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Med ID Jewellery

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
janine19

janine19

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Im looking at getting an ID necklace and have found a tiffany style heart on medicaltags.co.uk.

Im not sure what to have engraved. Can have 3 lines. Thought my name and type 1 diabetic.

Does anyone have this necklace ? What do other people have engraved?
 
The medic alerts I have allow a lot more information, but I have my name and date of birth (for ID purposes) along with diabetes and blood group (as I'm a rare type)

On the back, I have emergency contact information and the more important drugs I use. There is also an online service (identifyyourself.com) where you can put further details or things which can change.
 
I have a meditag bracelet and just have diabetes engraved on it, but it makes sense to have as much information as space will allow.
 
Hi

Just to let you know that if you receive DLA then you do not have to pay the annual subscription to MedicAlert. I find MedicAlert very helpful. You have to send a copy of your DLA to them and they waive the fee.

Adrienne🙂
 
I have medicalert, you can get various types and styles, from dog tags and bracelets to watches etc...

The information engraved on the back is the critical information, my large tag has 8 lines (ok some are 1 or 2 words) on them and there is a unique serial number and phone number that a doctor or hospital can call to get a full list of your medical conditions, and also all your current medication and your next of kin.

In addition you get a printed card with all the information to put in your wallet.

Its an annual subscription and is a worldwide recognised service. So far I've not has cause to use it, but I've had the tag for 7 years now.

With all of these tags, remember you need to wear them 24/7 and as such if you have acidic skin then plated tags will corrode quite quickly. It might therefore be worth investing in a solid gold tag day one, I went through three SOS Talismans (silver and gold plated) in a couple of years through corrosion, as I said the solid gold one has lasted 7 years and will last a good many more. Shame really as I hate wearing jewellery!
 
Enough info!

I have a Tiffany bracelet with my name and 'insulin diabetic' engraved on it. I have had several bad hypo's which have involved ambulance crews and I have been unconscious and they have had enough info from this every time to sort me out! This is as much as they need for a quick emergency.
 
MediTags

Hi All

I've purchased one of the USB stick meditags.

You stick it in your usb port on your computer and it opens an application which you complete a very detailed medical records.

Bought it online. Very compact and can be added to a key ring.
 
That sounds handy Pingu, you could get much more information on there. But would a paramedic know to check your keyring for a usb, and if they did find it would they have somewhere on the ambulance to plug it in?

Does anyone know what medicalert tags cost? They seem to have redesigned their site and removed any reference to prices, all I can find are images of the products and when you click on them they just enlarge, instead of taking you to a page with pricing info. I don't want to sign up for something when I don't know how much it will cost me.
 
Ambulances and Meditags

Well I had a situation when an Ambulance was called out for me as I collapsed due to a bad nosebleed and a hypo.

They knew I was a diabetic on an insulin pump and started to treat me with hypostop.

If they turned the pump off or pulled the cannula out the hypo could have been resolved quickly. Instead they kept on stuffing hypostop in me which didn't work and ended up in hospital with glucagon injected in me.

Maybe that's another topic - how medics deal with people on pumps????
 
Hi Lizzie,
If on the medicalert.org.uk site go to join then go down to visit online shop and choose the item you want. The price and picture is there.
You can buy some of their dog tags without chains, so that you can add your own.

As I said in an earlier post I have their solid gold dog tag, cost a hundred and something a few years ago (without chain) and has done well, none of the engraving has worn away and its still in great condition.

David
 
Lizzie,

Forgot, don't click on the picture, click on the text for the price!
 
AlanJardine said:
The medic alerts I have allow a lot more information, but I have my name and date of birth (for ID purposes) along with diabetes and blood group (as I'm a rare type)

On the back, I have emergency contact information and the more important drugs I use. There is also an online service (identifyyourself.com) where you can put further details or things which can change.
Click to expand...
I think identifyyourself.com links to http://www.universalmedicalid.com/uk/. Thinking of getting a bracelet and or necklace. Not too sure which to get. 😛

I don't know my blood type, would be nice to know. Would the hospital be able to find out from the blood samples I've already given what blood type I am?
 
ive also got a medic alert one, its a necklace one, stainless steel, and ive had it for as long as i can remember (it may have been renewed once in 15 years?) when i was younger i used to wear it all the time, school etc. I dont tend to wear it so much these days but i also have the printed card and that goes everywhere with me! its always in my wallet and my wallet is always with me.

failing that i also carry dextrose tablets and any professional medic will imediately assotiate them with blood glucose.

the medic alert is a yearly subscription with all your details stored on a database, anyone treating you can then ring the number on the back of the pendent give the unique code and then find out all your meds and conditions..... could be a life saver one day.

those medic alerts are for all sorts of conditions too- heart, allergic reactions etc.
 
MarcLister said:
I think identifyyourself.com links to http://www.universalmedicalid.com/uk/. Thinking of getting a bracelet and or necklace. Not too sure which to get. 😛

I don't know my blood type, would be nice to know. Would the hospital be able to find out from the blood samples I've already given what blood type I am?
Click to expand...
Personally, I've got both. If I was to go for one, I would go for the bracelet and wear it on the left, as that is where medics are most likely to spot it (when taking a pulse)

I imagine the hospital or doctor would be able to find our your blood type, but they would probably have to do a specific test, rather than using older results for other items.

I found out mine when I was younger and needed a blood transfusion after an accident and operation. They had difficulty finding the right blood so advised me to carry a card with my blood group on just in case.
 
I wonder if at times a tattoo across the forehead telling them where to look wouldn't be a good option. Look as in for the tag, not 'I have diabetes, but I don't know where it is..'

After you, I'm not being the first to have the tattoo done!
 
AlanJardine said:
I imagine the hospital or doctor would be able to find our your blood type, but they would probably have to do a specific test, rather than using older results for other items.
Click to expand...
Rang my surgery today to ask/arrange a blood test to determine my blood type. The conversation with the secretary got off to a bad start when she said "that when you get pregnant and when you donate blood you can find out your blood type".

Firstly, as my voice hopefully hints at, I'm a bloke not a lady-girl thingy. So the chances of me getting pregnant are, I believe, quite low but I am happy to be corrected on this moot point. :D

Secondly, as a diabetic I believe I'm not allowed to give blood because the benefits of me giving blood wouldn't outweigh the potential problems I'd suffer from doing so. And I did start the conversation by saying I was a diabetic if that helps.

The woman from the surgery said she'd get someone to ring me back tomorrow to speak to me about it. Can't believe it is this hard and frustrating to find out my blood type! I'd have to do the blood test privately she said. I have no problem with this as I don't have an urgent medical need to find it out and so I don't expect the taxpayer to have the burden of my blood test. She did say that if I got my test done at the surgery I'd get two invoices; one from them for taking the blood and one from the hospital that would do the actual testing. I was told this would be Stoke Mandeville. So I'm wondering, could I cut the surgery out of the equation as it were and just arrange a blood test at Stoke Mandeville and just pay them? Would that be easier/quicker/cheaper at all?

I would like to know my blood type for my medical bracelet. But since I've no idea what type I am I'd like to know if I have a rare type or a common type of blood. 🙂
 
Have you had any hospital surgery? If so, your blood group etc should be in your records.
When you go for your annual test, ask the med tech for your group and I'm sure he/she would assist.

I have used a "Talisman" medic thing for many years. Used to have the heavy chain bracelet, but now I have one with a watchstrap and don't notice I have it on.
 
kojack said:
Have you had any hospital surgery? If so, your blood group etc should be in your records.
When you go for your annual test, ask the med tech for your group and I'm sure he/she would assist.

I have used a "Talisman" medic thing for many years. Used to have the heavy chain bracelet, but now I have one with a watchstrap and don't notice I have it on.
Click to expand...
Nope no surgery at all.

HelenM said:
A quick google came up with this. At about ?15 it may be cheaper than your GP.
http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/bloodtestlocator.html
Click to expand...
Hmm no clinics near me. :(
 
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