Medical Alert Bracelets for MSers

[Sarahsmom46]

Does anyone have a medica alert bracelet?  

Yesterday I was picking up a script from the pharmacy and saw a pad on the counter advertising the medic alert program.  I looked at the conditions listed under the "Who shoudl have a medic alert.." and saw MS as one of the medical conditions.

When I was at the NIH last summer, I was told I needed to have one and they were going to arrange getting it for me.  Well, they never got around to it so I forgot about it.  So, it does sound like it might be a good idea for us.

What do you all think about this and if you have one already, do you prefer the bracelet or necklace? And who did you order it from?

Thanks,

Julie

[Sarahsmom46]

I don't think this is a bad idea now both the bracelet/necklace "and" having your doctor's names, current scripts, and allergies in your wallets.  These are great ideas guys.  A friend of mine just sent me an email with some info on medic alert bracelets.

I'm passing the info below on to whomever is interested.  It comes from my friend Sandy with her permission:

"If you want an official Medic Alert bracelet, which actually provides the additional service of keeping your medical info (and emergency contacts) on file and a collect-call number for people to call in an emergency, then you need to order through Medic Alert:

http://www.medicalert.org/  or 888-633-4298

If you just want a bracelet that says you have MS and asthma, but does not provide any service, you can order that through a lot of places that sell ID tags.  For example, Boomerang Tags, which sells primarily pet ID tags, also sells what they call "Man Tags" (the name cracks me up!) and they are incredibly durable and you can put several lines of information on their products.  Their website is:  http://www.boomerangtags.com/

I have a stainless steel Medic Alert bracelet and have worn it all the time since early 1994.  I don't even think about it anymore until someone asks about it.  It was important to me to have the call-in service in addition to the bracelet, because my case is so rare and complicated, so I wanted any emergency personnel to not only know the diagnoses but also which meds I'm on and exactly which doctors to call."

Hope this helps.

[Quixotic1]

Yes! Yes! Yes!  We all need to have one of these listing our allergies, meds and MS or "neurologic illness undiagnosed".  If we are unconscious and one of our weird pupils is noticed or hyperreflexia or we have myoclonus or whatever, the attending docs might just make erroneous assumptions about our head injuries and treat us too aggressively.  We have to let them know about neuro abnormalities.  The words MS will tell them to be careful in interpreting our exams.

Since the bracelets and pendants only allow a small amount of info, Ren is absolutely right in making sure that a list of Dx's, meds, and specifics are on a card next to our IDs.  It can be hand written -soesn't need to be fancy.

ICE in your phone?   Won't that short it out?

Quix

[rendean]

I also keep a running list of my meds and allergies as well as diagnoses next to my ID in my wallet. I also have ICE in my phone.

[HVAC]

I keep a whole list of illnesses, Drugs, Doctors and emergency numbers in my wallet.  I have a red cross on it and it is opposite my license. I like this because my information such as drugs or doctors changes. It is also helpful when I go to a new Doctor I just run off a copy.  I was told to enter ICE in my cell phone directory which means In Case of Emergency. A friend of mine was hit by a car bicycling and the paramedics used his cell phone directory to find out who he was and how to reach his wife.

Alex

[Guitar_grrrl]

I probably want to get one.  Not that it's ever happened, but I have this recurring nightmare of being pulled over by the cops and made to do the "stupid human tricks" and failing them, and being promptly arrested!  If I had my Medic Alert, I'd probably be let off the hook! Tee Hee!

The necklace sounds better to me.

Cheers,
Guitar_grrrl

[rendean]

Funny, you should bring this up. Yesterday my daughter, who works in a pharmacy, gave me a bracelet to have engraved.  I am going to have it engraved with the fact I have MS and multiple allergies and meds. Since it is a rather masculine bracelet, I will probably initially only wear it when I am traveling about on my own. I probably need to wear all the time because I have one eye that dilates differently than the other (due to MS) and am allergic to contrast dye which could one of the first things they might use to evaluate an unconscious patient.

My mom has heart problems and she has both a bracelet and a necklace. I want  a necklace like hers that can't be seen under clothing. The necklace is her favorite to wear due to its low profile.

Ren