Celiac Disease On Medical Alert Bracelet

[simplicity66]

I was just wondering if anyone has approached Medical Alert to see if Celiac disease can be put on?

Someone with Celiac Disease is unable to commuincate to a medical team worst case and there unaware

of this and give the paticent medication that contains gluten....mind you they will find out after the fact....personally i feel this will be beneifical for anyone that has this disease.......

[psawyer]

Yes, celiac disease can be included on a Medic Alert. I have it on mine.

It has been discussed here previously, and there is no consensus as to whether this is a good idea.

If you are unconscious, the only meds you will get will be by injection, and all such meds are gluten-free. An IV for nutritional purposes is gluten-free. The point raised against having celiac disease on the alert is that time may be wasted trying to determine the gluten-free status of potentially live-saving medications.

A point in favor is that having it on record will give credence to your insistence on gluten-free food if in hospital.

[Ginsou]

Yes, Medicalert will engrave Celiac Disease on your bracelet....I had mine done about a year ago.

[Gemini]

I was just wondering if anyone has approached Medical Alert to see if Celiac disease can be put on?

Someone with Celiac Disease is unable to commuincate to a medical team worst case and there unaware

of this and give the paticent medication that contains gluten....mind you they will find out after the fact....personally i feel this will be beneifical for anyone that has this disease.......

It would only matter if you were being given medications by mouth....which wouldn't be happening if you were unconscious. IV meds will not pass through your gut so there would be no reaction. Nutritional meds like TPN, also do not pass through your gut so not a cause for worry. The only one that might be a problem would be a feeding tube and by the time most need a feeding tube, the hospital would know you are Celiac from your PCP.

Hospitals only do emergency care until a PCP is contacted.....at least that's how it works around here. I would imagine family members would also inform a hospital of a person's gluten-free status too, if the patient were unable to do so.

[Elha3868]

I was told by my doctor to get a medic alert bracelet after having what I thought (and was told) was a gluten free lunch. Only to discover an hour later, that it wasn't when I started getting sick. Within one hour I was vomiting so badly I went into shock as I was trying to drive home and ended up at a store on the side of the road going in and out of conscience. The medics didn't know what was wrong and I couldn't explain, thank god the people who found me called the number on my phone for "home" and got my husband.

I was told by the doctor that each attack would get worse and the longer I was gluten free, eating any amount of gluten could do this to me.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I have my bracelet with my drug allergies listed and when they call it says Celiac Disease but I did not want it engraved.

[Ginsou]

Ummmmm I'm curious...where was that gluten free lunch served? I've learned not to trust anyone except myself when it comes to eating. I was ill for a week after eating with family. My daughter-in-law to be used rice milk for the potatoes, but put in margarine (I'm also dairy and soy intolerant). The steaks were marinated in a sauce that contained soy.

[Gemini]

I was told by my doctor to get a medic alert bracelet after having what I thought (and was told) was a gluten free lunch. Only to discover an hour later, that it wasn't when I started getting sick. Within one hour I was vomiting so badly I went into shock as I was trying to drive home and ended up at a store on the side of the road going in and out of conscience. The medics didn't know what was wrong and I couldn't explain, thank god the people who found me called the number on my phone for "home" and got my husband.

I was told by the doctor that each attack would get worse and the longer I was gluten free, eating any amount of gluten could do this to me.

Sounds like you may have had food poisoning because a glutening would not cause such a violent reaction. Yup, I can hear the nay sayers now but I was at end stage and very sick at the time of diagnosis and I remember one thing the doctor told me. With Celiac Disease, you may have vomiting along with the Big D but the vomiting is not the same as food poisoning. I thought I originally had food poisoning when I was sick. What you just described was a food poisoning reaction, which would give you the symptoms you described. Violent, non-stop vomiting as opposed to vomiting at night, after ingesting gluten, on a more toned down scale. That's when they ruled out food poisoning for me and began to look in other directions. You essentially vomit until there is nothing left to vomit with food poisoning. It's incredibly violent and actually can be a lot worse than a glutening.

I think you have to keep everything in perspective and not become too obsessed with having Celiac Disease.

You can wear a medical alert bracelet if you want but it's not necessary for most Celiac's. It's an intolerance, not a diabetic reaction or a heart attack. You generally are not eating anything by mouth or taking meds when you are that sick so it's doubtful more harm could be done in the ER.

[Elha3868]

Sounds like you may have had food poisoning because a glutening would not cause such a violent reaction. Yup, I can hear the nay sayers now but I was at end stage and very sick at the time of diagnosis and I remember one thing the doctor told me. With Celiac Disease, you may have vomiting along with the Big D but the vomiting is not the same as food poisoning. I thought I originally had food poisoning when I was sick. What you just described was a food poisoning reaction, which would give you the symptoms you described. Violent, non-stop vomiting as opposed to vomiting at night, after ingesting gluten, on a more toned down scale. That's when they ruled out food poisoning for me and began to look in other directions. You essentially vomit until there is nothing left to vomit with food poisoning. It's incredibly violent and actually can be a lot worse than a glutening.

I think you have to keep everything in perspective and not become too obsessed with having Celiac Disease.

You can wear a medical alert bracelet if you want but it's not necessary for most Celiac's. It's an intolerance, not a diabetic reaction or a heart attack. You generally are not eating anything by mouth or taking meds when you are that sick so it's doubtful more harm could be done in the ER.

[Elha3868]

Actually, since I have been gluten free, I have had 4 similar attacks after eating something with Gluten (always finding out afterwards). I was at luncheon at work and had lettuce and cheese on what they told me was a gluten free wrap and an apple. The specialist I see was on call that night and he agreed the reaction was too quick and too similar to my other reactions to have been food poisining. Plus I ate nothing else that would have been suspect. It started within 1 hour and I never had the big D, just severe vomiting. It is just the way I react. He actually said he has at least one other patient that goes into shock as well. It is rare, but I have found other people saying similar statements always saying the reactions got worse. He and my regular doctor specifically told me to get one, I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise. The biggest problem was the volunteer rescue squad didn't know what celiac was and gave me an epi-pen thinking it was an allergic reaction.

I spent 8 years throwing up everyday and having such bad stomach problems before being diagnosed, I don't agree that you can't be too obsessed. I have 5 siblings and a mother also with the disease and it affects us differently, but the diagnosis has changed all of our lives in a positive way because we take it very seriously. As I look into the future knowing my children may also be affected, I take it even more seriously.

[Janessa]

I am thinking about getting a medical alert bracelet and I am unsure what to put on it maybe someone can help.

I am allergic to latex, peanuts and penicillin

I am intolerant to corn (heard this is in IV fluids?) soy and gluten (not officially diagnosed with celiac but my sister has it so I am fairly positive)

Thanks

[kbtoyssni]

The biggest problem was the volunteer rescue squad didn't know what celiac was and gave me an epi-pen thinking it was an allergic reaction.

Does getting an epi-pen without an allergic reaction cause any harmful effects?

[psawyer]

Does getting an epi-pen without an allergic reaction cause any harmful effects?

The epinephrine is a general stimulant which dilates the bronchi and stimulates the heart . It is similar to adrenaline. For a person in general good health it should not be a problem. If a person is already predisposed to heart trouble, it can trigger a myocardial infarction (heart attack), as it causes blood pressure to rise.