Alert bracelet for EMS & others not to touch affected arm..

Artista928 · May 2017

Thought I would share. While I don't have lymhedema I have had nodes taken out and so am at risk. Last year I had the traditional silver bracelet on with the red medic symbol. When my lungs collapsed and EMS came, they just reached for the nearest arm, which was my left one with this bracelet on. I was too busy and kind of out of it to point out no and they didn't bother with my bracelet. I think since the first thing they do when they walk in is to take your bp and they are in a gather info mode, it gets missed. And unfortunately, many medical folks do not know what lymphedema is so I bagged that word and just laid out what not to do.

I found a site where I can clearly create my own silicone bracelet from how wide I want it, what font, size, color of bands, and it has clip art with the red cross medic alert symbol. Great customer service. They send you a proof of what it'll look like as many times as you want to change it and won't send it to production until you say go. Great price too. Love how I order 1 and find 2 or 3 bands. I ordered the green cammo one and got 2 bands for the price of 1. I just got this grey one today with 2 more. How can the EMS miss this???

I wear it with the words facing my hand and not my body.

PS: this format isn't one you can select. Place the order for the ink injected band so you can request the medic symbol to be in red with font front and back and when you get a confirmation email, reply back to it showing them how it should be formatted.

https://www.rapidwristbands.com/order#/order

iz1999 · June 2017

hello artista,this bracelet information is very good, do you or anyone out there know of a place to purchase low price compression bras?

GoldenWay · June 2017

Thanks for the information! I keep putting off getting a bracelet. We have similar cancer history. Take care!

GoldenWay · June 2017

Thanks for the information! I keep putting off getting a bracelet. We have similar cancer history. Take care!

Kicks · June 2017

I do deal with LE but even if I didyoun't yet in a life/death situtation and I was incoherent/unconscious - I would want the ParaMedics to do all the all the could to keep me alive, no matter which arm they used and then deal with the reprecussions later alive.

There are sleeves that can be gotten to wear into surgery if concerned. The surgeries I've had since LE have had great RNs and anetheologist that were very knowledgeable.

Artista928 · June 2017

Obviously if your non affected arm isn't in any shape to take the cuff or needles then they would do it on the affected arm. It's not just unconscious, I don't know what it is about the left arm but for every bp/labs, everyone reaches for my left arm, even if the right one is closer. And since I'm left handed I find myself paying no mind, hence the bracelet to remind me. So as many times as I get my bp and labs done routinely, that's a lot of hits that would be on my left arm if I didn't pay attention as well.

gb2115 · June 2017

lol it's the opposite for me...they always want my right arm (which is the at risk one). The worst is the nurse at the RO office...she always gives me the blankest look when I tell her to use the other side. It's like she's never heard of lymphedema...

Artista928 · June 2017

Most medical personnel have never heard of it. The only place I may get asked which arm is in the MO office. I think they should ask which arm anyway. Some people do have a preference whether related to lymphedema or not. It's just polite rather than go for the grab.

Kicks · June 2017

I've only run into one RN that there was a problem with. He was the 'intake' for ortho and he and I 'royally' got into it. He 'had his office set up to use right arm only". (My LE is right arm) So it had to be done on right arm because that's how he has his office set up. (I had my sleeve/glove on.). We went round and round and I got up to walk out and just as I grabbed the door knob, the Supervisor was grabbing it from the outside. He was informed in no uncertain terms that he would do my left arm and he would do it manually - not machine. I went on to see or tho Dr and she remained with him. When I went back 2 weeks later for a follow up, I said that I would not see him for intake. Was told that he was no longer there so no worry. Apparently, there had been a lot of issues with him and mine may have been the last.

That's the only time. They always use left arm without any questions.

Hanging_in_there · June 2017

Hello Ladies,

I'm 2 months out of surgery which took all my lymph nodes. (I'm in radiation now) I'm looking at bracelets. My involved side is my right side, does that mean I have to wear bracelet on left side? I always wear a watch on my left side so that is the problem with my left side. Please Advise

SpecialK · June 2017

I wear my bracelet on the more affected arm - I have more advanced lymphedema in the arm with more nodes removed, but have a more mild case in the other arm as well. My thinking is that I have a better chance of EMS personnel looking at the arm they plan on placing a BP cuff on or IV in, in the event that I am unable to communicate. I would make sure what you purchase looks like an actual medic-alert bracelet (as pictured above) and not pretty beaded jewelry, I think it is too easy to miss if it is not plain that it is a medical bracelet.

ChiSandy · July 2017

I wear my bracelet on my R (surgical) arm, sometimes with another (real) Pandora bracelet for dresswear. Used to have the plate bear the red medic-alert symbol until my LE doc told me EMS and ER personnel are conditioned to realize that pink=LE precautions. So I had a plate made (with jump rings, fits a faux-Pandora snake chain steel bracelet that has lobster-claw clasps on both sides) with a big honkin' pink medic-alert symbol on one side and my info (LE risk, no ndls/BP this arm; algy PCN/sulfa/cipro; and my two “ICE”--in case of emergency--phone numbers). If I'm going in for anything that might require surgery, I wear the ugly pink plastic “LYMPHEDEMA RISK—DO NOT USE THIS ARM" temporary (like a hospital ID) bracelet my LE doc gave me.

MinusTwo · July 2017

And in addition, I write all along my arm with a permanent sharpie - NO sticks, NO BP.

ksusan · July 2017

My nearest hospital has loose sleeves you can wear on limbs that are not to be used. Everyone in the general surgical area understands that the sleeve means "no."

Artista928 · July 2017

I'd like to think that EMS are all trained to see pink and know what that means on a wrist band but most do not. I had the ugly pink plastic bracelet on my arm in the hospital and might as well not had it. They aren't used to it like they are with the risk for fall ones. That's why I didn't bother with pink as I hate that color anyway.

Hanging_in_there · July 2017

This is my new lymphedema bracelet, I got it from Laurenshope.com

On the first day of wearing it (yesterday), I put it on my right arm (involved) but it took me 10 minutes to use my left arm to get it on. I'm very right handed, I guess. Today I had a meeting with my Lymphedema Specialist (whom I have not seen in months). The appointment was at 7:30 am an hour away. I put it on my left arm (since I'm much more coordinated with my right) and my watch broke yesterday, so I didn't have a watch to wear on the left.

I showed it to my lymphedema specialist, the first thing she said, "Shouldn't that be on your right arm?" Then I explained the whole story. I found an old watch to wear, and used masking tape to get it on my right arm this afternoon. So the Lymphedema Expert thought I should wear in on my involved arm. I hope to be able to get it on my right are without the use of masking tape.

Should I be worried that I didn't get the pink color. (I'm a little over the breast cancer pink color.)

Mine says:

1) My name
2) _{Lymphedema Alert (I don't actually have Lymph so far)
3) No BP/IV/Needles
4) Right Arm
5) ICE: phone number 1
6) ICE: phone number 2}

_{I liked this one since it looked like a bracelet and didn't call attention to the fact I'm wearing a medical alert bracelet. I don't want people who do not need to know ask me why I wear a medical alert bracelet. They have lots of styles at Laurenshope. I chose Laurenshope because they give you 20 characters per line and I need 19 for my name. All the other places either allowed 15 or 18 characters, which meant I couldn't put my whole name on one line.}

_{They have them displayed by popularity, this is decidedly not very popular, but I like it.}

MinusTwo · July 2017

I'm confused - but yes you should be wearing it on the arm that is affected.

ksusan · July 2017

I've seen rods that help you fasten bracelets. Here's one: https://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Fastener-Bracelet-Watch-Tool/dp/B00I1LZCJE

Most of the world's medical jewelry isn't pink. It may be helpful but I imagine that if you aren't conscious, EMTs are going to either read the information or ignore it if time is of the essence. Having it on the affected arm may help. Lauren's Hope and StickyJ both have nice designs.

gb2115 · July 2017

I actually wear my medic alert bracelet on the unaffected arm (left). I'm right handed and have to write a lot at work and use the computer mouse a lot. After one day of wearing it on the right wrist, I couldn't stand the way it was pressing on my skin all day. It's not tight at all, but the way I hold my arm/hand and write at my desk I guess caused the metal to dig in. Not great on an at-risk arm.

This is the way I see it--ems will either read it or not. If they read it they will see it says to avoid the right side. If they don't read it, it wouldn't have mattered anyway because they will have ignored it no matter where it was.

wispy17 · July 2017

thanks for the information. I am currently dealing with lymphodemia. I want medics to be aware not to take BP or IV from the effected arm. of course if necessary I want them to do what they need to do.

Hanging_in_there · July 2017

I just messaged my nephew who is an EMT. He said they are trained to look for medic alerts on unconscious patients. But if you are conscious, then you need to tell them not to put BP/ IV or Needles in your affected arm.

Artista928 · July 2017

4 EMTs came in and whle 1 was grabbing my left arm to do bp I was so busy answering questions that I didn't have a chance. Too late. That's why I chose the one I pictured so they could easily read it if I'm busy answering the barrage of questions. I chose the band width 1.5 cm wide and they have up to 2 cm.

SpecialK · July 2017

hanging - my son is a paramedic and I have asked him a number of questions regarding this - he concurred with your nephew about being trained to look for a medic alert on an unconscious patient. I also asked about how obvious the bracelet needs to be - if it looks too much like cute jewelry it can be missed. They will talk to you about limitations due to lymphedema if you are awake, but if you are unconscious they will generally look for a medic alert to determine your diabetic status - other than that they will do what is most expedient to treat you regardless of what your bracelet says, including intra-osseous IV if it is necessary.

ksusan · July 2017

Here's my dressier medical alert bracelet from Lauren's Hope. It looks like a cuff, but it's immediately clear it's a medical alert bracelet if someone's checking.

Alert bracelet for EMS & others not to touch affected arm..

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