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Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> medical I.D cards http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1355607431 Message started by mr anderson on Dec 15th, 2012 at 4:37pm |
Title: Re: medical I.D cards Post by Mike NZ on Dec 15th, 2012 at 6:41pm
The problem with the card linked is that since everything is printed on the card and you only get two updates, it'll be painful keeping it up to date, especially for episodic people as drugs and doses change frequently. For example, out of cycle you may be on nothing, then start a prednisione taper and say verapamil, ramping up the dose to an effective dose and then ramping down as the cycle ends. There will also me no information about what abortives a person may have taken, especially triptans.
Because of this pattern a doctor would still need to confirm the information, which almost defeats the point, especially as the medical details are as provided by the patient and not from a doctor. Ideally if you've oxygen available then this would avoid the need to go to hospital as even if you live next door to the hospital, by the time you've got there the CH will have taken hold. I suspect that cards like this are much more useful for patients with a long term, stable condition where they take the same medication for months on end. The card could be improved, however it would not be cheap. The card could be a link to a call centre / secure web site which holds full medical records, verified by doctors. There would need to be a secure process to identify both the medical person calling and the patient to ensure privacy. And the data would need to be frequently updated. What would work much better is centralised medical records, all stored electronically... |
Title: Re: medical I.D cards Post by mr anderson on Dec 15th, 2012 at 6:55pm
yeah i see your point ...i was thinking mire in the sense of just getting O2 therapy as a last line of defence ....if you havent or cant get O2 at home ...as there have been times when i get to level 10 and the pain is unwordy in thought and language......so i go to the hospital for O2 .....i suppose every little helps in a sense but even if it helped a handful of us numb the pain when all else fails ...i feel its worth us looking into and having this discussion ....thought i definitely see where you are coming from..
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Title: Re: medical I.D cards Post by Brew on Dec 15th, 2012 at 8:23pm
Seems like there's a simple fix: Write it on a piece of paper and carry it in your wallet. Have a health care provider read it if you're in no position to explain.
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Title: Re: medical I.D cards Post by mr anderson on Dec 15th, 2012 at 8:45pm
maybe im not explaining my point the way i intend to ...example i went to the hospital with level 10 pain ...they disbelieved well i got the impression they had no idea what c.h is/was...other times they take my bloods for no apparent reason/...they have had me waiting in A+E instead of giving me the O2 i so desperately needed...i told them my condition and what i needed and there attitude and i quote we have to deal with those that need help the most first .....now if someone is on deaths doors i understand but that wasnt the case ...did they see it as drug seeking behaviour..? i dont know ...but i feel with medical I.D cards we can bypass all the inadequacies of not getting the treatment when in desperate need
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Title: Re: medical I.D cards Post by idorko on Dec 16th, 2012 at 7:51am
Honestly, I'm not sure why an ED wouldn't give you an oxygen mask if you asked for it. Oxygen isn't a narcotic or something for which drug seekers would be looking. From personal experience, the oxygen you get in hospitals will be delivered at 10 LPM, which, at least for me, is ineffective in knocking back the headaches. Maybe you could talk to your doctor and get he or she to write a paragraph describing why oxygen is used, and you could keep that with you in the event you needed to go to the hospital.
I also don't see why you couldn't just make one of these yourself with an hour or so on microsoft word and a printer. Good luck, Isaac |
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