Lauren's hope medical bracelets

[AMY FLEISSIG]

Has anybody purchased medical I.D. bracelets from Lauren's Hope? A friend of mine has one and she is a diabetic. They are very attactive. They are not ugly and clunky looking like the Medic alert bracelets. I am registered with Medic Alert, but do not wear the bracelet anymore. I did when I was younger. I am 38 now and am looking for a more stylish and "In" type of bracelet and this seems perfect. You should check it out. The website is WWW.Laurenshope.com.

 

[Mara]

Medic bracelets!

Medic bracelets!

Hi all-
Medical id bracelets are a great idea. Let me say this as a reason why we should all wear one:
David's aunt was seriously injured in a car accident while on vacation in Barbados 8/5! She is on warfarin for a heart condition (I don't know the exact nature, good old British NHS!). All 4 people in the car with her were injured in a head-on crash with a bus. She lost 2 litres of blood at the accident and more in the hospital because the doctors did not know immediately that she was on a blood-thinner. Not that much could have been done because Barbados has real third-world medicine. Anyway, it has been 2 weeks since the accident and she is still in hospital with minimal treatment and was supposed to, maybe, have surgery today to repair an open femur fracture and a compound wrist fracture. The doctors there were unsure how to treat her and did not want to move her off the island. Sounds crazy I know.
If only she had been wearing a medic id bracelet.
I think the Lauren's Hope bracelets are nice for simple information, but there is something to be said for Medic Alert's data bank. David's aunt could have had instructions listed to get her moved to a level 2 trauma center and off the island of Barbados! If she had, she'd be home in Scotland now instead of languishing in a Barbados hospital with M.A.S.H style triage.
Please, be aware of yourselves and take care!
Mara

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Wow Mara. So sorry to hear that. Will keep the family in my prayers.

I am real bad about wearing my bracelet. Recently purchased a new car that has Onstar. Feeling really good about the level of service I could receive if ever in a major accident. So, you say give Medic Alert info to transfer to a level 2 trauma center? Would that work out of the country? Or should I say would they recognize it?

 

[Christina]

Hi Amy,

I loved the looks of the bracelets from Lauren.
I just bought another bracelet from Medic Alert for every day use. I know they don't really look that classy, but what I like is that all your information can be gotten by a single phone call by the hospital or paramedic.
I wear my bracelet ALL the time, and when I see that I have forgotten to put it on I turn the car around and go home to get it.
Don't ever want to be caught without it!
It mightl save my life one day.

Mara,

So sorry to hear about David's aunt. I hope she'll be able to go home real soon. She must feel so awful being there in a strange hospital/country. and not being able to go home.
I myself am a bit apprehensive about going to Europe this winter. This'll be my first big trip since surgery.
I realize that medicine is much better there than in Barbados, and I probably have nothing to worry about but I just feel safer here.
As Gina asked, will they recognize the Medic Alert bracelet out of the country?


Christina
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
TMC, Tucson. AZ
Sr. Gulshan Sethi
St. Jude's Mechanical

 

[cookie]

Hey!
My bracelet isn't the most stylish or the most expensive but given the alternatives I wear it all the time. I never take it off. I just buy coordinating jewelery and wear that along with the bracelet. My daughter is a "fashion maven" LOL and even she tells me to wear it! I like Medic Alerts easy access and amount of info available.

 

[Mara]

Gina and Christina-
The information I got from Medic Alert said that it was recognized in foreign countries. There is even a free number to call from any where in Europe. I would not be concerned about going to Western Europe, except Spain, Spain has terrible healthcare. But, the rest of Western Europe is probably fine. I think it's really the thrid-world where you have to worry. My brother did a rotation in Swaziland, Southern Africa, and their emergency care was basically M.A.S.H. triage, those who lived, lived and those who didn't got a shot of morphine and they watched them die. Sad and terrible.

I think you can tell Medic Alert whatever you want, and they pass on that info to the medics. If David's aunt had had UK Medic Alert bracelet or necklace at least they would have known she was on warfarin instead of having to wait until her kids called back from Scotland---6 hours later!

David's aunt did not get surgery yesterday and the hospital only does surgery on Mondays and Thursdays...what a joke. David's dad is on the wasy down there to get things together and get her off the island to Miami for real care.

Christina- I think David's aunt feels awful because she's had no treatment for her injuries. I am not sure she'll ever get home at the rate things are going. It's a real possibility that she end up with some terrible infection. The hospital is an open ward without airconditioning and birds and bugs flying in the windows. Gimme a break. I am never going to Barbados!

 

[AMY FLEISSIG]

Ok everyone, I get the feeling that noone likes the idea of the Lauren's hope bracelets. WHat's with that? I thought it was so great to see such stylish medic bracelets. The information will be on the back side of the emblem, just like Medic alert. And I do have the medic alert card in my wallet. I was so excited, I was goin to order one the same day I saw it on my friend. So I told my brother, Greg Golden about it. Then he convinced me to start chatting with you guys at VR, so here I am! So, I'm confused, should I or shouldn't I do it?? HELP!!!!! UCK!! The Medic alerts are so......... well It draws attention and I hate going into the sing song of why I am wearing one. Anyway, that's all for now.
Later.

 

[starkone]

Hey Amy...
I don't post often but want you to know that I love the bracelets.
I think they look a lot better than the regular ones.
When and if I need one I will definitely get one of Lauren's!
Thanks for the post.
Karen

 

[AMY FLEISSIG]

Hey Karen,
Which one did you get? What info. did you put on the back of your emblem? Are you registered with Medic alert as well??

Amy

 

[Mara]

Amy-
I think the Lauren's Hope bracelets are really cool! I might get one, just for something different. I do have my Medic Alert card in my wallet. I did not mean to put a downer on your idea. I apologize. I think that there are sometimes that more info is needed. There's only so much space on the back of any Medic ID bracelet. The Medic Alert thing is good because they contact your family.

If some one asks me about mine I just say I have an allergy. I do, to iodine. and that's all I say. People don't need to know.
Plus you can also get a Medic Alert Necklace, and no one sees that.
Let us know which one you get.

 

[Jennie]

Hi girls!

Amy, welcome to the site! Glad you joined us. Don't worry, we won't let your brother harass you too much...!!

I took a look at the bracelet site you posted - very nice, very nice.

Me, I got #713Y from this site:
http://www.milnejewelry.com/Speidel/medilog.html

It is comfy, somewhat pretty (gold!), relatively small considering some of the clunkers I've seen, and it pops open to a very small compartment where I have all my info printed up (thanks to the computer) on a (very!) small piece of paper - name, allergies, docs, medications, valve. I have "Heart Valve" engraved on the outside, and my name on the inner side. It's less than $20, gold-plated, I wear it right next to my watch and so far only one person (good friend) has even seemed to notice it. I turn it around so the "Heart Valve" and red medical emblem are facing the inner part of my wrist, so most of the time you only see the nice little band part. The thing I like about it is I can update the info inside at any time, as for a while I was pre-surgery, now I'm post, and the meds and docs are changing every couple months. Plus, when I'm out having fun (exercising etc) or wandering the halls at work, I don't always have my wallet or purse with me, but here, all my info is ON MY PERSON.

Mara, terrible to hear about your aunt. I hope David's dad has success in getting her out of there. I did a couple weeks volunteering at medical centers in Jamaica, and no kidding when talking about goats and stuff wandering around the open-windows of the operating room. No place for someone with a serious medical condition. I hope she gets through this okay....

-Jennie

 

[AMY FLEISSIG]

Hey Jennie,

Thank for the info about your bracelet. I went into the website and browsed. I still like the Lauren's hope bracelets better, but still don't know what to do. my brother greg golden is being a royal pain. He says I don't respond to peoples postings and I do, so do me a favor and yell at him for me. ANyway, I think I will indulge and buy a bracelet from Lauren's hope. I guess I can put on there, see medic alert info in wallet, or just put ont he bracelet everything need just in case.
Thanks for responding

Amy

 

[joy]

I could not afford to get a lauren's hope bracelet. They are too expensive. I got a sterling silver medic alert penant, but my mom bought me a cool chain to wear it on that goes under my shirt. That was why I decided to get the penant. The chain she bought was like $300.00(it was 60% off that), but it has a lifetime gaurantee, and it's pretty. I used christmas money to buy it. The reason I like the medic alert is because they give all the information to the paramedics, they notify two loved ones, and your doctor. That's the reason I went with them instead of the other brands. I think the lauren's hope ones are pretty, but being a navy wife, we move and live far away from family, and they will notify the american red cross, who in turn will get ahold of my husband when he is 12,000 miles away and doesn't have a phone.

 

[sylviayasgur]

hey mara!
my dad has a medic alert bracelet for the coumadin he takes, but i never realized vr folks should carry them too. is it just to let them know you had the vr surgery? rp? do most of you members carry one for that reason (besides you "coumadiners")?
sorry to hear about david's aunt. i know what that can be like. i grew up in aruba and we still go there annually with my entire family. between my two brothers, their kids, and my parents, you cannot imagine the number of times we have ended up in the emergency room there or at the pediatrician's!!!! quite an experience!!!!
you do not want to really get sick in these places!!
hope his aunt gets well soon.
all the best, sylvia

 

[Nancy]

Joe has a Medic Alert large medallion in 10k gold. He developed a rash from the silver one he had a while back. He's never without it and also carries the Medic Alert card in his wallet, and I have updated his medical conditions regularly with the main Medic Alert office. I have also attached a list of his current meds and med allergies to the back of the card which is printed up in small font. He's had several situations which required EMTs and believe me, they want to know everything about the medical conditions and meds. The history they take is extensive. So if you or your loved one is on a lot of meds or have valve replacements and other surgeries or serious conditions, you should have some means of providing it in case of emergencies.

I can't tell you how many times I've had to review these things with medical personnel.

Everyone on this board who is a patient should wear a medical ID something or other. I would lean more to the most professional companies. Glamour isn't important when there's an emergency.

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Yup, I also feel that the information database of Medic Alert was what I was wanting to hook up with. I've got a large silver Medic Alert necklace.

Easy to update your records online. I know, 'cause I've had to do it like 5 times since I got out of the hospital and they keep taking more medicine away

 

[Mb]

Dear Amy:

This is an interesting post!!

My husband wears a Medical Alert necklace thing. There is NO way he would wear a bracelet......took him 20 years to wear a watch! (Now he wears a watch....say one day out of seven). The funny thing is, he wears it with St. Joseph, St. Christopher and Immaculate Conception medals he received as gifts either from me or his mom over the years. I don't know if the EMT's would even SEE the thing. But, his decision.

As an aside to this post......

Tuesday evening we had friends over to the house to celebrate my husbands birthday. (56.....and thank you God for leaving him here with me).
Our friends mother started getting dizzy (she is 72), and since her daughter is an RN, took her pulse.....and we called 911. The ambluance arrived 20 minutes later (yep....you heard that right), and her daughter....the RN......was so shook, she could not remember what meds her mom was taking. I immediately asked if mom was wearing a medical ID....but unfortunately...she was not. Now, understand that the daughter and mom LIVE together, and the daughter was SO shook after seeing the EKG, that she just could NOT remember what her mom was taking. The daughter is Director of Clinical Nursing for an organization in this area. So, if there was ever a time that showed me how important it was to have that ID, it was Tuesday night.

So, in conclusion, my opinion is, that everyone who takes medications should have an ID. It would certainly have helped us Tuesday night.

Oh......our friends mother is going to be OK, we think. She is still in the hospital, getting more tests done.

Marybeth

 

[Mara]

Hi Sylvia and others
I have my Medica Alert bracelet and a Medic Alert necklace, I don't wear the necklace much because it bugs my scar. Until the keloid goes away I wear the bracelet. My id says Ross Procedure and allergic to Iodine.
And the data bank has them call my husband, my mom and my cardio. even though I am not on any meds, I still think it's important for every valver to have one. you don't want the EMT's to go without that important information that you've had valve replace and what kind of valve you have.

Marybeth- I think EMT's are trained to look for medic alert bracelets and necklaces, so the'd find it.

An update on David's aunt: I think I posted the wrong accident date it happened on 7-29 not 8-5 and she finally had surgery on her femur fracture on 8-15! Supposedly she was going to be flown home yesterday, but we have not heard from David's mom yet. All I know is that the Carribbean is off my list of vacation spots.

 

[Granbonny]

Bracelet

Bracelet

Never thought much about medic alert..Just picked up a brochure from Eckerds Drug Store in back next to Pharmancy..order a bracelet. $49.00..very light weigh gold..has a Medical Emblem..My name..takes coumadin..home number..I can always turn it over and have Mechanical Valve engraved on it. Hubby and I celebrate 36 years this weekend so we are really like Siamese twins. Never apart much anymore So chances are he would probably be with me..Bonnie

 

[Nancy]

I had a couple of thoughts.

Check the State Department before going to ANY foreign country. They have a section on medical care in each location, at least the ones I went to. I can tell you to stay out of Morocco. The State Department says that if you're in a car accident, there wouldn't be any assurance of medical assistance or care, and that ambulance service is not the norm. There were a lot of other things mentioned, which I can't remember. I went there with my daughter several years ago. Joe stayed home. He was in better medical condition at that time, but it was too risky for him to go there.

Even if you have your spouse with you all the time, if something were to happen to you, your spouse could panic and forget everything, even your home phone number. So please, all, patients, have some kind of medical ID and keep it with you at all times.

It wouldn't hurt to also have your spouse and you carry a list of your current meds and dosages. I print one up in small font and attach it to his Medic Alert card.