic alert Bracelet.< /p>

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

Here is a great article on the Lauren's Hope site that I listed above that explains more about the blind NG tubes too - http://blog.laurenshope.com/medical-id-jewelry-blog/bid/50075/3-Reasons-Why-Gastric-Bypass-Patients-Should-Wear-a-Medical-Alert - it's about bypass patients, but applies to us too.

[kimbernada 190]

Ooooh.. I love the bangle Bracelet with the non-color id tag at www.n-styleid.com. I like 'understated' jewelry (well, except for my wedding ring). I added this to my wishlist.

Thanks for sharing!

[nabird77 29]

What a great post... thanks for the info - I will be ordering mine after surgery!

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

Ooooh.. I love the bangle Bracelet with the non-color id tag at www.n-styleid.com. I like 'understated' jewelry (well, except for my wedding ring). I added this to my wishlist.

Thanks for sharing!

You might want to consider looking at Lauren's Hope instead if you want to put more information on your bracelet. I like some of the ones on N-Style too, but the only allow 3 lines and not many characters per line, so I couldn't put any contact info on mine from N-Style. However, Lauren's Hope has a lot of options and their plaques allow more lines. I actually thought about buying a new plaque from Lauren's Hope that would hook to my rubber bracelet I got from N-Style since it can have more lines on it. I ended up ordering one from Road ID yesterday, but I also like the rubber bracelet or other ones if I would like something more dressy sometimes. I do like the idea that many of the plaques are interchangeable with different bracelets so if someone wanted to spend the money on different bracelets they could keep changing their plaque from one to another.

[kimbernada 190]

You might want to consider looking at Lauren's Hope instead if you want to put more information on your Bracelet. I like some of the ones on N-Style too, but the only allow 3 lines and not many characters per line, so I couldn't put any contact info on mine from N-Style.

Yep, I've been there too. I really like the "bangle" from the other site. I found that I could put my name, the "no" stuff, and the ICE on the third line - which would be my hubby's cell phone. BUT... I haven't ordered anything yet.

[Roseib 13]

I got a pretty Bracelet after surgery and after I had lost a bunch of weight I was talking in class one day and gestured with my hand and the bracelet was flung across the room. If you have a lot to lose, remember your wrists will get smaller when you think about future size or buy one that can be sized

[Grandma64 1]

I got a USB Bracelet from: www.medicalalertjewelry4u.com/usb-medical-alert-bracelets. It it so cool, you can put as much information on it that you want, medications, surgeries, x-rays, contacts, doctors, ect!! The EMS workers will plug it into their laptop they carry on board and it will tell them everything!! It cost me $39.95, well worth the money. They have different styles to choose from. Hope you're all having a GREAT day! grandma64

[Webchickadee 716]

I have worn a MedicAlert braclet for 20 years. I have a number of health conditions that are potentially life-threatening (including anaphlyactic allergies to Latex, bee/wasp stings, codeine and rabbits!). I also carry an Epipen.

Once I had the VSG surgery, I was considering getting a new braclet, but I already have a ton of info on mine (all my allergies, asthma, epipen, etc.). The great thing about Medic Alert is that your Bracelet (or watch, or pendant, necklace, etc.) is only 1 part of the lifeline! You have a unique ID number engraved on the bracelet that identifies you, along with a 1-800 number that emergency personnel or hospital staff can call and get full details of your medical status. And also contact info, next of kin, doctors, surgeons, current meds, etc.

Instead of getting a new bracelet, I updated my personal ID card in my wallet with VSG on it, no blind NG tubes, etc.

Not perfect (if my purse isn't near me), but if they call the 1-800 number, they'll get all that info too.

Here are some links to different country organizations:

• Canada Medic Alert
  
• USA Medic Alert
  
• Australia Medic Alert
  
• New Zealand Medic Alert
  
• UK Medic Alert
  
• Cyprus Medic Alert
  
• Iceland Medic Alert
  
• Malaysia Medic Alert
  
• South Africa Medic Alert
  
• Zimbabwe Medic Alert