Hi,
I also have wondered about this but for a few reasons. I am single and I cycle often so I want to make ANYBODY aware that I am Diabetic and not Drunk
😉 also I am off to Asia again soon (I hope) so I want to do something perhaps like a Wrist Tattoo with and International Diabetic Sign (Ha! - if only) or perhaps just DIABETIC and a snakey sword thing (Caduceus). I have two UK Paramedic mates and have asked them what they think. They both said....
"If a person is unconcious the first thing we check is their eyes, then their pulse on the non-watch wrist. Amongst the other things they do is do a blood glucose test" So, I reckon we are mostly safe in the UK at the very least if we don't have a Medical Sign somewhere. They both said they are NOT trained to look for a tattoo and they don't go in people's wallets because of people sueing them for stealing stuff (However hospitals do if needed). They also don't go looking at "pretty" or "subtle" jewellery - they don't have the time to justify this - so they said make it big and bold so it can be seen. Of course, this is in the UK so when we are in other parts of the world these paramedic procedures will not necessarily be adhered to. So, all in all at the moment I have:
- DIABETIC Dog Tag Neckalce
- DIABETIC Wrist Band in Bold and typed all around the band
- DIABETIC background on my mobile phone screen
- DIABETIC key ring
- DIABETIC card in wallet x 2
- DIABETIC sign on second mobile phone case which carries my Emergency Dextrose tablets
I make sure all my friends know where my stashes of Emergency food are (Work, Bike, Home etc) and tell everybody what the score is.
Because I am now single I do worry if I get a hypo and am not able to cope with it. My friends have asked me what would happen and I said I would probably die!. This they questioned and my reply was well if I go into a Coma then nobody would find about it until it was too late. So I have come up with a couple of things that may be of use. (For those who read the below and wonder how I can do this when in a Coma - Yes - you are right - I couldn't but I am hoping that I could do it if I was feeling very ill just before I black out. I don't know how realistic this is though) (My hypo signs change the further I go into the hypo - I sometimes experience a "lack of urgency" besides the confusion etc I seem to worry about writing down my B.G. levels rather than EAT EAT EAT!) I have my house wired up with Burglar alarm Emergency switches in most rooms. This is wired to a Burglar alarm system that dials the emergency services (yes I know I shouldn't). There is no Outside Alarm Bell just an outside strobe and an internal sounder.
"Ah ha" - I hear you saying - "But how can the Paramedics get in your house without Destroying your front door". Well yes, I though of this and found an Outdoor Numeric Keysafe. This I bought for around a tenner (ebay) and it is covered in a rubber shroud and is very inconspicuous mounted near the front door. I got my Paramedic mate to say to the local Ambulance station something like "Single Occupant Diabetic Insulin User suffers from Hypos" and gave them my secret magic number to get in my little safe that has a front door key in. Well, I had fun in setting all this lot up whether it works or not I don't know, we'll see. I also have those little emergency bottles that we put in the fridge and little green cross signs on the house entry doors (and over the light switch) and have a special little camping type fridge that I keep all my Insulins in and Emergency foods and drinks etc. with a little green cross on too. I have a big INSULIN sticker on the fridge door too. I am starting to call this my snack fridge he he he.
Short of buying a DIABETIC t-shirt I think I have gone as far as I can.
Thinks....... mmmmm perhaps "DIABETIC undies"?
Joe
