What does your medical alert bracelet say?

I want to order a medical alert bracelet, but I'm not sure what to have inscribed on it. What have those of you who have one put on yours?

 

Mine has 5 lines:

Joni Weiss  (my name)  

Lap Band 

No known Allergies

Contact Jon Weiss (my dad)

His phone #

 

 

just curious.  why have a medical bracelet for lap band?

From what I understand, there are certain medical procedure that could  do damage if they didn't know you had the band.  Also for administering medications and to watch for band issues caused by nausea or internally swelling.
My surgeon gave me a card to carry in my wallet that says, "MEDICAL ALERT
THE BEARER OF THIS CARD HAS UNDERGONE A BARIATRIC SURGERY.  Avoid placing a nasogastric tube, and do so only with extreme caution.  For any questions in the care of this patient, especially in case of abdominal emergency, please contact me or another generaly or bariatric surgeon."   Then it lists his name and number.

This comes up frequently on here. Any emergency procedure that needs to be carried out on your unconscious body (if you are conscious you don't need a bracelet) will be carried out whether you are banded or not!

A tube into your lungs goes nowhere near the band, any tube which needs to go through the stoma would be to drain fluid/blood after a life threatening trauma. The paramedics are going to save your life! not worry about damaging your band! The only purpose of the bracelet might be to explain why the tube didn't go straight down ( it probably would as the end is smaller than the stoma and even if it didn't it woudl just coil above the stoma, harmlessly!).

It could even cause harm, as if a paramedic saw the "warning" and didn't know what the band was, s/he might delay in order to get advice!

I just carry a card so that if I am in a non-English speaking country, I can show it to medical staff if I need to explian in a lnaguage I don't speak.

Kate

oh i see.  thanks!

Hi,

I only have one because of my other med illness, I had to get a better med id, and liked the one they suggested on her the other day, my only says first I have the lp shunt/ptc and lap band.
if I hadnt needed a new one, I dont think I would have gotten one, just for the lap band, not sure. I didnt think to put other info. Besides, I am well known at my er and hospital. It wont take them long to find me with the shunt. lol

The med bracelets are very nice from the website they suggested the other day, I hope they hold up like they said!

Barb

The band is not an illness or disease. I don't feel we need a medical ID, and very few docs suggest them.

there is NO emergency procedure that should be withheld to save our lives, and NO emergency procedure that would be specially given if we have a band !!!!

There is a continual myth that we cannot be intubated, and people have died becuase of this. NG tubes are completely different , and are rarely used in the field (ie accident site) but i promise you that if one is needed and someone hesiates to do it because if an ID bracelet, and you CROAK - you and  your family would be not be happy. Stay alive! worry about the band later !

NG tubes have never hurt the pouch. they do not puncture it. if they happen not to get thru the stoma, they simply curl around harmlessly. Try to take a 3 ft piece of garden hose, hold one end, and try to manuver the other end thru a small hole, and you'll see clearly what i mean.

if people really feel they want to have an Id bracelet, please put on it only your name, a contact person, "Adjustible gastric band" and your surgeons name and contact #.  An allergies ot other medical consitions too, of course - and all those listed first!

Any other info should be totally ignored (other than a DO NOT RESUSCITATE order) to save your life.  The people  who died had a "do not intubate" order on their  ID and the EMT's interpreted thata s a "DO NOT RESUSCITATE" ORDER - pretty much the same thing. I'd personally prefer to live....

More in this previous threads;

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/LapBand/board_id,5359/cat_id,4959/topic_id,3662937/a,messageboard/action,replies/#29022887

Sandy r
band educator

When I asked my surgeon he said that it wasn't necessary but if I wanted one it wouldn't hurt anything either.  Mine is a necklace that says Lap Band surgery on 10/19/07, allergies to sulfa and penicillin.  I didn't wear one before surgery so my real reason for getting one was my allergies.  I also carry a card in my wallet that I got from my surgeon with a 1-800 number and that I was a baratric patient.  I think it's a personal decision whether to wear one or not.