medical ID bracelets

Hi everyone! I was just curious, how many of you post ops have one and what does it say? My doctor never mentioned getting one and I was wondering how necessary is it? I would think that if it was crucial to have one he should have mentioned it. Anyways, i was going to ask my mom to get me one for my birthday and I wasnt sure what it should say. Thanks for your input! Karyn

Karyn, I think it is very important to have an ID bracelet, in case of an accident,etc.. Mine reads: RNY GASTRIC BYPASS NO NG TUBES NO NSAIDS Hope this helps! Hugs Lori

Wrist bracelet: "Gastric Bypass Do not blindly place N/G tube" Am thinking of getting a necklace however, and when/if I do, I'm adding the No Nsaids, etc. Also, one thing of note ... EMTs and medical personnel are trained to look to the LEFT WRIST first for medical alert info, before they search anywhere else. Myra

Hi Myra, Great information! Hey, what happened to your beautiful face? It's kinda AWOL right now! Hugs, Virginia aka Ginger

Ha! Virginia.. you caught me out! I use a second non-personal profile when doing HTML volunteer work ... one I where I can post the HTML code to test the design out before committing the code to the members' actual profiles ... I was logged on with that profile and didn't notice until AFTER I'd made my post. So it's me, Myra (with face) or Myra G. (without face) hugs back, and how are you feeling? Myra

Hi Myra, Are you one of the OH volunteers that "spuce-up" profiles? How did you get to be so computer savvy?? I am feeling alittle better each day. I had my appointment with the Wound Center and they tell me my incision is getting so small now..that I may be able to have my wound VAC removed next Friday!! That will be a full 4 weeks. In the mean time..I have been driving, and love my freedom. I just drag my trusty wound vac with me to the stores and put it in the grocery cart along with my purse..I just happen to have a 6 ft hose attached to my belly is all!! Welcome back Myra with a face. Speaking of faces...I'm gonna measure my neck today (and my other parts too) Peeps that don't know I had the surgery are making comments about how my face looks smaller..gotta measure. I walk by a mirror and don't recognize this face. Do ya think I had a face replacement while I was under??? Haha! Hugs, Virginia

Oh my, you have my sympathies on what you're going through with your healing ... I'm sorry it's taking such a while for it to resolve. But you sound pretty upbeat about it all, and that's good. If you're anything like me, your face will be the big loser (in terms of thinning down ... not the other way LOL) ... seems my weight started coming off at my scalp (no joke) and is finally down to the important stuff, below waist. Right now, I'm a real pear! As for the HTML thing, yep, I'm one of those volunteers here that "spruces" up profiles. I've been involved with computers since about 1995, and have/had a small online web design business for about 4 years (www.baugherstudio.com****il I became disabled. Once that happened, I had to close it to commercial work, but I keep the website for the day I can reopen it and make a bit of $ off it. Volunteering is a way to keep my skills honed ... it's true if you don't use it, you lose it ... and a way also I can "give back" something to OH, for all the help I've found here, if that makes sense. Myra

(She dons her flame proof suit before she speaks!) Post-op - don't have one - don't think they are much use but if they make you feel better - then by all means wear one. Why? 1. a Medic Alert is designed to speak for you in the event that you can't speak for yourself - if you are not conscious, then oral NSAIDs are not a problem - they won't be trying to make you swallow anything! and IV NSAIDs are fine - matter of fact, they were a lifesaver for me after surgery - saying no NSAIDs makes it appear as though you might be allergic... and could prevent you from getting lifesaving medication? - after talking to many ER nurses and other personnel - they sometimes look for medic alert -but to be quite frank, if it isn't the reccognized ugly silver ones that have the med symbol on it - they don't even bother - jewelry is the last of their concern - in a true emergency it will just get cut off - I had an open RNY - one of the first things they do in an emergency situation with someone who is unconscious is to cut off your shirt, bra etc and bare the chest - my scar on my abdomen will speak louder than any bracelet ever could! - between that and the resistance they will meet in trying to sink an NG tube if they needed one - but chances are there are other priorities long before they get to that - like getting you to breathe or have a heart beat! all of that said... the biggest value may be that the bracelet reminds you or your family member of what you need to tell the doctor if you need treatment and are able to talk... and if it make you feel better... then by all means do it!

Thanks for your opinion, I was really hoping to have an opinion from both sides, truly I have no problem wearing one and I have no problem not wearing one, but I just kept wondering in the back of my mind why my surgeon didnt mention these things? I feel better knowing they are not absolutely without a doubt something I MUST have. I will still discuss with my surgeon during my pre-op visit and get his opinion as well, thank you ALL for letting me know what you think! Karyn

Sphinxy ... I love the prologue to your post! I don't see anything *flammable* about what you had to say. Everyone has opinions, and we're all need to hear every aspect of the topics we post about. I wear a bracelet (one of the recognized ugly silver ones) for two reasons: because I have for 25+ years due to another medical problem totally separate from WLS that med personnel would need to know of before they do any injecting of any meds into my system and ... because it's a requirement in my particular BS program (the first program I was in had no such requirement). What I quoted above is only the WLS part of that's been added to my bracelet since my Open RnY in March, 2005. Myra