I read on here that some of you have bracelets. I don't mean to be rude. I'm wondering what the pros and cons are for wearing one. I'm wondering if I should get one.
I have one. I have a couple other medical conditions but overall felt it was a good idea to have the ID that had a basic medical history just in case I was unconscious and couldn't tell them. Also if for whatever reason I needed to be intubated they would need to know not to hyperextend my neck. It gives me some comfort knowing that medical professionals will know about it if they need to, without me having to tell everyone about it. The only con for me is people asking about it, I'm 21 and since no young adult can possibly be ill it seems to confuse people and they ask stupid questions.
http://www.laurenshope.com/ This girl makes some awesome medical IDs that don't even look like IDs. I have gotten two from her and love them.
I'm not opposed to them at all. I just didn't know if I was being over dramatic. I'm a teacher and I talked to the school nurse about it and she didn't seem to think it was necessary. I went on to tell her about Chiari... she hadn't heard of it. When I told her what symptoms could be involved, she whipped out her pen and wrote it down. She went on to say that she was going to make note of it on my medical information... lol Yeah, not taking her opinion too much, so I thought I'd ask you guys since you know more about it than I do.
I think I'd feel better with one, but would it be better to wait and see if I'm a candidate for surgery since that might change what I put on the bracelet, wouldn't it?
I have an ID bracelet through Medic Alert Canada. It has my allergies (narcotic related) engraved on it, but the paper slip I carry in my wallet, and my whole ID contain information regarding other allergies (smoke, etc) and conditions. It’s your typical stainless steel bracelet with the medic alert emblem, the bracelet was about 30$ and my medic alert coverage was (I’m due to renew in November) when I paid it 3 years ago 90$. Small price to pay I think. Gives me piece of mind if I’m unable to communicate and if paramedics or whoever can’t contact my family, that I won’t be overdosed or given something I’m allergic to. And I really like the basic medic alert bracelet, it’s easily recognizable and most medical professionals will ask right away why I have it and take my ID number and get information.
I've been wearing a medical ID bracelet since before I found out about my Chiari. People wear them for all sorts of reasons... for instance, I'm allergic to a specific antiemetic (nausea medication) and my sister has epilepsy, but they can be worn for all sorts of conditions. I also have emergency contacts on the back of mine, but I'm thinking of getting one of the USB medical IDs so I can keep more information with me. I would recommend getting one soon. I know mine definitely gives me some peace of mind.
Thanks for all the advice! I appreciate it. I have another question, if you have the surgery, do you add it to the ID or leave it as Chiari?
I think, with a basic one, you could probably just keep it as Chiari, but with a USB bracelet, I’d add in the surgery to make sure it’s up to date… or maybe with a basic one, you could add a line that says “Decompression ####”, if you get one that allows enough space. Those would be my thoughts on it.
I got mine at www.idtagsonline.com. Mine is a very plain one, but I wanted something else I could wear while in or out of uniform besides the red dog tags.