There are a lot of organizations out there that make the lives of those with allergies easier. FARE is one of them. Enjoy Life Foods is another. However, what I believe to be the most important organization, not only for those with an allergy, but for those with any serious medical condition, is MedicAlert.

MedicAlert basically serves as a giant medical archive. It is a non-profit organization founded in 1954 that stores the medical information of all of its members for emergency purposes. Imagine if I were to have an allergic reaction and go into anaphylactic shock somewhere with my friends. They might not know what’s going on, so they would call 911. However, in order for health care professionals to determine what’s wrong with me, they would call MedicAlert. There are operators that answer emergency calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week..

I always wear a MedicAlert bracelet. It states that I have a food allergy and that I carry EpiPens. It also has my MedicAlert ID number.  If a doctor or paramedic were to call MedicAlert and give them the ID on my bracelet, they would have access to all of my medical records. MedicAlert kind of speaks for me when I can’t.

This is super handy, because if doctors know that I have a life threatening food allergy, they know that they should use an EpiPen, for instance. MedicAlert has helped to greatly reduce treatment errors for patients when they become unresponsive and can’t speak for themselves.

Also, since I have my bracelet, that means that no matter where I go, I know that if I were to have an allergic reaction, everyone would know what’s wrong.

MedicAlert isn’t just for someone with allergies though. It is for people with any severe medical condition. This includes asthma, autism, diabetes, people with a high risk for stroke, seizures, and basically anything else.

The bracelets are great too. They have all different kinds, including ones for children and adults. I decided to take a picture of mine as I was typing my blog.

I like wearing the classic MedicAlert bracelet. It’s super thin and lightweight. Sometimes I even forget I have it on. It’s also durable too. I’ve been wearing the same bracelet for years. My mom just keeps adding links to the chain to make it bigger. I also find that it’s hard to take off, which is excellent. I don’t have to worry about it falling off and losing it. I tried to take it off to show a picture of just the bracelet, but after a couple minutes I just gave up.

All in all, I’m pretty grateful for MedicAlert. They are kind of like the voice for those who are incapacitated and can’t tell doctors whats wrong with them. And trust me, that takes away a lot of pressure for me. Of course, MedicAlert bracelets aren’t the only bracelets you can use to put your MedicAlert information on. I just got my fist new ID since elementary school. I know, I know creature of habit.  What can I say?  I like what I like, BUT I love my new Road ID–and I was even able to have my Medic Alert number engraved on it.  I will tell you all about it tomorrow.

Until next time!

Gary