Does your child wear a medical ID?

My daughter, Bean, was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy and mild egg allergy when she was 18 months old.  Our allergist told us that she should be wearing a medical alert bracelet.  My husband and I discussed it, and decided that it was a good idea.  Not only was she very young, and unable to really understand or communicate her allergy, but also these other key reasons…

• In an emergency, when you might not be able to speak for yourself, a medical ID bracelet or necklace speaks for you.
• Symptoms of common ailments can easily be misdiagnosed. Prompt diagnosis is critical to effective treatment. A brief description of vital medical facts engraved on your medical ID ensures appropriate and timely medical care.
• According to a published study, half of all medical errors occur because of mistakes made upon admission or discharge from the hospital. Wearing a medical ID protects against potentially harmful medical errors.
• More than 95 percent of emergency responders look for a medical ID; more than 75 percent check for a medical ID immediately upon assessing the patient. If you`re wearing a medical ID, it won`t be missed.
• Medical IDs alert people to a serious condition and can eliminate trips to the hospital, reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and prevent minor emergencies from becoming major ones. Medical IDs save lives! One day, a medical ID may save you.

I am big on what if-ing everything, and the other things that ran through my mind were, “what if we were in a car accident, and we couldn’t communicate?”  “what if she ever got separated from us?” “what if she was not with us and accidentally ingested her allergen and was having trouble breathing and talking?”  How would someone know?  At least if she had on a medical ID, she could point to it and alert anyone of her allergy. I, personally, feel that anyone with any life threatening allergy, should wear a medical ID.  It is a necessity!

So, after scouring the internet, we decided to purchase an allergy bracelet through American Medical ID.  The one we purchased was a Stainless Steel Small Classic Bracelet.  It offered all the options we wanted, and the price was fantastic.  We were able to choose the type of bracelet, type of chain, length of chain, and the type of clasp.  We loved that we could have it engraved on both sides with whatever information we wanted, and since it was stainless steel it would stand up to whatever wear and tear Bean put it through.  Another huge plus was that she could wear it in the tub, pool, or playing in the water, and it dries quickly and easily.

For Bean’s first bracelet, the front was engraved to say “Allergies: Mild Egg, Severe Peanut, ER: Use Epipen & Call 911”.  On the backside, that laid flat against her wrist, we included her name, birth date, and three emergency phone numbers.  This backside information is kept hidden unless the bracelet is specifically flipped over to be viewed.  Once she outgrew her egg allergy, we got her a new bracelet that said, “Severe Peanut Allergy, In Emergency Use Epipen, Call 911”.  American Medical ID is typically running a buy one, get one 50% off special, so we took advantage of it and also purchased her Stainless Steel Classic Red Small Nylon Sportband also.

THEN we found out about her asthma, and how having asthma increases Bean’s chances for an even more severe anaphylactic reaction.  The front of her current bracelet is engraved to say “Severe Peanut Allergy & Asthma, Use EpiPen, Call 911”.  On the underside, it is engraved with her name, birth date, and three emergency phone numbers.

The backside of the bracelet has a lot of personal information, so I am not including a picture, however I have included a generic version of what is printed on the back.    As you can see the front and back have plenty of room for all of your necessary information!

SUSIE Q
DOB: 04/13/13
MOM: 444-555-6666
DAD: 111-222-3333
DR: 222-444-6666

We chose the safety hook clasp.  It is wonderful!  It does not get snagged on anything or accidentally open up, and it is flat, so it’s comfortable for her to wear on her wrist.  We have never lost a bracelet!  Also, we leave some of the chain hanging in case of growth spurts, we can just move the clasp down a few links to make it fit her longer.

American Medical ID has several options for bracelets including leather, nylon, sterling silver, silicone, titanium, and gold.  They also offer necklaces including charms, pendants, and dog tags.  You can choose your chain length, and each item can be personalized with engraving.  They also offer USB ID’s!  Your most important information can be engraved on the surface, and the rest of your info can be stored on the USB flash drive portable personal health file.

American Medical ID also offers MyIHR.  MyIHR allows you to create an Interactive Health Record that will provide emergency personnel with your name, address, emergency contacts, health insurance, conditions, medications, allergies, and more.  It is available to Emergency Personnel 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via the website AND telephone.

Check out their website for lots more great things like free medical logs, polishing cloths, magnets, stickers, key chains.  They are all under the accessories tab.

Don’t forget to look under their HOT DEALS tab for more great buys!  I highly recommend American Medical ID for all of your medical ID needs!

Disclaimer: American Medical ID provided me with a free medical ID bracelet for my daughter, in exchange for my honest opinions of their products.  I was not financially compensated in any way.  All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.