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Medical ID bracelet for elementary boy



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amother
Black


 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 11:17 am
Hi everyone, if you have an elementary school age son that wears a med ID how do you convince him to wear it? My child needs one but not for something easy to explain like diabetes. Its if he loses consciousness c"v he needs an emergency injection of a certain medicine. He doesn't know and I don't want to tell him because he will be nervous that he is very sick. which he bH is not, and its unlikely that he will ever need the injection, as the likelihood of losing consciousness for him is as low as it is for me and you.

I'm also wondering which medical ID bracelet you have for a boy in elementary school?

TIA!
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singleagain




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 11:55 am
you can google medical id tag/bracelet/necklace, there are tons of options. and I would say, let your kid pick the one he wants to wear.

I don't think it's a good idea to not tell him why, unless he is very little... then I might get labels and sew it into all of his clothes and tell all the adults around him. I mean, won't he read the bracelet anyways?

maybe some more experienced posters can help with the best wording to tell him
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OutATowner




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 1:19 pm
Can you get one that looks like a watch?
He needs to be told something so he knows that it must stay on.
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out-of-towner




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 3:11 pm
I heard recently of a yarmulka that came out that informs people of medical conditions. Maybe that would be good for him?
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amother
Tangerine


 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 3:16 pm
We have the smart kids id. You set up an sought on line with his emergency protocol, doctors contact info etc and it has a qr code that someone can scan (It also has a number to call with an id code). This way his medical info isn't there for him to read. We, (and the emergency personnel) love it. They have different straps in different colors. Www.smartkidsid.com
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trixx




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 4:02 pm
out-of-towner wrote:
I heard recently of a yarmulka that came out that informs people of medical conditions. Maybe that would be good for him?


Ikippah
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OutATowner




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 4:17 pm
Look what I found!
http://www.elegantmedicalalert......html
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amother
Black


 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 4:40 pm
Wow thank you to everyone who took the time to reply. I really like the watch idea, thank you for the poster that included the link. I was thinking of something similar but couldn't find one, so thanks. I think the ikippah idea is good for a younger child, but would draw too much attention to him. The smartid is also a cool idea but I doubt he would wear the bracelet thing. Thanks again for all the replies!!!!!
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 31 2017, 7:21 pm
I'm a little confused by the idea of him not knowing about his condition. If he may need an emergency injection, doesn't he need to keep that medication with him? How else could someone get it right away? I have an epipen kid - sure it's different in that she needs to know her allergies in order to stay away from it, but what I mean is she needs to take that pen everywhere so that it will be RIGHT THERE in case it's needed.

I've heard that the smartID type of things are not a great idea because not all responders are familiar with them. And who's calling this number to figure out what to do? If the bracelet names the condition and response then they can respond immediately (for example, mine would read ALLERGY - USE EPIPEN or something like that)
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rydys




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 01 2017, 7:59 am
How about wearing it on his ankle? Medical responders are trained to look at wrists, ankles and necks for these things
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MagentaYenta




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 01 2017, 8:07 am
One of my dd's is allergic to bee stings and has worn a medic alert for most of her childhood. She was taught what to do in case of emergency at an early age. At what point are you planning on telling your son about his medical needs? It is really not unusual for a child to have a knowledge and understanding of an illness or disease process that impacts their life. You are not protecting your son by keeping him in the dark.

ETA: If your son needs an injection when he is not with you, how does he get the medication if he is unconcious and doesn't even know that he may need it?
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amother
Orange


 

Post Fri, Sep 01 2017, 10:45 am
rydys wrote:
How about wearing it on his ankle? Medical responders are trained to look at wrists, ankles and necks for these things


This has not been my experience. I know there are necklaces and things on ankles, but the only time an EMT person has even seen mine was on my wrist.
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amother
Coffee


 

Post Wed, Sep 06 2017, 4:48 am
They make medical alert temporary tattoos. this way, he can't take it off. But, EMTs are not necessarily trained to look for them, and they are quite conspicuous. But if you think it's a better option in your case. For example: https://www.etsy.com/il-en/lis.....ery_1

Also, I think that your son really needs to be told about his medical condition. I carry an epipen (I've had an anaphylactic allergy since age 4) and everywhere I go, I make sure at least one person knows that it's there. I would never want to wait x number of minutes for an EMT to come - those minutes can literally be the difference between life and death. Someone always needs to know that I carry an epipen and where to find it. The difference between your son knowing or not could save his life one day.

If you are worried that he will think he is very ill or dying, then don't just not tell him, find a way to tell him that won't scare him - I recommend talking to a medical social worker. At some point in his life, you will have to tell him, and imagine how mad he'll be that you hid this from him - and knowing you had good intentions doesn't make any difference in these things. Elementary school is already old enough to be able to cope with medical knowledge and understand that just because you have a medical problem, doesn't mean you are super sick or anything.

From age 4, I understood that I had a medical problem which could kill me. Everyone was very matter of fact about it, and so was I. In elementary school, I was diagnosed with asthma, another medical problem which could easily send me to the hospital, and I had to carry around inhalers too - but I understood that and got on with my life. You're probably saying to yourself that your son's problem is different or worse or more serious or more scary sounding or harder to explain. But having an anaphylactic allergy or asthma are also very serious and scary and complex (e.g., I could die in 5 minutes flat without an injection or even with it, or asthma can make you unable to breathe and medical explanation of what happens in your body is very complex and there aren't always clear triggers), but people know how to talk about them lightly and explain them in a straightforward way, which is why people don't think about them so seriously. Many medical problems can be put in this light. And many medical problems can be explained in ways that are age appropriate. Sometimes, a little professional help (e.g. medical social worker) to do so is all you need to be able to learn how to talk about it. I mean, you'll have to tell him eventually, you can' t not tell him forever,, and the sooner you tell him, the less of a shock it will be for him.
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amother
Aqua


 

Post Wed, Sep 06 2017, 5:07 am
1. Tell him the ramifications. He has to know
2. The school has to know , obviously they keep it confidential.
3. He can wear a necklace so no one will see it.
Better safe than sorry.
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amother
Orange


 

Post Wed, Sep 06 2017, 5:54 am
amother wrote:
1. Tell him the ramifications. He has to know
2. The school has to know , obviously they keep it confidential.
3. He can wear a necklace so no one will see it.
Better safe than sorry.


EMTs will not see the necklace. I've been there, twice, they don't even look for ID. This can't be hidden, it needs to be a normal part of every day, like wearing shoes and socks.

All of the people on this thread who need these IDs have said this, so please understand my sternness isn't directed at you. Bystanders/teachers/EMTs practically need this info flashing at them in neon lights.
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