BS: Medical Alert ID Tags

Subject: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 10:43 PM

We touched on this once before but I really wanted a few more words on the subject........Sorry, but it hits home kinda' hard every now and then so a few more words can't hurt. In a previous discussion we did talk some pros and cons.......But here is another chance.

Because of my past history and current meds, I wear one now. I recently found a nice, nickel sized locket style that is waterproof, fireproof, etc. Inside is a very thorough, but small chart containing history, meds, Docs, other contacts, blood type, allergies, etc. with accompanying phone numbers and other vital info. It's easily readable, believe it or not, and can provide Emergency Personnel with a ton of info very quickly. CLick Here for SOS ID tag

When things have gone awry for me I have been lucky to have Karen available with me, but I recently realized how little input a person can have when they are really in a bad way.......not to mention unconscious. I have been in situations where even coscious it was damn near impossible to get out my name, let alone vital info needed. Without Karen I would have had to rely on something other than myself.......hence the Medic Alert Tag.

Personal plea........If you have any type of medical condition that a doctor or EMT should be aware of, please get yourself an appropriate Medical Alert tag of some sort. Wallet cards and key tags are about useless as you may not have them at all times. Whatever you wear should be with you all the time which is why the necklace and bracelet styles are popular. I like mine as it has room for all the assorted crappola needed and my history reads like a CTD candidate although I am doing great now. I want to stay that way and the tag gives me a sense of some security, very reassuring. Don't allow personal pride to keep you from doing what you should for yourself and your family. Because you have some minor condition, don't let it explode to a bigger one because you've failed to mention it.

Just a thought.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 11:00 PM

Absolutely. If given any form of penicillin, I would be dead within minutes.

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 11:15 PM

Thanks, Spaw, I hear you loud and clear and will go dig my old one oout until I get a new one ordered. I never had decided in our previous discussion, but you've made some really important points that I should have already known. Thanks for the link, I'll go look at it.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 11:20 PM

The size of a nickel? Do you have to write really tiny? Is it legible? Do they have bracelets, instead? Sorry, would just like to know a bit more.

Thanks,

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 11:41 PM

Yeah, you write real small, but it has more room than seems possible and I listed three docs, all meds, two contacts, allegies (remember my problem with Versed?), the works. Used a new and expensive extra fine point and took my time. You get several and can get more which I liked since things like meds can change. It's a really ingenious little paper and the locket is watertight ( I tested it before putting the info in).

Whatever you decide, I'm glad you've decided to do it!

Luvyakatmyluv.......And you know I want to keep you around !!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 11:55 PM

Thanks, darlin'! You, too!

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Margo
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 01:14 AM

Hey Buddy, thanks. We need to get Dear Darling a new ID because she has completely scuffed up the old one.... and we were just looking... Great site! Margo

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 01:23 AM

You could just have it tatooed on your various body parts. 'Do not put penicillin in here' on your arm or arse.....'this bit isn't real on what ever'... 'pacemaker under here'..... my mother would be like a walking book! Even her own doctor told her that if she was a dog they'd have put her down by now.....

It is something that I often feel I should do. And also, if you do this sort of thing, put the location of your donor card on it too.... many's the time organs that were recycleable (sorry, can't think of better word)have been missed because the family objected and they didn't find the donor card in time.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 04:10 AM

But, serious point, would the medics / paramedics find it or even look for it?

My guess is that they'd treat you in the way they thought best without checking out your necklaces, braclets, pockets etc

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 07:54 AM

Yes, paramedics do look for ID's particularly if the person is exhibiting signs of that particular illness (epilepsy, asthma etc...) but when preparing a patient for admission, all jewellery etc. is checked and they are always searched for confirmation of ID and/or medical status. It's also one of the first questions asked either the patient if conscious, or the nearest relative/friend accompanying them.

LTS - who's been on the receiving end too many times!

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: fox4zero
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 08:05 AM

There are finely machined metal "capsules" which are meant to be worn on a chain, and are sold to be used to carry medications. They come in 2 sizes: a small size to carry a few pills and a larger size to carry a 25-pill bottle of nitroglycerine. The metal container unscrews at its center and has an "o" ring seal.

If you wrote out all your pertinent medical info with a word processor program, using a very small font (8 or 10), you could scroll the paper and easily insert it into the large size container for sure.

The container can be worn around one's neck together with a common med-alert locket which referred medics to the capsule. I guess a dab of fluorescent paint on the container would help too attract attention to it. Although the container itself (or my wife's cleavage) seems to draw considerable attention without fluorescent paint.

I think that I bought the metal capsule from a mail order catalog from Herrington's for about $25.

When I was an E.R. intern at University Hospital in Baltimore, our favorite medical alert card was: I am not a diabetic/Do not take me to a hospital/Let me lie here/I am drunk.

Larry Parish

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 09:00 AM

The army are currently developing swipe cards with medical details on, which could be updated everytime one went to the hospital/doctors surgery. My brother is involved in this and i did suggest to him that we could all have implants rather in the way that dogs and cats do for ID purposes. These would be inserted rather like HRT and contraceptive devices are in women. When medical info changes the insert could be removed and another one inserted.

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 12:37 PM

Excellent points by all!!!

Margo is right about kids too, not just our Special Needs kids, but any child with any kind of medical condition that might affect emergency treatment.

My friend Wayne was an EMT/Paramedic for 25 years and he says emergency medicine folks are all trained to search first for such info.

My dog has an implant that is read by a bar code reader and it's a good idea for the future, but all ER responders would need the correct equipment. I wouldn't mind seeing it happen though.............I suppose it's a bit too Orwellian for some, but...........

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Dave Swan
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 01:56 PM

Catspaw's correct, and so is Wayne. The information is good, and we do look for it. When we train paramedics, an important part of the cirriculum includes the search for alert tags, medication lists, and home health paperwork.

Keep your emergency alerts and paperwork up to date and leave them where emergency personnel can find them. Keep a copy of your emergency records in an envelope on the refrigerator door. If we find you unconscious and no one can help with information, we'll look in your refrigerator for clues (insulin or other meds which must be kept cold), if we're met with an envelope marked EMERGENCY MEDICAL INFORMATION, you can bet we'll read what's within.

This has been a public service of a Mudcat EMS provider.

Dave Swan

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 02:00 PM

Goodonya, Dave. I remember that being one of the first things we learned in EMT class, right after checking the airway and heartbeat.

I found some kind of cools ones for kids, that they would actually like to wear, maybe. And, also a neat article on what the military is starting to use, very high tech, but not so Orwellian:

Kids Designer Tags

Military Goes High Tech with computer chip I.D. Medical Tags

More fun I.D. tags for kids to fit on shoelaces, etc.

katorderinghertagrightnow

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 05:56 PM

The insertable ID tag would be good if it could be updated without having to remove it. If mine were updated every time I have an asthma attack, medication or a new injury/illness, I'd be forever in and out with the thing and would be better off having a zipper installed!

Having a link to a computer (as most hospitals have now) would be more sensible. Zap in the barcode and the info appears on screen, a bit like your details appear when you give your post code (zip code) to any retail outlet offering credit facilities or any phone purchasing outlet. Tap in the post code, they have you to within 100 houses. Standing behind a bloke wanting to buy something on his credit card in the Electronics shop this afternoon, the bloke was asked for every thing except his inside leg measurement and the birth weight of his first born child.... all of the required info was already on screen, they just needed confirmation.... right down to his previous 4 addresses and his mother's maiden name! Orwell wasn't so far wrong....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Gareth
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 06:28 PM

I can well sympathise with those who need to carry Medical Alert tags, whilst on permenant medication myself its not to the stage, or so my Doctor tells me, that I need to alert the medics, if found unconcious.

The trouble with being "chipped" like a dog is I suspect that the powers that be would use your (UK) National Health Service No. as key I.D. UK Catters who take an inrerest in these matters have noticed legislation to amend the data protection acts to cross reference information between goverment departments.

I have yet to hear of a security or police service being given a power which at one stage or another has not been misused, outside the original intention.

I fear any chip may be misused to provide the malovent with the oportunity to trace via distance interogation how you move, and where were you, or should it be you were there.

Which puts a new angle on the Max Boyce/South Wales catch phrase "I know, 'cos I was there !

I fear Orwell's tale of "Airstrip One" gets nearer and nearer, even if 17 years late.

For myself, when the time comes, yes I'll carry an alert capsule - I already carry a donor permit card.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:08 PM

Just got mine in the mail, today and Spaw is right, it is a really nifty set-up. It is even musically related: after one fills out the tiny strip of paper which goes inside the pendant, the fine print instructs one to fold it "in the form of a concertina!"

Thanks, Spaw!

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: nutty
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 08:09 PM

Kat - That's the kind I have -- being a diabetic. It's called an SOS Talisman in this country but the ridiculous thing is , you can only buy them at jewellers and to get a decent one costs the earth.
Mine was a christmas/birthday present as it cost over £25
It would make more sense if there was a standard design available at the doctor's surgery or pharmacists.

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 12:28 PM

Glad you got yours kat.....and nutty, I saw the UK website a few years ago when I was looking for one and that is what took me to the American site. Glad you have one too.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: catspaw49
Date: 21 May 02 - 08:32 AM

Just a refresh as I got a question about these by PM and it never hurts as a reminder.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 May 02 - 10:45 AM

Thanks, Spaw...still wearing mine and never even notice it.

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: SharonA
Date: 21 May 02 - 12:10 PM

I should wear one but I don't because I hate wearing jewelry all the time! It just irritates my skin (not as in "rash" but as in "nerves"; I can't even stand the feeling of clothing-tags on the back of my neck, and virtually always cut them off). I'd be the first to sign up for an implanted chip, Orwell or no Orwell... as long as that wouldn't get on my nerves just as much. I can just see myself going back to the doctor, begging him to take out the implant because the feel of it in my ear drove me crazy!

Maybe someday they'll have a DNA database, and the EMT will just draw your blood, run it through a 10-second processor and have a readout of all your info... That wouldn't help an identical twin, though, would it?

Subject: RE: BS: Medical Alert ID Tags
From: Tig
Date: 21 May 02 - 06:31 PM

My Medic Alert is a small steel bracelet with a phone number, my personal ID number and the main conditions I suffer from. Other info is held on computer and includes medication and hospital numbers as well as all the other usual info about doctor, next of kin, etc. This can be accessed by ringing the phone number or from a small card carried in my purse.

They can be got as bracelets, necklaces and even swish 'sports' ones with elasticated straps suitable for kids in steel, silver (and I think gold!).

Phone number for details (not the emergency one) is (44) 0 171-833 3034. They are VERY helpful and for a small yearly charge update your card/computer record when you change medication. They require your doctor to check medical details but most don't mind.