So I just wanted to put out there the importance of medical ID tags or bracelets. let me start with a story. The other day I was walking down the hall at school and all the sudden I see a girl fall down. She doesn't get back up and there really isn't anyone else around.  I quickly went over to her and I looked to see if she had a medical ID tag.  She didn't have a bracelet but insted had it in the form of a necklace/dogtag like me.  It turns out that she has a heart condition where her heart does not pump enough blood to her brain causing her to pass out.  I have a friend with the same condition and am quite familliar with it. I quickly look for the signature system that people with condition wear. It looks like a holter monitor but shocks the heart and records the sounds like an echocardiogram.  The shock it deliver helps to get the heart to pump enough blood again.  I knew she had not had enough time before passing out to push the button because it was not red like it would have been had it been pushed. I quickly pushed the button and then got her feet up above her heart. Next I began to shake her feet, because people with condition for some reason respond to hard stimulus to bring them out such as pinching, hitting or shaking.  By this time another person had come into the hall and I was able to have them call the on campus health center and get the Dr. over there ASAP.  Luckily the Dr. knows me and knows that I know what I am talking about most of the time.  She came running over and by that time the girl was comming around.  I kept her feet up and asked how she was feeling, she said she was weak, and had not eaten which with this condition can cause an attack for reason unknown. I gave her a granola bar I had in my backpack  and had her eat that. By the time the Dr. got there she was feeling well enough to sit up.  She asked me how I knew what to do and I answered simply saying I have a heart condition myself, and I have a friend with the same condition as her.  Also I knew what condition she had because of her ID tag. I told her her tag had probably saved her life.  She thanked me and was gratedfull that I knew what I was doing.  The doctor called an ambulance and made her go to the hospital to get checked out just in case.  She thanked me for what I had done and was impressed that I knew so much, but not really suprised.  I was just happy that I knew what to do and that she had had the ID tag to tell me that she had this condition.

This incident at school made me really thankfull for my own ID tag. I want people be able to help me like I helped her should I ever need it.  If I were to break something really badly because of my Osteogenesis Imperfecta and I was in too much pain to tell them that I am allergic to Morphine, I need them to know that, and my ID tag ensures that.  It also ensures that they know I am allergic to several other medications and that I am on several medications daily.  It tells them to look in my pocket for a card that I carry at all times with a more detailed medical history on it. This card gives details such as important surgeries I have had, conditions that I have, and reiderates my allergies and medications I take.  For me my ID tag is instrumental.

I want to encourage anyone with a medical problem to get one!!!! They are helpfull because you never know what kind of situation you may get in. It could be a car crash, it could be anything.... you just never know and to have that information available to people who don't know you is very important.  Give thought... If anyone wants the name of a good company to get an ID bracelet or tag through just message me and I can give you the name of one!

Hope this helps,

Brianna

• medical
• ID
• tag