I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: MooseMom on December 07, 2010, 08:42:09 PM
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I'm seriously thinking of getting a medic alert bracelet. I spend most of my time alone while my husband is at work, and it occurs to me that if I'm in some sort of situation where I can't tell emergency responders that I have a fistula and NOT to mess with my left arm, it might be worth the expense. What should I have engraved on it? "AV fistula...do not use this arm"? Something like that? That seems a bit stupid and wordy. Any suggestions?
Do any of you have some sort of medical alert jewelry that you wear each day? Do any of you subscribe to one of those medic-Alert services?
If I get a bracelet, I would wear it every day 'cause you never know when you'll be in an emergency, so I want something that looks nice. I would like a simple gold bracelet; I was at an art fair this summer and came across this goldsmith from Wisconsin who handmakes his own medical bracelets. His wife needed one, so he just made her one, and now he takes special orders. They are 14K gold, and with the price of gold these days, the cheapest one is $625! :o I've done searches for all kinds of bracelets and there are plenty out there, but of course I like the really expensive ones. ::)
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions on what I should have engraved on the bracelet, that would be great. I have registered with the state's database, the purpose of which is to provide info to docs once you get to the hospital, I guess, but I think it's important to let paramedics on the scene know you have a fistula before they pop a blood pressure cuff on you. They may not notice my fab fistula.
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related thread http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=3207.0
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You have to find out which style of bracelet you are getting first - each one has a certain number of character spaces allowed per line, and the number of lines varies by style as well.
I'd vote for "Kidney Failure," not ESRD - if you pass out and a non-medical person finds you, ERSD isn't going to mean a thing. Not sure on a short version of "Do not touch fistula arm!" though. I never put that on mine - never thought to do it.
Mine never comes off. I've got name, kidney/pancreas transplant, and my hospital's 800 phone number to the transplant clinic.
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But if you just have "kidney failure" on it, would a paramedic automatically know not to put a bp cuff or a needle in that arm? Someone is always screaming at us to look after the fistula, etc, so that's my primary concern. I don't know how well paramedics are trained regarding fistulas.
Okarol, I had already searched and read that thread,but there were no suggestions on what exactly to say on the bracelet.
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I just looked, and mine says "kidney transplant, immunosuppression" I guess it's a little out of date.. *L*
it does have a registration number, and the medic alert 800 number.. so as long as your info is up to date with medic alart, then you're ok. I really should be wearing my old one, as it's closer to accurate.. I think it does say "AV Fistula L arm" on it, but I don't remember for sure
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I would not trust a paramedic or anyone to know you have a fistula by reading a tag that says kidney failure. It amazes me how many medical personnell I have come across that just have no clue when it comes to dialysis patients. I was having a CT scan once and one of the techs wanted to use my perma cath (in my chest) because they were having trouble getting an i.v. in for the contrast. I said, "I don't think so, you can't do that". And many of them don't know they can't do a blood pressure on your fistula arm. Maybe you could have your bracelet say something like - no IV or BP on L arm
Dialysis Patient
Of course, use a R for right arm. Maybe it would fit or maybe it would need to be on 3 lines.
I have thought about getting one of those too but wasn't sure what to have put on it. It seems we have so much info. that is pertinent to medical
emergencies but those info tags just aren't big enough.
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I have a silver one I NEVER take off.
My name
RENAL FAILURE
HYPERTENSION
FISTULA LEFT ARM NO
BP CUFF/NEEDLE STICKS
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On mine, part of my bracelet says NO BP/VP ON LEFT ARM, then it list my other top problems. They can help you figure out what to put on the engraving, but best you have an idea what you want by prioritizing you medical problems first. Also have all your medication and dosage and times in front of you because they will ask for that if you order over the phone (Somewhat better than sending through the mail). Depending on what you get, bracelet or necklace, you will need to measure your wrist and add a 1/2 inch, but this is stated on their website also. Forgot, you can order through the website. Which reminds me, they will ask for emergency contact and doctors to be contacted.
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Oh ya...I carry a card in my wallet that has that same information plus all my meds and dosages as well as my neph's number and an ICE number.
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That is one thing I can not do on my iPhone, create an ICE list. Medic Alert also gives you a card, but it is in very small print that comes in plastic or you can print one out if you update your meds online, but have to call nowdays to get it in hard plastic to where you could use to order it online.
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Hi, MooseMom -
When I was shopping for medic alert bracelets I went over to the EMT forums and asked them: "What should I put on my bracelet?" They were all adamant that the presence of a fistula should be spelled out explicitly. One of them even said, "Buy two bracelets. The more info the better". My takeaway is that not all EMTs will know what a 'fistula' is or will recognize one if they see it. So here's what I put on mine:
Hemodialyis Patient
Do Not Use Left Arm
For Any Reason!!!!
See Other Side
No BPs, No IVs, No Draws L Arm
No Potassium
Husband: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Doctor: xxx-xxx-xxxx
I tried wearing it on my left arm, but it kept riding up and cutting off my fistula so that's out.
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In the UK we actually have 'medic alert' bracelets. Sorry i dont have a link. Do you not have them over there ? I think a paramedic would recognise that more than an engraved bracelet (and think its a little love token ! ) Funny ive never thought about wearing one before.. hmmmm.
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In the UK we actually have 'medic alert' bracelets. Sorry i dont have a link. Do you not have them over there ? I think a paramedic would recognise that more than an engraved bracelet (and think its a little love token ! ) Funny ive never thought about wearing one before.. hmmmm.
When you order one from a private jeweler, they have a medical symbol on them as well.
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I ordered a whole stack of cards...like business cards...that have my name, my neph's name and phone number, allergies and "No contrast dye" printed on them, but that was before I got my fistula. I now need something with updated info and a warning about my arm, something easily seen in an emergency.
Desert Dancer,, I like the idea of going to the EMT forums for their suggestion. I actually may just phone up our town's fire dept and ask them what wording would be clearest to them. I hadn't thought about the "no potassium" part...what would they use potassium for?
What's an ICE number?
Riki, I take it you subscribe to some sort of medical alert service where emergency personnel just call the number on your bracelet and get all of the info they need because I can see how ALL of my info wouldn't fit in a small novel, much less a bracelet!
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Hi, MooseMom -
If you're interested, here's a link to the thread I started on the EMTLife.com forums asking about bracelets:
http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=20001 (http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=20001)
I'm not entirely sure WHAT they would use potassium for, but I know somebody on these forums had an incident where they showed up in the ER and - even though they told the doctors over and over not to use potassium - they did anyway and it precipitated a crisis. I'm really sorry I can't remember who that was; I read it here several months ago. Better safe than sorry.
ICE = In Case of Emergency I have all my emergency contacts programmed into my phone like this: Andy (ICE - Husband). Some people list them this way: ICE (Andy - Husband) so all the emergency contacts are together under the 'I's and the EMTs know who to call.
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Cool! I just spoke to Gwen on ambulance 142, and she thought that having a bracelet referring to a fistula was a brilliant idea. We came up with "AV Fistula L arm/Do Not Use", but she is going to consult her partner and various other paramedics and ask them if they can think of better instructions.
Desert Dancer, that's a briliant idea re putting ICE numbers in your phone. I have my husband's number and my neph's number in my phone but not listed as "ICE". I'll go do that now. Thanks for that suggestion.
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I had a Medic Alert Bracelet as a kid - just the cheap metal kind (which is all a kid should have, of course). My parents put it on me and the moment I discovered how to take it off by myself - which was quite a feat of dexterity if I do say so myself - I did. Never lost it, but the info is hopelessly outdated. Mine just said "kidney transplant - takes Imuran and prednisone".
I went through a phase where I decided I was going to take my health seriously and had my mother order me another - I think it was gold or something. I wanted to wear it as an anklet, and everyone told me that paramedics would never think to look there, but I did not care. People seem to have little sense of boundaries out in the world - and people would see the bracelet and say something like "What's the bracelet for" and take the liberty of flipping it over to read for themselves. The bracelet was delivered but I think I ordered the wrong size and in the end I never wore it and naturally the "take kidney failure seriously" phase blew over quickly. It is probably buried in the cellar somewhere even still.
I've had 35 years without ever needing that bracelet, and at this point there is precious little that they could do that would damage anything so for me personally there is no point. However, fistulas are another matter entirely.
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Gwen the Paramedic just phone and said that her partner suggested that a bracelet that said "Dialysis patient" would clue them in to looking for a fistula. Well, I'm not on dialysis yet, so this doesn't seem to be a good idea. I may be on dialysis in a month or maybe it will be a year, but whenever it is, TODAY I have a fistula that needs to be protected.
I found some nice sterling silver bracelets by Oneida that aren't really expensive. I don't usually wear silver, but these look nice. Worst case scenario is that I order one bracelet now but need an updated one later.
I think for now, I'll order one that says, "AV fistula L arm/Do not use." That seems to addressed my current concerns.
I'd really like your opinions on this. Thank you. I know I may be being paranoid, but it comforts me to know that I am as prepared as possible. This has been something that I've been thinking about doing for a while now, and it's time to do it.
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I just looked at my old Medic Alert brand bracelet and I had NO BP/VP LEFT ARM, AV FISTULA LT ARM, RENAL FAILURE, DIABETIC, and BLIND RT EYE.
Now with transplant it says KIDNEY & PANCREAS TRANSPLANT, IMMUNOSUPPRESSED, NO BP/VP LT ARM, and BLIND RT EYE.
Cariad, I to hated wearing the bracelt or the necklace. I tried to loose it, but was returned to my house a couple days later. Since we lived in a small town, it was easy to find someone once an address was given that I am sure Medic Alert no longer does.
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I was in Walgreens, the other Day, at the Pharmacy Counter. They now have lots of Keychains, one of them said, " Dialysis Patient " They were Inexpensive.
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I found some nice sterling silver bracelets by Oneida that aren't really expensive. I don't usually wear silver, but these look nice. Worst case scenario is that I order one bracelet now but need an updated one later.
I think for now, I'll order one that says, "AV fistula L arm/Do not use." That seems to addressed my current concerns.
I'd really like your opinions on this. Thank you.
I think a silver (or gold) bracelet would be perceived as just another piece of jewelry and the message wouldn't even be read.
A red on white embroidered cloth bracelet would be best, I think. Modern sewing machines can embroider characters, so even if you don't have one if you ask around it's likely you'll find someone who will do it on their machine for free.
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I don't know about cloth - I'd forget to put it back on after the shower, or worse, forget to take it off and it would end up pink instead of red and white.
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When i was on dialysis my bracelet just said "on dialysis' I was on PD. And i added "see wallet card" I read online somewhere that emergency personnel should know to find your emergency alert card behind your driver license. So that is where I keep it.
Now that i have my 2nd transplant my bracelet says Kidney transplant 1991 & 2010 See wallet card. It's a little stainless steal bracelet with the typical medical alert symbol. And they are expensive no matter how you slice it. I think i paid around $65.00 for my new one.
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$65 for one? Wow is that one of the designer ones? I usually pay $15 for the usual stainless steel one and $35 for the flex band bracelet and put more information than what you put.
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I think a silver (or gold) bracelet would be perceived as just another piece of jewelry and the message wouldn't even be read.
You can get medical bracelets made of all kinds of stuff...silver, gold, rope, Swarovski crystal, Pandora-like beads, rubber...so I assume that the only thing that would ensure any bracelet would be read would be the red cross symbol or meniscus.
I am a middle aged woman and don't want to be mutton dressed as lamb, so I don't want anything funky or cutesy or overly clever. I want something simple, elegant without dangly bits (ie, no charms).
I'm considering bracelet G...http://www.oneida-medical-jewelry.com/sterlingsilver.html#JR I have several gold rope chain necklaces, so I thought keeping with the same motif, though not in gold, might be a nice choice. If I'm going to wear the thing every day, I don't want to hate it.
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Hi, MooseMom -
I just thought I'd chime in one more time. I wanted to get one of those really pretty bracelets (i.e: one that doesn't LOOK like a medic alert bracelet) but the EMTs over at EMTlife said that's the best way for it to be missed. They said you really want it to look like a medic alert bracelet, not regular jewelry, because that defeats the purpose. I know, right?
Just another :twocents;!!
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DD, but they're so UGLY!!! And there are so many styles out there that I am not sure what a standard ID bracelet looks like! Can you show me a link to what a bracelet should look like to ensure that someone will look at it? Is the one I'm thinking about getting really so gorgeous that a paramedic wouldn't look at it? What WOULD s/he look at? Thanks...I do see your point and think it's very important.
BTW, as cariad pointed out to me, it's "caduceus", not "meniscus" which is what NFL players frequently tear! :rofl;
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MooseMom -
Here's a link to the one I got (or close to it): http://www.americanmedical-id.com/marketplace/category.php?sel_pullid=10 (http://www.americanmedical-id.com/marketplace/category.php?sel_pullid=10)
You're right, it IS ugly; it's just like the one my grandfather had. I suppose it's a small price to pay in vanity to protect my sole access!
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DD, do you think your bracelet is really that much different than the one I'm thinking of getting? The one I'm considering just has a smaller chain; I'm a rather small lady and am not comfortable with something too chunky...it's not just a matter of aesthetics but also one of physical comfort. I'm wondering if a paramedic really would be more likely to read a stainless steel bracelet than he would a sterling silver one since the one I like has the plate with the caduceus on it. The one you have comes in sterling silver, too, so maybe that would be a good compromise. Thanks for that!
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MM - No, it's not that much different at all. My only concern would be that if the bracelet slid around to the underside of your wrist and only the chain was showing, then it looks like a plain sterling rope. What I'd probably do if I bought that one is get a small caduceus charm to clip on near the clasp.
It's a shame, isn't it, when there are so many really beautiful ones out there?
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Riki, I take it you subscribe to some sort of medical alert service where emergency personnel just call the number on your bracelet and get all of the info they need because I can see how ALL of my info wouldn't fit in a small novel, much less a bracelet!
yep.. http://www.medicalert.org/ the Canadian version has a yearly fee for the service, $39, I think, but I let it go years ago. I still wear the bracelet, but am thinking of getting a new one, and updating the info that they have. Anything they have on me now is probably about 15 years old. I still wear the bracelet. I've worn it so long that I feel weird without it. I think mine is sterling silver
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With Medic Alert, if you qualify, you do not have to owe a yearly fee. At the time I was diagnosed with renal failure when I applied, my social worker had made it where I do not have to owe aa fee except when getting a new bracelet or necklace. The last time I read, the yearly fee allows you to update information, receive discounts, and maybe something else. However I don't think they erase your information so if an emrgency occurs, they can give the information on file, but it maybe old and out of date. I think it is a $25 yearly fee, but never paid attention since I have a life long membership.
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They stopped sending me their mailouts years ago. i used to try and keep it up to date, but I hate filling out forms. I tried registering through their website the other night, but it didn't recognize my id number. I'm thinking that maybe my id number is too old for their system, since I got it before the internet was available for public use
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Riki, you should be able to update your infor. Have you tried calling to update infor?
Which reminds me that I need to update info.
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I looked up Medic Alerts website to see fees. For firsttime setup it is $39.95 and then each year is $30.00, and then there is a 3 year deal for $84.95.
Boy am I lucky not to be charged $30.00
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I was in Walgreens, the other Day, at the Pharmacy Counter. They now have lots of Keychains, one of them said, " Dialysis Patient " They were Inexpensive.
Yep. My bracelet just says "HEMODIALYSIS," not "KIDNEY FAILURE."
With limited space to write my other health problems,
I figured that if it said "HEMODIALYSIS," anyone ought to be able to figure out that I've got kidney failure.
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Chris, mine was paid for by the kidney foundation when I was a child. I had 2 different bracelets before I turned 18. My first one actually had to have links taken out of the chain because it was too big for my small wrist. I'd like to get a new bracelet, but I think now that I'm an adult, I'd probably have to pay for it myself. $30 a year isn't too much to pay for peace of mind
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Where are these keychains in Walgreens? i want one.
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UPDATE:
My husband is a city attorney, and he contacted their paramedics and asked about what kind of medical ID would be good. They gave some interesting information. They said that if, say, you are in a car accident and are unconscious (the scenario I was most concerned about), the first thing they do is look at your left wrist for any kind of medical id bracelet. They also suggested that if you drive a lot and in the case of an accident, you'd probably be the driver, wearing an id on your left wrist is best because it is the arm that is nearest the door and is therefore more accessible. Obviously, the opposite would be the case if you live in one of those freaky countries where the steering wheel is on the right. :P
So, I got a sterling silver medical ID bracelet from Oneida that says on the front:
MooseMom
Kidney patient
AV fistula
Left arm
Do Not Use
On the reverse, it just has my neph's name and phone number.
They also told me something else that was interesting. If the emergency services are called to your home and they find you unconscious, the first thing they try to do is look at your fridge door. It seems that you can get a plastic pouch with a magnetic back that can hold your important medical information. Fill it out and just stick it on the fridge. The fire dept gave me one. It's ugly.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone.
Oh...the bracelet was kinda expensive, but I wanted something nice. For an extra $12, they sent me a stainless steel bracelet with the same medical info for every day use. I do a lot of swimming in the summer, so this is an ideal arrangement for me. The service at Oneida was very efficient and very nice.
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great info moosemom! Thanks!
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I just got a medical ID watch. It's engraved on the back and has a red medical alert emblem on the watch face.
I kept breaking the medical ID bracelets.
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I have a bracelet that says' my name, ssn, dialysis patient, fistuls left arm'. I got it from the VA.
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iketchum - Ouch name and ssn?? What if you lose your bracelet and some low life finds it. Boom...your idenity is stolen.
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Do staff actually note these bracelets ? the following is from our current patient associations newsletter.........
" A patient who was put into a non-renal ward had to stop staff taking blood pressure on the arm with a fistula. That is despite the fact he was wearing a wristband. We are seeking to publicise the risk in the hospital "
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Moosemom I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you put your IHD user name on your medical bracelet...that is great!!
Not trying to hijack the conversation but I was wondering if you work would you wear one of those ID bracelets? I NEVER wore one of the id bracelets b/c I didn't want people to be nosy about my health while I was working as a teacher. It was/is hard enough to find a teaching job so I wanted to be judge on my teaching ability not have my teaching ability judge through the lens of sickness....
I did have a tag hanging in my car rearview mirror though....
xo,
R
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I did have a tag hanging in my car rearview mirror though....
R
Medic Alert gives ones that you can stick to the windshield and restick somewhere else if needed.
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I didn't think starting a new topic would be wise so I decided to post it here, I hope thats okay.
I got my new and first medical ID bracelet today! I thought I would share it with everyone. The thing I like about it the most is that its the kind that has paper inside of it so you can update it with new information by just adding a new piece of paper.
I have the default silver and black one.
http://www.idonme.com/medical-bracelets.php
What do you think about this?
Name
Wife's Name/Wife/cell number
Hemo-Dialysis, Renal Failure, IgA Nephropathy,
Hypertension, No Contrast Dye, AV Fistula L arm/DO NOT USE
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It's a good thing you revived this thread, pagandialysis, because I have an update to it as well.
The medic alert bracelet I got from americanmedical-id.com is crap, crap, crap. It's supposed to be engraved but it isn't; it's apparently just surface printed 'cause you can't feel the lettering at all. It is now so scratched up that you can't read it at all, and all the red coloring in the cadeceus has chipped off. I would have thought the quality of these things would have been about equal (especially given the price!) but I guess not! So, just a warning to stay away from americanmedical-id.com.
I've decided to get a medic alert tattoo on the inside of my fistula arm instead, and hope to have it before Vegas.
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I got mine from the State of Maryland (free) it's real nice, I was replaced when my info changed :2thumbsup;
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While we're on the subject of emergencies - has everyone with a cell got an ICE number programmed in it? Mine came with a whole section that let me put names, numbers, work places, and family relationships in. The medics are learning to check these as well.
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I've decided to get a medic alert tattoo on the inside of my fistula arm instead, and hope to have it before Vegas.
is it a good idea to have a tattoo on your fistula arm? I would think that would be a nono, you know, in case the tattoo got infected
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jbeany, no ICE on mine, you can't program it with ICE, just has a favorites section that I put Emergency contacts in. My other phonces had the ICE functionality, but apparently Apple didn't think it was a good idea even though they put accessability functions on it.
riki, one thought I have is will the EMS even look for that tattoo. Bracelets and necklesses are the norm and then there is what if something changes that you need to either add or remove information besides the risk.
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I've decided to get a medic alert tattoo on the inside of my fistula arm instead, and hope to have it before Vegas.
is it a good idea to have a tattoo on your fistula arm? I would think that would be a nono, you know, in case the tattoo got infected
That's why you need to go to a reputable shop and ask good questions. This is from the home page of my shop:
In order to provide our clients an environment free of possible exposure to blood borne pathogens, Divinity Tattoo participates in OSHA inspections conducted by a certified occupational safety consultant. Additionally, all employees receive annual blood borne pathogen training, which includes, but is not limited to, information on sterilization of instruments, proper handling of disposable sharps, and disinfection procedures for all work and sterilization areas. Divinity Tattoo uses hospital grade Mid Mark M7 Speed Clave, which is monitored monthly by an independent biological monitoring service. All bio hazardous waste is picked up bi-weekly and disposed of by a certified bio hazard waste removal company. Divinity Tattoo adheres to the highest level of professional industry standards, and strictly follow universal precautions set by OSHA and the Red Cross.
Any shop worth their salt will let you see the autoclave and will provide current spore test results. They'll also open the autoclaved instruments in front of you. And I think Paolo (the artist who did Andy's sleeve) probably changed gloves more often than I do!
I'm a little more concerned about the initial swelling, but I think it will be far enough away from my fistula not to interfere. It's only 4" x 1".
Chris, if they can miss this tattoo then they'd have to have their eyes closed! I think it's general enough that it will never need to be changed:
DO NOT use this arm for any reason!
NO BPs - NO IVs - NO Draws
Dialysis Access In Use
One of my big concerns is that the bracelet I DO have can't be worn on my fistula arm because it rides up onto my fistula.
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Instead of using "this", I would be more technical in using Lt, Lft, Left, or Rt, Right. In an emergency situation being technical is better due to the mindset that EMS is in when they have to call in information about patient anatomy. While we may know this means that...... or maybe I justhave to many trips in the ambulance along with technical writing class, anatomy classes, or a combination of all... :rofl;
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Instead of using "this", I would be more technical in using Lt, Lft, Left, or Rt, Right. In an emergency situation being technical is better due to the mindset that EMS is in when they have to call in information about patient anatomy. While we may know this means that...... or maybe I justhave to many trips in the ambulance along with technical writing class, oanatomy classes, or a combination of all... :rofl;
That's a much better idea, Chris, thanks! Although I hope they don't take it to mean THEIR left, as happened to someone else here!
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That's a much better idea, Chris, thanks! Although I hope they don't take it to mean THEIR left, as happened to someone else here!
Wait, there is a story here and for the sake of my amusement it must be told.
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I thought there were was to be nothing done to that arm at all. My dialysis nurses got mad when I told them that my cat bit me on the wrist of my fistula arm, and I have an upper arm fistula. I don't think I would feel comfortable letting anyone do anything to my fistula arm, no matter what their hygiene standards are