I’ve recently been diagnoised and was wandering if I should get a medical alert bracelet and if anyone has any suggestions of where to get one?
Thanks, BeckiBoo 
I ordered a plain Id bracelet off of Overstock.com and had it engraved at a local jeweler. I think it cost me a total of $50
For example: http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Brushed-Finish-Stainless-Steel-ID-Link-Bracelet/3657622/product.html. I’m actually liking this one better than what I have now, hmmm.
Most definitely. If you visit - http://www.n-styleid.com/ they have a lot of great options and at a reasonable cost.
I got a necklace from here, for free… http://www.diabeteswellness.net/WellnessNetwork/FREEDiabetesIDNecklace/tabid/143/language/en-US/Default.aspx, and then I cropped it and turned into a bracelet.
I got a tatoo
There are a lot of bracelet here Lauren’s Hope. I like them more than those provided by medic-alert.
I just found this on Rockstar and ordered mine today. I use to have a USB key fob but that got all beaten up this might be better and a paramedic friend of mine told me that most paramedics don’t go looking in pockets for something like that. They look on wrists or around necks…
http://www.manordrug4.com/servlet/the-2078/MY-dsh-MED%E2%84%A2-Band–dsh–Medical/Detail
Don
Always wear one. Ordered a small, delicate silver bracelet with a smaller face from a jeweler, has the small medical sign on front and says Diabetic on back. You can choose from all sorts of chains and faces. I wear another silver bracelet with it. Together they just look like bracelets.
i have medic alert braclet that I attached my own bracelet too. I signed up for medic alert 38 years ago when I was first diagnosed. I loss the bracelet 25 years ago. Never thought about it again. Then a couple of years ago I had a serious hypo that required assistance ( my husband was able to help). But I decided to get a new bracelet, just in case. I ordered it on line. Low and behold they still had me in their system since 1972. They had my parents phone number and info, but they still had that I was diabetic. I updated the info and I am back on board. My confidence is with Medic Alert.
Any EMT’s/Paramedics out there?
I’ve been wondering about this- do you think that Medic Alert jewelry is primarily for lay persons who may find us “in need” so they can communicate that to EMT’s? Do paramedics really look for this jewelry? I asked a paramedic friend of mine and he said he doesn’t look for medic alert jewelry- so much of it now is made to “blend in” that they don’t have time to mess with it.( If there is an obvious red bracelet they will see it ) He says that they just assess the patient and treat accordingly-their job is to stabilize and transport-not diagnose and treat. He told me that they automatically give glucagon for hypos (even if the patient is conscious!).
What are your thoughts?
My name is Greg Adams and I am the Educational Services Director at MedicAlert Foundation. I have been a working EMT/paramedic since 1981 and have seen many variations on medical IDs over the years. It is always good for EMS and other providers to know you have a significant medical histroy. The tools used on most ambulances today will tell the provider what your sugar level is and give them good information as to give or withold sugar in your treatment. All the companies listed in these post provide some beautiful jewelry but if you have a need for your family to be notified in an emergency or you have other complications then the services provided by MedicAlert Foundation will benefit you. We are and always have been a nonprofit service organization with the mission to provide medical information and identification in times of emergency. All you have to do to find out more details is go to www.medicalert.org. My personal mission is to educate the pre-hospital, law enforcement and hospital staffs about emergency medical information so the people that will care for you will know how to access your information when you cannot provide it on your own.
Your paramedic friend has a point (up to a point), if I’m having a heart attack, does the fact I’m a diabetic on insulin really matter . . .or in the case of a bleeding injury in a car accident, does it really matter what my bracelet says. However, checking my bracelet may determine the difference between a drunken sot and a diabetic who’s Bg is high, or an incomprehensible lunatic or unconscious epileptic from a diabetic who’s Bg is low. Yes it’s your friends job to stabilze and transport and while it’s not his job to diagnose it is his job to EVALUATE. Our bracelets are a tool for them to use and even the if the law authorities and paramedics don’t see the value I would think the nurses and doctors in the emergancy room may appreciate the information unless of course I’m locked up in jail because I really needed medical attention.
However if the authorities and paramedics don’t see the value and something happens to me that could have been avoided if they had just looked at the bracket then they deserve the pack of lawyers that descends of them that myu family hires.
As a cyclist, I’ve had both a Road ID and a (very old) medic alert bracelet. I’ve recently “upgraded” to the interactive Road ID. It isn’t strictly meant for medical problems, but it has a call in # and you can keep your info updated. So, it seems almost better than a medic alert to me (not that I have it yet)
http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx
I love it. Hope it’s big enough for you!
I liked the other one on ? arm that says “insulin addict”, but T1 diabetic is a little more direct and doesn’t count on some one making any kind of connections.
Okay… so let me understand. If it’s nonprofit, why are those bracelets more than a $100? There’s another fellow here who suggested these medical alert bracelets with a flashcard in them, that contain entire universal medical files in them… For just $29.95. I mean, honestly, I feel ripped off as a Diabetic most of the time from people trying to make a buck out of me just because I need extra things… If they can look at someone’s ID, and wallet, and can call family members from there… and the local hospitals have extensive medical records on patients, why would I even want to pay such an exorbitant amount for an ID? This is NOT a nonprofit company… as long as I have to pay hundreds of dollars for your jewelry, and then a monthly subscription. I don’t think so… Even giving the money away, for research, is still taking from me, who already pays too much for Diabetes care.
Lizmari, I have to agree with your input insofar as capitalistic opportunism. My impression of MedicAlert products is exhorbitant cost for gotta-have-'em “precious” metals and a ridiculous lead time of as much as six weeks.
Here’s my theory (WARNING: Someone on this board is about to be offended): Branding is “where it’s at.” For example, the chic breast cancer organization is Susan G. Komen Foundation simply because they run the broadest, glitziest, most recognizable campaign – bar none. It comes at a high cost, though, considering that just 20-30 percent of its revenue actually funds research. (See any years’ Annual Report for corroboration, and examples of the “research” funded.)
I do not recall the exact figure but a foundation is required to give only three percent (that’s 3%) of its annual budget; a foundation can certainly give more – but the overwhelming majority do not.
I should be clear that I support nonprofit work wholeheartedly; it’s what I do when I’m not at my survival job. But an organization that spends more on overhead than meaningful research should be stripped of its IRS designation.
It sounds as if TS and I both like RoadID. Mine isn’t the interactive version (I have the WristID Elite) nor is it 14k gold plated – but it serves its purpose.
I bought a bracelet that is also a thumbdrive at Walgreens for 19.99 that has a program where you can put all your medical info in. Wedical responder can plug into their computer and all your medical info is at their fingertips…
My medic alert bracelet and necklace were 19.99 a piece. I like medic alert because they do keep information on me.
I got a tattoo you can see it in my pic I can never lose it
yeah i like mine too lol the insulin addict kinda just gave it a humor gotta laugh sometimes. I just know it works for me and big enough for medics and docs to see they all laugh at it.