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Wear a bracelet that says you have diabetes!

TheBigNewt

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,167
Location
USA
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I'm a slow learner. For many years I didn't tell people I worked with that I take insulin. People in hospitals. Friends. I guess I was ashamed of it. The people who worked for me knew, and family of course. But a few times I'd start acting funny, getting low, and even passed out a few times. And people saw it and had noticed me acting oddly beforehand. And if they knew about my having diabetes they would have gotten me some juice. Most times I feel it coming on and correct. But sometimes I'd be busy and "fight through it" which is always a mistake. Then you get to what I call "the point of no return". Where your mind stops working logically and you don't seek sugar, then you go out, or wander around confused and people think you're drunk. One about 5 years ago I passed out at work and fell out of my chair in my office. Another doctor walked by and saw me lying there. His son's a Type 1 but he didn't know about me. I had a Medic Alert necklace on but of course he didn't see it. So I decided to get a bracelet that's easier for anyone to see, and I never take it off not even going through airport security (it won't set off the alarm, too small). I'm sure there are various types and styles for the fashion conscious, but mine has a little red logo on it that means it's medical. And engraved on the front it says: Type 1 Diabetic. And my name is on the back. Sometimes patients will see it and ask what it is. And I tell them I'm diabetic. Make sure you tell people what you have.
 

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I've been diabetic for 5 months and have realised I need a bracelet so I've ordered one today. Thanks for sharing. I don't care if it sets off at the airport, I want to be safe.
 
Have 2, a silver one and a stainless steel one for swimming. They are the ones that have different coloured interchangeable bands. Have a multitude of colours for all my different outfits. Also able to have other important blood and allergy details on the reverse.
 
I have a pump which is permanently attached and very difficult to hide.
If that is not spotted, a bracelet will not be seen either.

...and i like the chance to choose which clothes, watch, jewellery to wear or not every day. I hate uniforms.

Ok, I admit it - I’m stupid and vain.
 
This is a really good thought - even when people know you have diabetes they sometimes forget. A few years ago, I had a hypo of the becoming unconscious sort, but it was a lot worse than it needed to be, because it took the people I was with several hours to remember that I was diabetic and maybe not just asleep!

Also, for those in possession of an iPhone, it's worth setting up the 'Medical ID' bit, which can be accessed through the same menu used to make an emergency call. I don't know how likely it is that people would know/think to check it, but it's probably useful if you're on a fair few differnt medications that wouldn't fit on something you could wear.
 
Tipetoo said:
I have one the Quoll ID cards with all of my info on, I have it in a id card holder on a lanyard that I wear around my neck
https://quollmedical.com.au/product/medical-card/
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The only problem with a lanyard is it's under your shirt they may not unbutton it (if you don't look like Kim Kardashian lol).
I had a MedicAlert pendant on when that doctor found me on the floor, he didn't see it. He did call for help (this was in a hospital/medical facility) and people who showed up knew I have diabetes. That's why I put it on my wrist, so somebody could hopefully see it easier.
 
I have one and have stopped wearing it. The reason is that I ordered it from China and it rips the hairs out of my wrist at every opportunity.
 
TheBigNewt said:
The only problem with a lanyard is it's under your shirt they may not unbutton it (if you don't look like Kim Kardashian lol).
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I wear it so it's on the outside of my shirt, with the lanyard tucked under the shirt collar so it hangs down at the front.
 
porl69 said:
I have a tattoo on each inner forearm saying Type 1 Diabetic. Should be seen by a healthcare person taking my pulse?
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Should be. Any health care responder that attends to someone unconscious but breathing with a pulse should do a fingerstick. I'm thinking about some poor schmuck who finds me on my lips on the golf course by myself. I actually went out in a golf cart once. Maybe twice.
 
Totally agree! I wear three wristbands - one that says "Alert! Type 1 diabetic", one that says "Alert! Insulin dependent diabetic" and one that says "<my name>, Type 1 diabetic, <mum's phone number>". If I'm going out with my mum I don't bother wearing them (unless I expect that we will separate for some time), since she carries glucagon and can get extra help if needed. I wear it all the other times I go out in public though. I usually wear long sleeves, so I don't know how visible the bracelets are, but if somebody goes to check my pulse they should discover at least one of them (I wear two on one arm, one on the other).
 
NoKindOfSusie said:
How about no?
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It could save your life one day! The OP mentioned many situations where he could have died due to low blood sugar because he didn't tell anyone he had diabetes, and tried to ignore the problem. He's sharing what he learned from that experience - it's easier for people to help you if they know what's wrong. There are many different colours and styles to choose from, if you are concerned about appearance. Sure, you might feel a bit silly wearing a medical alert band, but it's far more embarrassing to pass out and possibly die of low blood sugar.
 
NoKindOfSusie said:
How about no?
Click to expand...
Why not? As @phdiabetic says, it could save your life one day and also help the poor shmuck who finds you on your lips, to paraphrase @TheBigNewt. My father wore a penicillin alert one constantly - he worked in remote places around the world with not the greatest healthcare - and it saved his life at least twice. It's a piece of jewellery like any other, but carries a vital message: his was discreet, 'manly' and was just a part of him. You have a habit of turning any positive suggestion into a negative, and @TheBigNewt's post is an important and positive one, and a great idea.
 
If I ever get to the point where I am unconscious due to some awful diabetic complication I'm not sure I want anyone reviving me. Can I get a wrist band that says "do not resuscitate?"

I think this is a perspective thing and I am starting to get the idea that my perspective is very different to that of someone who got this disease at the age of 6. My attitude is that I want to get as far away from it as possible and bury it as deep as I can, the last thing I would want to do is put it on a T shirt, "look at me, I'm broken."
 


This is not good. Try, for one day. force yourself not to post something negative about diabetes. You are in control of all of these things, you are in control of it all.
 
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