Lida (was Re: ID bracelt/ MediAlter)

[Guest guest]

May I have your permission to quote this posting

on other groups I'm on? This is a subject that

comes up periodically, and it would be great to

be able to quote an authoritative source!

At 04:27 03/20/2006, Lida Verner wrote:

>I can only speak as a paramedic in land .... The reason why many WLS

>patients get medic alert bracelets is the fear of an NG (nasogastric) tube

>puncturing the pouch. That is a tube that is fed blindly through the nose to

>the stomach. In 12 years as a paramedic, I have never used one outside the

>hospital. The only time we would use an NG tube on an adult is on a

>working code and that is the very last step we would do as we would use it

>to help relieve any air in the stomach caused by

>CPR. A working code means basically that your

>heart has stopped and you are dead. If you're a

>working code, you have far more serious problems

>than worrying about a perforated stomach.

>

>Medic Alert bracelets are one of the first things we look for when doing the

>secondary survey of a patient. Generally it is the wrists and neck that are

>examined for the bracelets. Medic Alert bracelets are very helpful in

>determining allergies and other problems on people that cannot communicate

>with us (eg unconscious). For example, I am allergic to morphine. This is

>important for a prehospital provider to know as morphine can be administered

>out in the field for a variety of problems.

>

>The point of a medic alert bracelet is to save your life and stop potential

>complications should you be incapacitated and unable to communicate in an

>emergency with health care professionals. Important things (IMO) to list

>according to importance 1) true drug allergies (including seafood = iodine)

>2) acute medical conditions (heart, lung) 3) gastric bypass, NSAIDs ASA

>(unless, like me, you are truly allergic to

>aspirin and NSAIDS - I stop breathing - and then

>they should be listed first). If you just have

>WLS with no other health concerns

>– I would say something like “Gastric Bypass, No NG Tube, NSAIDs”.

>

>IMPORTANT: if you do decide to go with a medical alert bracelet, please make

>sure that it looks like a medic alert bracelet. There are some really fancy

>things out there that look more like jewelry than a medic alert bracelet and

>I can guarantee that they will be overlooked in an emergency situation as

>just jewelry and not something to pay attention to.

Eleanor Oster

eleanor@... (personal address)

www.smallboxes.com/gastricbypass.htm

San , CA

Open RNY (100 cm bypassed) 07/15/2003

P. Fisher, M.D., Kaiser Richmond (CA)

~5'9 " tall

05/09/2003 319 Orientation

07/15/2003 ~290 Surgery

Current 157±2 Goal until plastics?