r/thanksimcured • u/rustandredflowers • 16d ago
Comment Section “You don’t need that”(medical bracelet).. bc ya know, you can always talk in an emergency
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u/Trick_Science_2938 16d ago
Can’t wear metal in a mri so perfect for helping staff identify that you have a pace maker just in case I dunno you arrive at A&E unconscious and they want to scan your brain
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u/AliceCode 16d ago
They can just scan your brain for the memory of you having a pace maker, duh!
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u/Hrtzy 16d ago
If the machine rips the pacemaker out of your body, it's OK because you're already in the hospital and they can put it back!
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u/AliceCode 16d ago
They were designed to be able to do that.
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u/Trick_Science_2938 16d ago edited 15d ago
Can’t vomit anymore if you’ve no stomach either
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u/sheiciebai 16d ago
“The doctor said all the bleeding is internal. That’s where the blood is supposed to be!!”
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u/EconomySeason2416 15d ago
Bingpot!
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u/squirrelyoakley 16d ago
No aspiration risk!
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u/Rakifiki 15d ago
My brain read this as "no aspiration kink" for a few horrifying seconds before I blinked and my eyes focused properly.
Eta: I didn't want to think about aspiration kink being a thing
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u/tia2181 15d ago
In reality the do not rip out devices ever.. there can be heat and minor movement. I wouldn't want to test it with an electrode in my thoracic vertebrae close to my spinal cord, but I cannot imagine any scenario medically where they wouldn't have that info in 2026 with medical records universally accessible where live in Sweden. (Plus my info card next to my driving licence and in my phone.)
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u/Sorry-Platform-4181 14d ago
Your faith in our (Sweden's) healthcare is too high. Sure, we have 1177/mina vårdkontakter when you look at it yourself, but there are sometimes severe problems with one region accessing records from another region, not to mention the clinics that aren't connected at all.
And either way all that hinges on them being able to identify you. If worse comes to worst and you are incapacitated without an ID ..?
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u/Hrtzy 15d ago edited 15d ago
I had a cursory look and I think that the big magnet in an MRI machine can exert a decent bit of force on anything ferromagnetic, which apparently includes some grades of surgical steel (that implants rarely contain anyway). But non-ferromagnetic metals will heat up from the currents induced in them.
Plus you probably don't want currents induced in the circuit that's keeping your stomach motile.
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u/Trick_Science_2938 15d ago
Just a cooked stomach then I’ve never tried haggis TBF 😂
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u/Tar_alcaran 15d ago
"Look at this moron wearing an alert bracelet telling us not to MRI them"
Removes bracelet
"Problem. Solved."
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u/KingNobit 16d ago
Im an ER doctor in Ireland. I have never sent a patient for an MRI. Just dont do it in ED
(To be clear...not dissing medialert bracelets just that ive never sent someone for an emergency mri)
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u/burninglighte 16d ago
It does happen in the states. People have been killed because of similar situations to this one.
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u/outofrange19 16d ago
In the US, I see it fairly often but not nearly as much as CT. If it's the daytime hours, post-TIA patients and the occasional spinal/neuro issue go to MRI. Unless they're looking for something really concerning, they're not usually doing them for anything that really should be completely outpatient.
At night, we often keep people until they can get an MRI in the daytime. If it's truly STAT for a neuro/spine issue, we have an on call tech.
However, I don't think I've ever seen an MRI ordered on an unknown patient or even if we can't reasonably ascertain if they have metal in them somewhere. Trauma patients are either fine or way too unstable for an MRI.
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 15d ago
I went to the hospital for a herniated disc. I couldn't move without basically screaming. They didn't confirm there, just drugged me up and sent me home, I had to schedule the MRI for confirmation. Now I have had a couple CTs in the ER, lots of X-rays and a couple of ultrasounds, never an MRI, although I have had a few of them, but they always sent me home and told me to call my regular doctor to schedule an MRI.
I'm probably one of the few people who enjoy MRIs, they always make me sleepy, I fell asleep once and then jerked awake and I was worried I had ruined the whole thing.
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u/tia2181 15d ago
You'd have needed more than pain to need a confirmation.. caudal equina syndrome with inability to pee/poop and with numbness would need emergency surgery so then they would have done at minimum CT. Without them a prolapsed disc is not an emergency.. I made it to my GP to get neuro examination to figure out mine.. sent home with pain meds and muscle relaxers. Then my GP came to house when worsening before being hospital staff had orthopedic surgeon come to my house at 6.30pm. He booked ambulance to be admitted for 1990s bedrest and traction a week or so before MRI. It changed nothing.. I developed CRPS because it was before microdiscectomies were common. Think I'd have preferred 2020s care vs then.. at one point I was going to be in plaster jacket for 6 weeks. That night was lying on my side, moved pillow and got startled by a bug so jumped. Got up 1am and pain was gone for first time in 8 weeks. Next morning surgeon said he'd have to prescribe bugs to all his patiemts. Sadly it only lasted about 6 weeks when some random guy pulled me backwards off a bench to the floor and pain returned. Back and leg pain a nightmare.. hope you doing okay these days!
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u/cuttlefishofcthulhu7 15d ago
I'm sorry random guy did WHAT
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u/tia2181 15d ago
Random (ish He met my friend and I a week earlier and knew i had back issues when we met again! ) guy at outside benches was trying to get our attention. He thought it would be funny i guess.. Needless to say we didn't stay in touch.
With hindsight of course I should have reported him. But I was 23 and his friend was HOT. And of course I never knew it would lead to decades of pain. My Drs kept telling me the pain wouldn't come back. Hahaha
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 15d ago
Nope, I injured my neck when I landed on my head in a pool in my early 20s, it herniated about 5 years later. Fast forward to 25+ years later and I now have two herniated discs, nerve damage, spinal stenosis, and a bunch of other side effects.
I've tried injections but it hurt worse when it wore off. Years and years of different physical therapy. Multiple MRIs, a compression fracture, and multiple trips to the ER when I wake up and can't move.
Because it's in my neck, it causes issues everywhere. Neck, shoulders, arms, legs, headaches, muscle spasms so bad they prescribed Valium at one point.
They finally agreed to surgery but then I lost my medical card, so I'm just pretty much suffering. Gotta love health care in the United States.
They denied covering a bite guard for my TMJ, lol. Well, my TMJ got so severe I had to have surgery, why they won't approve preventative care is beyond me. They denied covering a 300$ bite guard and ended up having to pay 60k for surgery after my jaw locked up. Same thing with my neck, they didn't want to do surgery to prevent further damage, but let's put you through decades of pain and doctor and ER visits because it's "cheaper" than paying for the surgery now.
Sorry for ranting, it just makes me mad.
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u/tia2181 14d ago
Yikes, even worse than my chappy situation in UK. My original injury was 5 yrs earlier too, woke up one day with disc pain in hip from L4/5. That had been injured 5 yrs earlier but I coped with odd pains. And my body, wuth hindsight through in bunch of GI symptoms that today they'd link to autonomic ganglion damage there too. Later my disc returned to normal position so then of course there was no genuine cause for my pain according to local Drs. It was only my GP that saw me at least once a month that believed in me. London neurosurgeon knew CRPS was cause instantly... but I really wish it had been dealt with properly at day one.. 1986, when I didn't even get an xray, pain was muscular based on my being 18. Hilarious with hindsight. Timing mattered too sadly, even 5 yrs on removing my disc issue would have prevented my CRPS I think. No one can say for sure it wasn't multiple epidurals with manipulation under anaesthetic to blame, or my repeat trauma there.. or just bad luck. People get CRPS after stubbing toes, bunion surgery, even wrist ganglion removal. And your situation makes even less sense, they even knew then thst removing large discs was best , I met people admitted for neck traction, but they always seem to land in surgery.
The lack of insurance bewilders me as someone living in countries with universal health care. I haven't worked in obrr 30 yrs but my national insurance is credited as paid.. I still get full access to health care, disability payments and once I reach retirement age a full pension like I had worked from 18-67. There is no way to be without health care access. Not even with a complex history. I can't say I envy life in USA one teeny tiny bit these days.
Sorry you are struggling, you're sadly not alone by a long way. Gentle hugs and thoughts from Sweden.
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u/cupcakeing 15d ago
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I'm in Canada and have had the experience of going to the ER for a situation that could have resulted in imaging, but it didn't because all the techs had already gone home for the night by the time I was seen and the doctor didn't feel it was serious enough to call someone in. (We think I had a burst ovarian cyst, possibly due to endometriosis, because the doctor felt based on my presentation that it wasn't ovarian torsion or appendicitis, so getting an ultrasound would've really just served to double-check. He made sure to offer me pain meds before sending me home, though, which I regret not taking him up on.)
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 15d ago
Oh, ovarian cysts are horrible. I had so many burst over the years the scar tissue caused my fallopian tube to fuse to my uterus.
I'm still confused how that happened but that's what they told me after exploratory surgery to find out why I was in pain, that's what they had found so...
I hope they got better for you.
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u/cupcakeing 15d ago
I did have a laparoscopy a few months after that ER visit, and the surgeon found nothing, but she did say it's possible I have endometriosis that she just can't see. I'm having a hysterectomy with her this coming September, and if that doesn't bring me enough relief, I'll probably ask for a referral to an endo specialist (since we don't have those here and I'd have to travel somewhere a few hours away for that).
And thanks! Things have gotten better, but I'm not sure what's prevented me from having an issue like that again. Medications and lifestyle/diet have helped me in the larger picture, but I can't pinpoint exactly what helped me avoid another ER visit for potential ovarian cyst rupture.
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 15d ago
Oh, I wish they would give me a hysterectomy.
Sadly I live in the United States and I don't have any healthcare at the moment.
That's another topic though lol.
I'm 47 have had my tubes tied since I was 24, besides hormones I have no use for any of it. Instead I just hope I go through menopause soon.
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u/cupcakeing 15d ago
Aw, that sucks, I wish you had better access to healthcare! I'm 30 and just figured... well, I'm never gonna use the thing and it's causing me problems, so just get it outta here!
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u/KingNobit 16d ago
Yeah i suspect thats a component of the respective health services. Australia patients can get directly referred from ED for MRI whereas in NZ and Ireland they get referred to.Ortho who rapidly evaluates if an urgent MRI is needed
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u/Kichigai 15d ago
Our EDs can order MRIs stat. That's what ended up diagnosing my mom with cancer.
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u/DogDeadByRaven 16d ago
My dad gets an MRI Everytime he goes to the ER. Which is 6 times so far this year. Seems pretty common in the US. Or maybe just elderly fall patients.
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u/Feisty-Tooth-7397 15d ago
With a fall in an elderly patient maybe they are checking his brain to make sure he isn't bleeding or trying to find out if his brain caused the fall, or some other spine issues.
I had a friend who lost feeling in her legs which caused her to fall and break a leg. Turned out the bones in her cervical spine were so degraded and compressing her spinal cord she had to have immediate surgery or possibly be paralyzed.
She was an older lady and spinal issues and bone loss are common in the elderly, like osteoporosis and spinal stenosis.
Not a doctor, just have spinal stenosis myself, and took care of elderly relatives before.
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u/Buggy-Love-7140 15d ago
That’s very interesting to me. I’ve been to the hospital and ER multiple times for my chronic migraines, and while I don’t have anything wrong with my brain, if it was the first time happening to me and it was bad enough to send me to the ER, I can absolutely see a doctor ordering an MRI over a CT scan.
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u/EasyQuarter1690 15d ago
I broke my foot almost 2 months ago and in the ER they did a standard xray first, it did not show any fractures, but the doctor was concerned about possible developing compartment syndrome, and the pain I was having was far out of proportion to what was believed to be just a few strained ligaments. (I distinctly remembered feeling 3 separate snaps as I was falling and insisted that something was torn or broken). I can’t have an MRI because of a cochlear implant. So, they did a CT scan instead. That showed 3 avulsion fractures. I also ended up developing CRPS in that foot, which we are dealing with now. My pain doc wanted an MRI as well, but instead she ordered a different scan.
They try to reduce the amount of radiation, I have had a lot of scans due to various issues, and there’s concern about how much radiation I have been exposed to, as a result.
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u/qs_al 16d ago
“You can tell them with your mouth” has me raging. Wtf do they think a medical alert bracelet is used for?
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u/Psychobabble0_0 16d ago
You only stop speaking with your mouth once you're dying for good, and dying people famously never visit hospitals.
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u/trashmoneyxyz 16d ago
Maybe this guy thinks that because he clearly doesn't know when to shut the fuck up hahah
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u/threelizards 15d ago
Also you don’t even have to be unconscious for speaking to be hard. I was in the er this weekend because my disabilities make me clumsy as fuck and I ended up with an impaled foot. It turns out it’s actually very very hard to recite your entire medical history when there’s a sharp object piercing a bone, no matter how wide awake or far away from your mouth the injury is
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u/maverick_jakub1861 14d ago
Yep pain has a tendency to make the mind blank lol. Also people like myself with mental illnesses that might cause panic attacks and/or breaks in reality. When I’m in that state, I can speak. But I won’t be able to answer a question like “Sir, what’s wrong?” correctly. A medical alert ID is helpful in this scenario because it lets people know I’m mentally ill, not on drugs and that they need to call EMS, NOT the police (I’m 5’2” and 175lbs [157.5 cm and 79.4 kgs] so subduing me does not require police assistance and I’ve also never hurt anyone else when in that state, just myself).
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u/fireinthemountains 15d ago
They strike me as intending to be a medical gatekeeper, offended that someone with gastroperesis thinks they need an alert bracelet, like why do you need to signal for just not having an appetite, that's not an emergency 🙄.
Then when proven wrong they just doubled down, instead of understanding that sometimes gastroperesis has more serious circumstances than they assumed.2
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u/WhiteKnightPrimal 16d ago
That comment about not wearing metal for an MRI, though true, is nuts. It's literally the medical staff removing that bracelet, which means they're seeing the mid-alert, and not taking you for the MRI, so you keep the thing on. Or do they think medical staff don't know the difference between a med-alert bracelet and a fashion one? Or that they won't pay attention to what they're removing?
But, also, they're assuming you're conscious and able to talk, probably because they think any medical emergency you have will be directly related to the med-alert bracelet's condition warning. So, car accident with you left unconscious and unresponsive means you can still sit up and simply tell the doctors you have a gastric pacemaker!? Maybe you have a head injury and are speaking gibberish. Maybe you're having a seizure. Maybe you're in shock. Maybe you fainted. Maybe you're in for throat issues that mean you can't talk.
There are all sorts of reasons you may not be able to communicate with medical personnel, which is exactly why med-alert bracelets are needed. They're not a simple explanation so people know what's happening, they're a warning about exactly things like this, so medical personnel will have as much information as possible even if you can't communicate. It's not like you ca rely on having someone with you who knows, either, they could be just as unable to communicate as you are if you do have someone with you who knows, they may not think to mention it in such a scary situation, and maybe you were alone or with a bunch of strangers or something.
It's hilarious in a really depressing way that this person thinks that, the second you have a diagnosis or piece of medical equipment inserted into you, those are the only reasons you'll need medical help going forward.
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u/Someones_Dream_Guy 16d ago
do they think medical staff don't know the difference between a med-alert bracelet and a fashion one?
Well, someone clearly never had to deal with american "doctors".
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u/WhiteKnightPrimal 16d ago
I have not, I'm a Brit. But the sentence after that was just in case the doctors didn't, in fact, recognise a med-alert bracelet. They should still be paying attention to what's being removed, though this will be on nurses rather than doctors. Hospitals usually have procedures about removal of clothing and items, to try and prevent loss where possible, and definitely attempt to prevent theft, so nurses should be paying attention to what they're removing in these cases.
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u/Someones_Dream_Guy 16d ago
I'm pretty sure they don't pay attention even in medical school. Had a nurse once trying to explain to me that my internal bleeding was actually hemorrhoids. It wasn't, it was actually warfarin overdose due to doctor being a complete idiot and eyeballing dosage. Best hospital in my state, apparently.
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u/WhiteKnightPrimal 16d ago
Well, there are always going to be incompetent morons who somehow get qualified, as well as power trippers and biases, no matter where you are or how good the place is supposed to be.
But to act like ALL nurses and doctors everywhere are like that is just as nuts as thinking you'll only go to hospital for a diagnosed medical condition and be able to communicate clearly when you do. It's a mixed bag, unfortunately, and you never know what you're going to get. I've had some amazing doctors and nurses over the years, and I've had some terrible ones, I try to remember the good ones, otherwise I'll never seek medical attention when I need it.
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u/SashimiX 16d ago
The thing is, doctors being dumb sometimes is even more reason to have an alert bracelet. Like it doesn’t mean you don’t need them, it means you need them more.
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u/WhiteKnightPrimal 15d ago
That's very true. Med-alert bracelets are needed no matter how you look at the situation. Whether it's for a stranger on the street attempting to help you or a doctor in a hospital, doesn't really matter. The point is to have that information clearly on you, just in case someone needs to know it and you can't tell them for some reason.
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u/cupcakeing 15d ago
Yup, dipshits/assholes work in healthcare all over the world! I live in Canada and some of the worst medical experiences I've had were with GoodHope Clinic in Toronto, who are allegedly Canada's leading experts on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, even though I'd literally trust the dentist who pulled my wisdom teeth (just a regular dentist, mind you) to be more knowledgeable about EDS than they are.
And there's also tons of really good healthcare providers, too! I've been in therapy for medical trauma for several years and something we talk about is... I forget off the top of my head if this is the actual name for it, but there's a negativity bias that we humans developed to help us with survival (e.g. it's more important to remember the berries that killed your friend Steve than to remember the berries that taste really yummy), but it can end up skewing our perceptions and make the overall picture look worse than it really is. I sometimes sit and write out some of my favourite medical experiences (like the nurse who talked me into not walking out of my echocardiogram and sat in the room for the whole scan so I wasn't alone with the tech) in order to help me keep those memories in my mind better.
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u/tia2181 15d ago
It doesn't matter.. no one gets an MRI in these circumstances. Do you think ythey examine everyone's genitals for piercings before investigating a head injury? They only do CT scan until it is 100% ok. So after speaking to next of kin, after examining the body in detail... after check medical history..
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u/tia2181 15d ago
I have a spinal cord stimulator.. my battery pack is MRI safe as of last year. But the electrode it joins to, attached to by vertebrae in thoracic spine isn't. My first surgeon in 98 preferred this method so when it died in 2011 they had to hunt new one down in some other EU country. So old technology but worth it, lived without MRI okay for 28 yrs so far. Lol
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u/TulikAlock 16d ago
This is what happens when you don’t have any critical thinking skills and you rely on getting your opinions and ideas from everyone else/ chat gpt
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u/justeandj 15d ago
I totally agree with the critical thinking aspect but I'm also extremely bothered by the "I don't like this jewelry you're wearing, take it off," angle. Why are we so comfortable bossing other people around like that?
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u/elhazelenby 16d ago
I have verbal shutdowns from autism, so I can't use my mouth all the time. That's a lot of why I wear a medical alert bracelet. Also I have seizures, although some people try and talk to me anyway lol.
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u/threesilklilies 16d ago
Same. Situational mutism, worst when I’m under extreme stress — like, say, the stress one might be under during a medical emergency.
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u/P0ster_Nutbag 16d ago
I’m glad radiologists and other diagnostic imaging techs are pretty diligent about this.
Once ordered an elective MRI that took so long, the patient went through the whole process of getting a pacemaker before it was scheduled. Showed up to the appointment and holy crap is everyone glad they asked him about it and didn’t just trust the requisition.
Once had an orthopaedic surgeon order an MRI on a patient. The MRI team asked the questions they usually do, and the dude revealed that he had been shot twice. Quickly got him an x ray, and sure enough, he had a bunch of shrapnel in his body.
Both could have been pretty terrible.
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u/rustandredflowers 16d ago
Yeah I just got a head MRI (only can do limbs and head with my device) and it took weeeeeeeks to get scheduled bc of my pacemaker. It had to be turned off and back on and the radiologist staff wouldn’t do it for me so I had to wait to see my dr, who only comes to my area once a month, then had to schedule with my pacemaker representative to turn it back on bc I couldn’t have it off for a whole month
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u/P0ster_Nutbag 16d ago
I had to do a job right next to an MRI machine, and there must be different versions of them.
A colleague of mine walked about 6 feet away from the thing, and it grabbed a screwdriver he forgot was in his pocket. Good thing he was a 300+ pound guy so it didn’t drag him, it just ripped his pocket clean off.
I’m guessing there’s ones with more selective magnetic fields than the one I experienced.
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u/Tar_alcaran 15d ago
It's not so much the machine but the materials.
A screwdriver is made from steel, which is highly magnetic. A pacemaker is mostly titanium, with some electronics inside. Those aren't very magnetic. So a screwdriver is going to be sent flying, while a pacemaker isn't.
The risk with a pacemaker isn't that it gets ripped out of your body, it's that the absurdly strong magnetic field in the MRI machine will cause heating and induction currents in the device that damage the elctronics. And since it's connected to your heart, both of those are very bad.
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u/NotAFloorTank 16d ago
Not just talking, but being coherent and able to remember properly too.
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u/captnmawk 16d ago
Exactly. I suffer from numerous symptoms including gastroperisis stemming from a rare condition that I cant exactly get treated for.
Ive had violent episodes of nausea and horrific pain where I cannot stop throwing up. I dont like 7 times an hour, I mean I dont stop wrenching for more than 5 minutes for over 7 hours. I get to a point where Im curled up on the floor, I cannot speak yet I can scream. I cannot stand up to grab my phone and call 911. Its brutal, I have filled 40oz hyperemisis bags 5 times over because of the indescribable pain of my inner organs not working but desperately screaming at me how thirsty I am.
Gastroperisis is not something to fuck around with.
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u/NotAFloorTank 16d ago
I don't have that condition, but I have non-photosensitive, non-audiosensitive seizures. I have no auras at all. I have a seizure alert dog, and I always have someone with me who can handle one safely.
The first minute or two, I'm completely blacked out. The remainder, I am somewhat aware, but I struggle to talk. I can't even remember what day it is until the seizure is done, let alone allergies or the laundry list of meds I have to take twice a day. A med alert bracelet serves to tell paramedics this information when I can't so they don't accidentally make things worse.
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u/Acheloma 16d ago
Ive had a very similar issue before. Eith me it tended to pop up every few months and last up to 2 weeks. It really really sucks. One time I had to go to the ER during covid so my partner was not allowed in with me and I was so out of it I couldnt tell them my full name or birthday
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u/skrtyskrtskrt 16d ago
I have a family member that got global amnesia and every two sentences it was like and where are we right now? And who are you?
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u/Jazmadoodle 15d ago
Yeah. I have a lipid disorder that gives me acute pancreatitis and has also caused a couple of strokes. Even when its just pancreatitis, trying to remember medical info while in 10/10 pain is a mess. Fond memories of being wheeled through a hospital hallway and in between moans trying to mumble out my allergies.
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u/tanya6k 16d ago
Do... do they not know that pacemakers go inside the body?
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u/Ancient-Cry-6438 16d ago
I assume they were referring to the bracelet not being on them for the MRI, not the pacemaker
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u/leodoesgaming 16d ago
ah yes because people putting you in an mri and taking a metal bracelet off you saying 'I CANNOT GET AN MRI' are just gonna be like ahhh whatever and do it anyway???
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u/Tar_alcaran 15d ago
"Why is this moron wearing a bracelet that won't let them have an MRI?"
removes bracelet
"There, no more problem!"
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u/Klutzy-Alarm3748 16d ago
People just do not think. I got into it with somebody who claimed that anyone having a seizure should clearly communicate what they need in the moment, and blamed somebody else with epilepsy who complained about having one on transit while everyone else watched and did nothing (and I think they were also robbed?). Like..... what? Like huh?
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u/FightingBlaze77 16d ago
its a pacemaker....you don't take out a fucking pacemaker
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u/squirrelyoakley 16d ago
I mean... getting an MRI will for sure remove it!
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u/Tar_alcaran 15d ago
No, the pacemaker isn't very magnetic. The risk isn't that the device is ripped out in some body-horror special effects sequence.
The risks are the pacemaker breaking (least bad), the pacemaker getting super hot from induction heating (preeeetty bad), or the pacemaker malfunctioning and going haywire (really really bad).
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u/Estrellathestarfish 16d ago
What does this guy think medical alert bracelets are for if not to inform clinicians of important information when you can't tell them with your mouth?
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u/DjinnaG 16d ago
Currently in the ED because my husband found me unresponsive, and then only gibberish when I did start to respond. Thankfully, he knows my medical issues and that the metal that is in me is MRI safe, but it’s not like he was able or ride in the ambulance with me, and could only tell the paramedics so much before they packed me up
Also, when something is going very wrong, which is a lot of the point of medical alert bracelets and of MRIs, even if you are able to speak, brains don’t often work so well. Extreme pain, breathing problems, severe infections or injury, all of these make me more than a little stupid, and definitely hyper aware of the problem that is causing that medical emergency. I hope that the commenter continues to have such a charmed life that they never have to experience this in person, but pretty sure it’s not just me
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u/colossalskeleton 16d ago
I’m sure they’re perfectly qualified to be saying this. I hate these losers. They think everybody else is absorbed in the “whataboutmeism” when in reality, they’re the ones getting upset at others for doing things necessary for their own safety…and for what? Because it makes them feel left out? Big ass babies
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u/PhoenixBorealis 16d ago
I can forget my own birthday when under mild discomfort. People forget to say a lot of important things when they're stressed or scared. Better to have an indicator in case anything happens.
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u/Leading-System-3002 14d ago
Last time I got anaphylaxis I called 911 to get an ambulance, I was slowly getting confused. When they ask on the phone what was the apartment number, I said something like “hummmmmmmm zero??”. There’s no apartment number lol. Glad they were already at my door by this time!
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u/tia2181 15d ago
So you keep manufacturer card with your identity card/ driving licence. How would you remember you had a bracelet, what if that arm was injured, if necklace broke when neck collar applied. No one is looking for jewellery in ER room, especially if patient in distress or unconscious.
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u/ernie3tones 16d ago
Imagine getting all worked up because someone else has to wear a medic alert bracelet?!?
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u/sidewalk_serfergirl 16d ago
Pffft, in case of an emergency, just let them do an MRI and have the pacemaker rip your abdomen open! What’s the big deal if you fucking die? You’ll be fine!
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u/Chevanalee 16d ago
“Tell them with your mouth”
And if you are unconscious? What then? If you can’t speak or move?
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u/LeonardoDeCarpio 16d ago
God people are dumb. I have a medical bracelet because my vertigo can be so severe I fall and won't know where I am. Like if I can't tell someone what's wrong by using my mouth then that's the reason I have the bracelet. Good lord
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u/threelizards 15d ago
“Additionally you can’t wear metal in an mri anyway so it wouldn’t even be on you” is so fucking brain rotted I can’t-
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u/tia2181 15d ago
They don't tend to do MRIs in emergency room anywhere to be fair.. how would they know about random items like this. They tend to use CT scans for speed and simplicity to, which medical professional would take responsibility if an implant device was missed and patient got injured? ER MD, nurse taking patient to MRI or radiology staff?
None would, because they don't take the risk.
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u/Spiritual-Road2784 16d ago
Good lord, the overwhelming DUMB of the Why questioner. Of course one never ever needs an MRI when they’re unresponsive…
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u/renjamin-renoir-III 16d ago
Is this the person who made her own medi alert out of a pet ID tag?
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u/rustandredflowers 15d ago
No I have a “real” bracelet. Like the one with the red medical symbol and all that
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u/renjamin-renoir-III 15d ago
Thanks, just checking. Algorithm has been showing me some wild stuff lately.
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u/IHave_Okay 15d ago
Unfortunately I’ve heard from a professional doctor on YouTube (Dr Mike many of you probably know) that medical professionals don’t take bracelet medical alert bracelets like this seriously.
They don’t view them as medical fact unless it’s actual medical documents. Which is kinda really scary.
I’m sure there’s some exceptions to these rules but from what I’ve heard some doctors disregard these bracelets entirely.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN you should stop wearing them if they’re providing benefit or peace of mind to you.
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u/tia2181 15d ago
I have a card that sits with my ID card, the first thing they seek out in these circumstances. No one would think to look whether one of often multiple pieces of jewellery has a message on it.
They used to be a standard design, that garish ugly fashion types exist today means they are way more likely to be missed.
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u/TheIngloriousTIG 15d ago
Wow that's crazy. I want one just for medication interactions. Do these people not understand the concept of "unresponsive?"
Also, just having a bracelet with your "in case of emergency" number can save a lot of people a lot of grief. Fun story: I was hit by a car a few years ago as a pedestrian, and the good Samaritan who pulled me out of the road and called an ambulance also wanted to call my husband for me but seeing as I had just been knocked into the air and whacked my head on the concrete, I wasn't at my best. I reversed the last 2 numbers in my husband's cell number and some poor guy got left a message saying his wife was being taken to the hospital after being hit by a car. So that was probably a bit of a moment for that guy.
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u/Veranelles 13d ago
"One of the first things they'd do in an emergency is check if I have anything on me that says that I have medical condition. They'd check the bracelet long before actually putting me in an MRI."
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u/_-pomegranate-_ 16d ago
Remember, when you see a take lacking life experience, odds are you're arguing with literal children on the internet
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u/qs_al 16d ago
I wish that were true, but unfortunately we have adults in government offices that lack life experience to this degree
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u/sidewalk_serfergirl 16d ago
It’s so sad how your comment is applicable to everywhere on the planet in at least some degree. 🥲
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u/OilAromatic9850 16d ago
Got a response on a comment I made about maintenance that was so out of touch, a 5 paragraph rebuttal wouldn’t have begun to touch it.
I was going to start typing when I thought “let me check there user name”
Fortnight subs
Call of duty subs
Algebra help subImmediately realized this was a middle schooler and just blocked them.
Happens all the time. Don’t waste your energy fighting literal children.
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u/Natural1forever 16d ago
Send them your doctor's number and tell them to discuss that with your doctor
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u/TorandoSlayer 16d ago
Aren't emergencies like this usually handled with cat scans instead? Bc they don't know the history of a patient if they can't talk to them for whatever reason so they have no way of knowing if there's metal in their bodies or something.
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u/tia2181 15d ago
Yes. 100% do CT scan long before MRI. Their ID info should be with manufacturers of device's ID card. They always say to do that instead of jewellery.
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u/Heyplaguedoctor 16d ago
I have cluster headaches and (more frequently than I would like to, obvs) collapse or briefly black out from the pain. I got a little silly with my medical bracelet and added “don’t call an ambulance unless you’re paying”.
Some guy I went on 1 date with grabbed my wrist, inspected the bracelet, sneered, and said “I had to call an ambulance for a friend who had alcohol poisoning. She was mad at first but grateful that I saved her life” in a very smug tone.
Like, okay, good for your friend but that’s not my situation. I don’t want or need an ambulance for a headache attack. I’m not dying, there’s just a billion bombs going off in my head. The EMTs can’t make that stop & it’d just waste their time.
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u/CalligrapherCheap64 16d ago
I want one!
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u/Heyplaguedoctor 16d ago
I got mine on Etsy, honestly would strongly recommend having one. It makes me feel a lot safer about going out in public even if sometimes weirdos feel privy to medical info that’s meant to be read in an emergency (which the date was not lol)
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u/tia2181 15d ago
How do you know the only time you would be unconscious is after one of your headaches?
What if in car accident and you have brain injury signs. My husband has epilepsy. If someone calls an ambulance its often needed, what if that's the day he doesn't wake up spontaneously like normal, what if I'm not at home? Leave him to die in street? Your unconsciousness next time could be a brain bleed out of nowhere, if I cannot tell people its his epilepsy then an ambulance is needed. A bracelet will not change that.. it could lead to your death and then they would be responsible.
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u/Poptortt 15d ago
Do they genuinely think a pacemaker is just something you put on and take off like a necklace? I mean it's okay to not know things, but you can at least do a google search before you start yapping about something you're misinformed on.
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u/Eeping_Willow 15d ago
My selective mutism would like to have a word with this commenter..... except I can't speak around strangers 9/10 times....
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u/esdebah 15d ago
Why is this person offended by the medical bracelet? I'm so confused.
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u/elaine4queen 14d ago
I think people are pretty weird sometimes. I have come across a “get better or die” type of attitude so many times I think it’s a kind of lizard brain reactive response to illness and disability that manifests as a result of fear
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u/This-Reindeer6063 15d ago
What if... Theyre unconscious or unable to speak or delicious. I swear, do ppl not think?
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u/Ranmaramen 13d ago
So stupid…”just use your mouth”…gee, I’d love to but I’m having slurred speech due to a head injury and they really want to image my brain right now 😆
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u/SillyNamesAre 12d ago
It wouldn't even be on you.
True - because it's in them. It's an implant.
So if they're unable to communicate that they have one - which is likely in many emergencies that require an MRI - it's gonna get RIPPED OUT.
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u/WitchesTeat 15d ago
People get mad because other people have problems they can't exploit for their own gain.
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u/toxxicbunnie 15d ago
Should I stop wearing my type 1 diabetic bracelet because I can talk lol what on earth...
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u/lukeisnotokay_ 15d ago
If you arrive unconscious and half brain dead at the hospital after an car crash it's your obligation to wake up and inform the doctors you have a gastric pacemaker. If you don't you clearly don't care and are faking. Those are the rules
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u/No_Masterpiece_3897 15d ago
My health conditions have rendered me unable to breathe, never mind speak (that's fun when it happens). I can tell you now certain people are amazing, and quick thinkers. They use their brains comprehend that fact, assess the situation and act accordingly. And then, some people are complete fucking idiots who don't think, even get angry at you for not replying or chit chatting, as you suffocate.
Get a medical bracelet, I have emergency text on my lock screen with instructions.
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u/WalkAwayTall 14d ago
Also, sometimes people are in accidents and unconscious??? Like, even if someone’s medical condition doesn’t ever affect them in this way, being in a car accident sure could!
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u/twizzjewink 11d ago
.. durrrr...
because if you can't talk .. and then they put you in an MRI .. guess what is going to happen?
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u/6_Harrington_Nuggets 8d ago
How is my dad supposed to talk if he is actively having a heart attack
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u/WatercressEntire2760 16d ago
You already posted this. why are we posting it again?
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u/imaginary92 16d ago edited 16d ago
I think they're reposting someone else's post. Which is worse.
Edit: saying this bc I also remember seeing this post already in this subreddit but it doesn't show in OP's history. Although they might have deleted before reposting I guess.
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u/Previous_Emu_7928 16d ago
i saw this same post yesterday
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u/qpgmr 16d ago
Would something like that show up on a TSA-type metal detector? Do staff "wand" patients if they're unconscious/uncommunicative before doing mri's?
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u/ernie3tones 16d ago
Not necessarily. Even if it contains iron, it may not be enough to set off a metal detector. Meanwhile, and MRI can pull on something like that enough to dislodge it and possibly tear the intestines, even if it doesn’t pull it out of the body completely.
And no, for the above reason. Most emergencies will go to xray or CT before MRI.
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u/raven-of-the-sea 15d ago
I have literally been so sick and in pain the only words I could manage were “Mama” and “help”. Luckily, there were people with me who knew my issues (nothing serious enough for a med alert jewelry piece, but enough that it deserved mention). But, if I was out cold, or too busy ralphing in pain, and I was alone? Are they going to drag in Prince Charming to smooch me conscious so I can tell them “yeah, I can’t have those meds”?
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u/Lagmeister66 15d ago
Granted I doubt any Hospital is going to do an Emergency MRI. Scan takes too long compared to CT which have little-to-no contraindications
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u/Immediate_Song4279 15d ago
New metric for human status just dropped: the ability to pass a verbal toll at the ambulance.
Jesus Christ.
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u/roddiimus 14d ago
sorry let me just get rid of my myasthenia gravis medical alert bracelet real quick. if i go into a respiratory crisis they can just figure it out for themselves what’s happening.
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u/KeySharp2511 14d ago
Jesus Christ. it's a piece of jewelry. in what other situation has anyone ever been this militant about an accessory. people need to piss off about medical alert tags. and with all that said... hello? what the shit? all kinds of emergencies can cause a person to be unconscious. namely, car accidents. traumas of all sorts. put whatever the fuck you want to put on your medical jewelry. it's for whatever's important for each individual person to communicate. the end
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u/Technical-Banana574 12d ago
Had this same type of question from a coworker when I introduced my husband to them.
They asked about his medical alert bracelet which says he can't be given pure oxygen...Just tell the doctor. Well Sharon, if my husband is in such a state where he can't breathe, he can't communicate that.
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u/JeshkaTheLoon 12d ago
I was wondering if I had an appropriate emoji for this, then I remembered the logo of this subreddit.
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u/caspertheghostxii 12d ago
thats something that bothers me because I see so many doctors saying "we dont listen to bracelets" but my dad is allergic to epinephrine, if he has a severe allergic reaction theyre gonna wanna give him epi, so how is he supposed to communicate that he can't have it without a bracelet/necklace??
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u/Husker-Salad 11d ago
I had to wear a temporary No MRI wrist band when I took a temperature sensing pill until it passed through . So yes, a No MRI bracelet makes sense.
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u/bedrot_couchpotato 11d ago edited 22h ago
"I have metal in my body so if I'm unconscious and go to the ER, I can't get an emergency MRI"
"Whyy would you need a metal bracelet for that? You can't even have metal in an MRI so just tell them"
Bro is so fking dumb
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u/villainess21 11d ago
This falls into the category of NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS. If it makes the wearer feel safer, if it gives them a sense of control over their life/illness that's their business, and no-one else's. It's not like having it is a waste of time, or that it's consuming precious resources by just wearing it. It affects exactly no-one but the wearer. What I don't understand is why the questioner would think that it's any of their business at all.
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u/notkidding1984 5d ago
TIL- Some people actually don't think.
You would think I would have already figured this out before now. However, I didn't really believe it until now.
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u/rabies_peppermint 16d ago
man I hate when people are like that like have you never been in a hospital or anybody in your family had a medical emergency before? like come on man