Bipolar Support Group

I just purchased a medical ID bracelet for myself and wanted to hear what other people thought about it? Do you think that its a good idea? i purchased it because my last breakdown i couldn't even tell the hospital staff my mothers phone number, I also wasn't able to remember the medication i was taking before the breakdown and was put on the wrong medication while in the hospital. so after going to my psychiatrist i was able to be put on the right medications. I also had my insurance all messed up because the psychiatrist in the hospital had me diagnosed as bipolar II and my psychiatrist had me diagnosed correctly as Bipolar I.

I do have an ID bracelet with both bipolar disorder and seizure disorder on it, but it does not list my medications. My meds change frequently so I thought I'd leave them off. Plus, I thought that if I would wear it a lot that I wanted it in sterling silver, so it's nothing I'd want to toss that easily for being outdated.

I have a medical card in my wallet with my meds and diagnoses too. Come to think about it I need to update it. I should have written this info in pencil instead of pen.

I don't know how much the bracelet would help if I was raging manic or having a seizure in public. The seizures look like mixed manic outbursts. Many pdocs in the past thought they were such. I can get highly aggressive and even violent when both are at their worst. I'm hoping that if cops were called they'd take me to the hospital instead of the slammer. Who knows.

I think that is a good idea. I'm going to look into getting one of those. That way someone can identify what is going on if you are unable to tell or something. Thanks for mentioning.

Actually I never really thought about that. My last break down my boyfriend took me to the hospital and helped answer questions. he also knew it was important to bag my medications so they would know what i was taking.

I am really not clear why there is a big deal about whether your diagnosis is bipolar I or II. The insurance would cover one diagnosis differently than the other?

I don't really understand it either all i know is that its very important that all the doctors are on the same page as far as the diagnosis is concerned. Apparently if not it can mess up your insurance.

Yes Paige a medical ID bracelet is a must. You list just about all of the reasons for having one.

As older, I always say my ID is necessary in case I cannot find my way home

As older and falling a bit last year and hurting myself on two occasions. I then got a hum..forget what they call it, hum Emergeny ID. Should I have problems at home and even in the back yard, I press the thing about my neck, it then contacts the phone and rings the Emergency people there is a ten second "yell" (to let me know that it is all working) and then a person from the Emergeny people will answer and talk to me and call ambulance or cops to come and they will rescue me.

I do not have to try and get to the phone as they come over loud and clear through a speaker and I must be loud and clear for them to hear me, even if I am a fair way from the phone.

Oh, the Emergeny people will ring those friend/family who I have opted for.

Jennywren

Post edited by: jennywren, at: 11/17/2011 08:38 PM

I don't know about this one. I had a severe migraine once and my doctor gave me a huge dose of oxycontin and a shot of dexamethasone and I had a paradoxical reaction to that combo and ended up in the ER. My general physician who did this was no where to be found. When they asked me why I was on gabapentin and xanax I told them for bipolar and anxiety and they profiled me, wrote me off as a nut case and deemed my doctor crazy for this protocol as ER doctors know nothing about mental illness and medications and I nearly died. If my husband had not showed up from three hours away and gave them hell and straightened them out I would have been left to die. He walked in and told them to give me 10mg of compazine IV with a litre of warm fluids pushed in 30 minutes and they called my so called quack of a general physician and he ordered it and in an hour I walked out of there FINE. I vowed it was the last time I'd ever tell an ER doctor I was bipolar.

Yes, there is a great tendency for doctors not to believe anything a patient has to say re their health problems. While ER doctors are pretty bad..."pretty bad" no "very bad", others who have been practing can at times, not be much better.

I also have the bad luck of having Celiac Disease as well into the bargain. People and other doctors just do not believe me. I now carry with me the results of one of my pathology reports which says, I seem to have lost the first one, so carry the one which says "treated Celiac Disease" and a letter from my pdoc which says I have Bipolar Disorder.

Unfortunately the Celiac Disease problem comes about because a lot of females - I am sorry to say, claim that they have Celiac Disease when it has not be diagnoned medically.

I think that my sister had problems believing me, and so I showed her the pathology report. I think that part of the problem is, that she fancied she had Celiac Disease, was finally tested and did not. Then difficult to accept I had it. Ah well. Mind you I had problems accepting it.

Jennywren

If you should wind up in the ER, a good doctor, upon seeing your bracelet, might actually sufficiently medicate you for pain; lots of studies have suggested that a bout of extreme pain can lead to a severe depressive episode . . . .

I used to think about getting a medical bracetlet with my meds on it, or that one with the number they can call and get your meds list. But I didn't because my meds change so much. I never thought of getting one that just says bipolar. I used to tape my med list to the back of my drivers license. But was told by a police man that stopped me for running a yellow light, that it was probably not a very good idea as it could become an issue if I was in an accident and had that list saying that I was on all those meds. He suggested just having it in my wallet. I initially did but do not have it in there anymore. But then in BC if you go into a hospital emerg. or a clinic, all they have to do is enter your name into the computer system and your med history just all pops up. No with holding information here. I think though if I was traveling out of province or out of country I would definatly look into the med bracelet. Although I think I'd go for a stainless steel one instead of a silver one. Not as much tarnish. I hate cleaning silver. And that silver cleaner that Walmart carries is a carcenagenic.

Ok I'm rambling. Manic Thursday. Shut up Edyn.