Medical ID

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    • #9889
      Stephen
      Participant

      I’m jetting off to the states on Friday and realised I haven’t got any ID. (Yes, very bad I know.) So I started looking at the standard MedicAlert stuff and was stunned at the price!

      So other than that, I wondered what you guys are carrying around with you?

      (Note to self, ask diabetes nurse tomorrow for some of those plastic credit card things)

      PS I also found a different site called icegems that has some cheaper (and some not so cheaper) ID stuff as well that I quite liked.

    • #11309
      Tim
      Keymaster

      I’ve never had any problems taking diabetic kit through airports – even to the States, where I was seemingly singled out for special attention at security. I think they’re well used to seeing needles, insulin etc., and wave you through.

      I wrote about medical ID here: http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/2010/07/medical-alert-jewellery/ after I finally got some.

    • #11310
      Stephen
      Participant

      The airport doesn’t worry me, I always have a letter from my GP with me – it’s more the passing out hypo in a gutter and someone thinking I’m drunk sort of thing I’m worried about :)

      Of course the chances of the latter are probably higher than the former ……………

      Hmm, just read your article and it would seem we have a similar disposition ………..
      And you pretty much covered what I said so this post was pretty useless …………

      Ah well!

    • #11311
      Tim
      Keymaster

      There’s no such thing as a useless post ;-)

    • #11312
      Tim
      Keymaster

      I just re-read that article too – there are some very morbid comments there :-)

    • #11322
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I’ve got an “icegems” bracelet – much better than the old medic alert one I had years ago… They do great ones for children too, on soft fabric straps. Also, you can put whatever you want on them, and don’t have to update a central database that charges you do to so… Mine’s got my name, date of birth “Diabetic on insulin” and my husbands mobile phone number on it..
      Also save “ICE” (in case of emergency) on your mobile phone with the the number of someone sensible – apparently emergency services here in the UK and across the pond automatically look for it these days.. :-)

    • #11324
      Hairy Gnome
      Participant

      I’ve got a cheapo necklace with a lozenge shaped tag on it, with the obligatory caduceus on one side, and ‘Diabetic’ on the other. Works for me! (Fashion has never been one of my strong points… :P)

    • #12293
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Hi all (my first post)…

      I was looking for a suitable ID for outdoor sports, and being resistant to jewellery didn’t like much of the stuff available. However, Mediband do silicone bracelets, and even have a reversible one with a ‘caduceus’ (learning new words already) one side and ‘ALERT! Insulin Dependent DIABETIC’ on the other. Very comfortable and no rattling! Mine was shipped from Australia, but I’ve since discovered that they are available from http://www.allergyessex.co.uk.

      I got a free coke at the swimming pool snack bar last weekend, (unprepared a little), so it’s nearly paid for itself. And I presume people think I’ve gone anti-bullying all of a sudden… :-)

    • #12294
      Tim
      Keymaster

      Hi Rob – welcome to Shoot Up! Thanks for the linkage – kind of an unfortunate domain name though… Anyway, we’ve actually got a upcoming YouTube video about medical alert jewellery. So that’s something to look forward to… :-/

    • #12296
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I have a bracelet from icegems but like to accessorise a lot and icegems are stupidly expensive. As I make jewellery myself anyway I got the one that uses little clasps on either side to attach to an elasticated string of beads. I’ve made up about 10 elasticated strings of beads in different colours, shapes, sizes etc and just switch the id bit between them to coordinate with my outfit and other jewellery but remain all id’ed up and for far less than icegems charge. :)
      The only downside is the number I have on it is for my other half who more often than not leaves his phone turned off at home in a drawer! *sigh*

    • #12297
      Stephen
      Participant

      I’ve got an icegems too and I have to say I found them to be reasonable, especially with the much higher costs of a boring steel/silver SOS.

      Mine here -> http://www.icegems.co.uk/mens-medical-alert/medical-id-dog-tag.html

    • #12298
      lizz
      Participant

      I used to have a medic-alert bracelet, until they wrote to me to say I now have to pay per year – when I first got it it was one payment forever, don’t see how they can go back on that. So i stopped wearing it. Actually, to be truthful, I stopped not wearing it. It was HIDEOUS, let’s face it.

      The ice-gems look ok… the silicone bands are all right, but TBH I prefer tasteful silver – anyone else think the bracelets are ugly?

      I hate stuff round my neck. One of the ice-gems bracelets looks quite nice but the metal bit is stainless steel not silver.

      Perhaps a tattoo would be better?

    • #12299
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      You know what? I am more and more drawn to the idea of getting a ‘Pancreatically Challenged’ tattoo on my wrist. As ‘Type 1 diabetic’ seems a bit too, erm, ‘medical’, for a tattoo.

      May have to add some diabetes kit to my ever expanding MASSIVE tattoo idea I have been developing for the last 5 years. I don’t think it will ever happen ,as each year it gets bigger (there fore more expensive) and so pushes it one income bracket up, so the two will never meet! :P

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