Wearing a Diabetes Medical ID On-The-Go!

Living life on-the-go can be fun and busy, however, doing so with a chronic illness requires a few extra steps and planning along the way.

Hi, my name is David and I have been living with Type 1 Diabetes for 10 years now. I was diagnosed at the age of 11 and let me tell you… I have been through a lot. In living with this disease, I have been able to experience so much and learn from my mistakes. In doing so, I have come to realize that as a diabetic, I am one of those who should wear a medical ID and why it’s important for all life’s experiences.

For years on end, I never wore a medical ID bracelet. I could never find a bracelet that I simply liked or wanted to wear daily. When I became a part of the Diabetic Online Community (DOC) back in 2014, I was exposed to several different people who shared the same struggle. I also saw a variety of amazing brands and companies who understand this struggle and have found ways to make ID bracelets, dog tags, necklaces, and more so much nicer and pleasing to the eye and the patient. I own several different medical ID bracelets, I think when one finds their style with Diabetes, it’s always nice to have options and create your own look, which is why owning multiple forms of emergency ID that go with different looks is a great idea!

I have mentioned several times on my Instagram, @type1livabetic, that when wearing my personalized Paracord bracelet from American Medical ID, I felt so very safe. I felt as though if anything Diabetes-related could go wrong, I would be prepared. On my engraved bracelet, my name, condition, and emergency contact information were all located on a small piece of metal, attached to the Paracord bracelet. At a recent trip to Disneyland with a large group of people who also had Type 1 Diabetes that could vouch for me if there were to be an emergency, I still encountered times in which I was alone at the park (walking to and from my car, walking to meet the attendees, or simply stepping to the side to grab a snack), rest assured, I was confident with my Diabetes at the time.

So why is it so important to wear a form of medical alert jewelry for Diabetes? Well, not to get too dark or technical, however, the fact remains that we do have Type 1 Diabetes that does come with some symptoms and consequences. If our blood sugar drops significantly low, we could pass out and become unconscious or go into a coma. Same with high blood sugar, if we are severely high and go into DKA, we could in fact experience some symptoms that could limit our ability to function, which can prevent us from acting at the moment to get help. Say you were in public, alone, and you experienced one of these symptoms, if you were wearing a medical ID, someone nearby would most likely come to check for various hints or signs on you if something doesn’t look entirely right and search for an alert jewelry in particular sites on the body: wrists, around the neck, tattoos, etc.

In being diagnosed with any chronic disease and being told you have to take extra care of yourself can be a lot, however, allowing yourself some relief by wearing a form of ID can truly reduce a lot of the stress surrounded by various diseases. One should never leave the house without some form of ID as you never know when these emergencies could happen.

The CDC includes having a form of medical identification such as alert bracelets, necklaces, or wallet cards as part of a healthy travel packing list.

I believe that some may also feel safe in knowing that they have a medical ID card in their wallet as well, for added peace of mind. One should also wear a form of ID at home, just in case. For those who live alone, I understand that it may feel as though you are not in need of wearing an ID at home as you will be alone, but that could just be the very tool that can keep you alive, say you have an emergency, it could be that neighbor walking by and seeing something isn’t right that could barge in and save your life and being able to identify you have a particular medical condition that needs attention.

We each have our own busy lives that take up so much time and mental focus away from our health, which is why wearing medical alert jewelry can protect us as we are on the move, daily. School, work, the playground, a coffee shop, wherever you may be, ID is necessary. No matter how old the patient is, whether a child, teen, adult, or elder, wearing a medical ID all the time can protect us from the dangers of our diseases and more.

Live well,

David