Asthma medical alert bracelet?

[yamyam89]

Hello all. Does anybody wear a medical alert bracelet for their asthma? I am considering one, for peace of mind.

I use a preventer (8 puffs per day) but we're still working on a manageable treatment programme for my asthma, which has worsened over the past year. My concern stems from an incident in February, wherein I was on a plane, and there was something wrong with the air in the cabin. Several people including myself were struggling to breathe, and one fainted and had to be administered oxygen. I genuinely worried for my life on that flight. (There's no recourse here, it's just one of those things.) Since then I've had to take four more flights and each have passed by without issue. However, it has deeply affected my psychologically. I didn't worry in any grand sense about my asthma previously. Now I do, to the point where on a train yesterday in the sweltering muggy heat, I felt I couldn't breathe in the same way I couldn't on the flight. The whole ten hour flight, I had battled to stop myself from fainting, and on the train yesterday I felt the same way. I think it was an anxiety issue over an asthma issue, but I felt so panicked and vulnerable, it deeply upset me. My partner works long hours and is away a lot. I am very often alone. I've only been in hospital the once with my asthma, but I worry about a panic attack and an asthma attack coinciding, and me fainting and no-one knowing what to do. There's a lot of issues here, obviously. I think I need some sort of asthma-centric therapy related to the flight as even thinking about the experience makes me feel faint. But that's not the question! I feel like a medical alert bracelet would make me feel safer. Does anyone else use one?

Thank you, and sorry for the essay!

[annenic]

I wear one, having read an article and spoken to my niece who is an ambulance tech, she told me they can be invaluable x

[lejaya]

Hi I wear a medic alert bracelet mainly because I am often on long courses of prednisolone and take alot of other meds. I also have my food allergies on my bracelet to and carry a medic alert card in my wallet which I have found helpful when in hospital or with paramedics

lejaya

[Dietrech]

I wear one, they are very reasonably priced and you can choose what’s written on them on Amazon but chemists sell them too.

[Hidden]

I have one. It’s actually primarily because we now know I’m allergic to iodine, but it also lists asthma and the medication I’m on for it.

[Emmajayne75]

I have a dog tag style one that's attached to my handbag, I don't go anywhere without it, it says that I'm asthmatic as well as my ice contact number it it also states that I have a nut allergy

[Lizzie1956 in reply to Emmajayne75]

What’s an ICE contact number???

[JDC01 in reply to Lizzie1956]

Hi Lizzie, it means in case of emergency- eg contact number 😀

[Lizzie1956 in reply to JDC01]

Ahhhh of course!!! 🙄 thank you liz

[Hidden]

Yes, bought a medical alert bracelet/engraved rubber one from Amazon .£7 for piece of mind. Similar to the charity ones. Never comes off. Ice contacts and nhs number along with my asthma embossed into the inside of the bracelet. Paramedics thought it a good idea.

[donewithasthma]

Your post is articulate and certainly tells me you do have a handle on the difficulties that suffering from asthma can cause. It can be hard to tell the difference initially between a panic attack & an asthma attack, and you are wise to consider other modalities to deal with that. I wear a MedicAlert bracelet that states Asthma and Drug Allergies. The last two emergency admissions, the paramedics looked at my bracelet that also has a contact number to MedicAlert that will outline my medical history with one call.

[Sparkimoore]

OMG of course you must!!!

You can get nice ones now, which look like jewellery bracelets, but have the Medic Alert logo & few written words.

I got mine from a big selection at Universal Medical website. Take a look & get yourself covered in case of an emergency!

Bestest wishes!

[Matman]

Agree that an Asthma Bracelet or Neck Medallion is a good idea. Mine mentions Steroid Use as well as Asthma, which is important for medical folk to be aware of. Trouble is, I rarely bother to put mine on. I either forget or feel too self conscious wearing it. What I do instead is to carry a Medical Card in my wallet with same info plus my doctors details and emergency contact. However, I should really wear a bracelet or medallion too (anything that might get spotted quicker if a bad attack strikes)

[yamyam89]

Thank you all for your replies. I didn't know if it would come across as paranoid / indulgent / hypochondria to other people, but this has given me the conviction to get one. Thank you for the suggestions of where to look and the information to present as well. There's a lot of nicer looking ones out there I can see, which will be good for work etc. Really appreciated.