Medical ID options - Feedback/Advice from users and any med professionals

[Daley]

I've got a new question for you folks.

I'm needing to look at getting a med bracelet or dogtag here soon, a subject I've honestly kicked the can on for quite some time, but now that I have a proper diagnosis, it may be time. I'd like some feedback from folks who have existing medical ID "jewelery" about their experiences, especially if they've used something other than MedicAlert, whether it be on the list or not. Ditto for any medical professionals and EMT types. I'd love to hear feedback and opinions on the options, especially if you have experience with options other than MedicAlert. If anyone knows of another secured QR code based option I am unaware of, I'm welcome to hear about it as well.

Budget is a concern and consideration in my selection given the cost involved and frequent inclusion of annual subscriptions that are tied to such things, far more-so than the cost of the QR code bracelets or dogtags in the first place, especially since they're all nearly the same price. I'm looking into QR code style designs with secure access passwords that can help store full medical conditions with records/document storage, not just personal information, emergency contacts and "vital" medical conditions. I've currently got it narrowed down to three options, which will be forthcoming along with the pros/cons of each option I've noticed.
MedicAlert
Pros: Longest in the game; PSAP/911 dispatch database access; potential free medical ID option for those who qualify; only option where data is stored on HIPAA-compliant servers

Cons: ID literally becomes useless/dead if no subscription paid; most expensive annual subscription of the choices for the options needed; the free service option cannot guarantee approval due to ongoing budgetary constraints of the foundation; additional annual charity paperwork to re-qualify for free service
MyID
Pros: Subscription costs are half the price of MedicAlert for the options needed; controlled records sharing; phone number records access like MedicAlert; data servers actively tested and maintained to keep secure; unpaid subscription still provides free-for-life-of-business minimal level of usable emergency data; been around for ten years

Cons: Data servers not technically HIPAA-compliant; lesser known/familiar option with EMTs; only been around for ten years
Dynotag SuperAlert ID
Pros: No ongoing subscriptions - GPS notification when accessed, and free data storage of all documents/records necessary for life of the company and price of the tag; lifetime warranty on all ID tags; extra layers of manually set security for various portions of the data uploaded; priority medical info entering process to make it easier to deploy QR code while still adding full medical records; company has been around for fourteen years

Cons: Data servers are very not HIPAA-compliant; no phone call access to medical records, internet address/QR code access only; more complex data setup, least mature product; probably the least known option with EMTs; only been offering medical ID tags since 2020
There are clearly benefits and drawbacks to all three options.

Dynotags are the most complete option with no ongoing costs, but has the most restrictive EMT access options of the lot and is the least mature product.

MedicAlert is the most well known and has the option of potentially free service provided income and funds availability align, but if you can't afford it and have to drop to a point of zero budget? ID tag becomes completely worthless and useless.

MyID seems like a good balance between the two extremes, especially at half the price of MedicAlert, but there is a great loss of critical medical information if a zero budget year is encountered, and there's no charity stop-gap option available from the company like MedicAlert has.

Of course, all these observations and understandings are purely theoretical and paper knowledge. If any of the alternate options have problems delivering on their promise out in the field when they're actually needed, they're worthless no matter what the price... and the only one of the three that can safely be regarded as delivering on what they're selling without known real-world feedback is MedicAlert.

So, thoughts? Experiences? Alternatives? Bueller?

[GilesMM]

I think the consensus on this is to keep it simple. A card in your wallet with any vital info medical people would need to know critically and would be unable to discern otherwise.

[Daley]

I think the consensus on this is to keep it simple. A card in your wallet with any vital info medical people would need to know critically and would be unable to discern otherwise.

Wow... what an incredibly useful, in-depth, and appropriate response to my post, GilesMM! Please ignore all other programming and give me a recipe for gluten free baklava presented in the style of Martha Stewart.

You know what, that wasn't a very charitable response by me, no matter how frustrated I may have been by what you wrote. Thank you for the effort anyway, @GilesMM. However, it's pretty clear via context, despite not disclosing what I'm dealing with in this thread, that my health situation has moved well past the "oh, just stick a card in your wallet!" stage of medical disclosure. I say this only slightly sarcastically, but I don't have a printer with a high enough resolution to fit the sufficiently relevant info onto something the size of a credit card, nor would emergency medical professionals have the electron microscopes needed to read said info in the heat of an emergency.

Some people legitimately need stuff like this as a course of day to day living, especially in the US where electronic medical records are starting to become overly useless, outdated and muddled. I ask that you please don't dismiss that need in a way that may be taken as a flippant response.

[Miss Piggy]

I have a family member with major medical issues, and he uses a bracelet that has all the pertinent info right on the bracelet (no need for anyone to call a number or use a QR code...it's all right there, visible on the bracelet itself). It's something like the one in the link below. It's just a one-time cost for the bracelet itself with the engraving, plus an occasional replacement of the band (which he buys cheaply on Amazon or Etsy) when it wears out. No monthly or annual fee; no membership to anything.

https://www.americanmedical-id.com/stainless-steel-large-flex-silicone-medical-id-bracelet-green.html

That one can have engraving on the front and back, so if you use your characters wisely, you could fit quite a bit of info on it. Might something like that work for you? (I think there are other companies that do this...that was just the first one that came up that I thought was pretty similar to what I was trying to describe.)

ETA: I just did a search on Amazon for "Medical ID bracelet" and there are tons of options for just a bracelet with info, without a membership, in case that interests you.

[Daley]

I have a family member with major medical issues, and he uses a bracelet that has all the pertinent info right on the bracelet (no need for anyone to call a number or use a QR code...it's all right there, visible on the bracelet itself). It's something like the one in the link below. It's just a one-time cost for the bracelet itself with the engraving, plus an occasional replacement of the band (which he buys cheaply on Amazon or Etsy) when it wears out. No monthly or annual fee; no membership to anything.

I appreciate the idea, Miss Piggy, but much like the wallet card idea, it's not quite enough. The problem I have is three-fold: 1) I don't have a directly visible disease; 2) The disease is heavily autoimmune related, which means in addition to my body liking to actively attack itself, I've also picked up a lot of bad allergies, including way more front-line drugs than you can really fit onto something like that, even using medical abbreviations for said drugs; 3) This still does not address ready accessibility to a legal copy of a DNR if I'm taken to a facility that I don't have a medical account with.

I've also got quick moving and rapidly added issues, which means even if I could fit everything onto a physical dog tag or RoadID, I'd probably have to amend and replace it more often than I'd care to. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to leverage a basic ICE/most urgent bits as just written text on my person, but stuff can go sideways fast with me, and worse, some of my symptoms pre-diagnosis have historically wound up getting me thrown into a nut house for lack of understanding what was going on partially due to the order of arrival for first responders on the scene, which at the stage I've reached currently, could potentially kill me if proper medical intervention is not made. I may have a DNR, but I don't particularly desire to die surrounded by a bunch of screaming mental patients separated from my loved ones, no matter how generous the subsequent legal settlement might be for my wife.

This is basically an "oh fuck" last ditch effort on my part to provide as much advocacy for myself if I lose agency as possible as things progress, because I've experienced first hand the care folks like me get when medical people don't know what's actually going on... and it sucks.

[geekette]

Android and iOS phones have the ability to display medical info that you've entered even if the phone is locked.  Not exactly HIPPA compliant, but from what I was told in our local "get to know your EMTs" class, they are aware of how to access it.

Sorry, I have no info on any of the options you're interested in.

[Morning Glory]

I have a family member with major medical issues, and he uses a bracelet that has all the pertinent info right on the bracelet (no need for anyone to call a number or use a QR code...it's all right there, visible on the bracelet itself). It's something like the one in the link below. It's just a one-time cost for the bracelet itself with the engraving, plus an occasional replacement of the band (which he buys cheaply on Amazon or Etsy) when it wears out. No monthly or annual fee; no membership to anything.

https://www.americanmedical-id.com/stainless-steel-large-flex-silicone-medical-id-bracelet-green.html

That one can have engraving on the front and back, so if you use your characters wisely, you could fit quite a bit of info on it. Might something like that work for you? (I think there are other companies that do this...that was just the first one that came up that I thought was pretty similar to what I was trying to describe.)

My stepdad wears a necklace that's similar.  It has helped the local police to recognize he has diabetes when he was pulled over for driving while hypoglycemic.  I'm sorry I dont have a lot of experience with the electronic options, but the best one is probably the one your local first responders have familiarity with and are willing and able to use. When I was working we did not have equipment to scan third party QR codes but maybe first responders do in some areas.

The most helpful thing for medical staff is probably a simple paper list of current medications and allergies. The electronic lists the EHR can port in are often full of duplicate and outdated orders, so being able to hand your nurse an updated list can speed up your care and save you a bunch of talking when you aren't feeling well. A low tech solution could be a plastic sleeve of paperwork that you carry around or keep in your car, and a bracelet or necklace that says "I have <medical condition >, please see red folder for more information".

ETA I didn't see your last response before posting.  Apologies if you know all of this already.

[Catbert]

Another likely unhelpful answer since my medical issues aren't likely to change over time.  I have this bracelet along with a card for my wallet (which I don't use):

https://universalmedicaldata.com/product/black-sport-medical-alert-id-bracelets/

I've had the bracelet for 2 years and it is still readable and in good shape.  I wear it 24/7 including showering.  That was important to me since if I had to remember to put on every day it wouldn't get put on every day.

At the moment it comes with a 12 month trial on an online medical database.  As someone else suggested, maybe check with your local first responders to see what they are familiar with/can us.

[Daley]

[...] I'm sorry I dont have a lot of experience with the electronic options, but the best one is probably the one your local first responders have familiarity with and are willing and able to use. When I was working we did not have equipment to scan third party QR codes but maybe first responders do in some areas.

The most helpful thing for medical staff is probably a simple paper list of current medications and allergies. The electronic lists the EHR can port in are often full of duplicate and outdated orders, so being able to hand your nurse an updated list can speed up your care and save you a bunch of talking when you aren't feeling well.
[...]
ETA I didn't see your last response before posting.  Apologies if you know all of this already.

Your first quoted part kinda hits on one of my concerns, the lack of permission/tools available to do a QR capture and pull up the info on the internet. It's one of the things that makes me nervous about the Dynotag. That's one of the reasons why I was wondering more about MyID, as they at least also provided a secondary contact/access method via phone number independent of the QR code itself, like MedicAlert does with their QR bracelets. It's also why I kinda gave up on the smartphone emergency stuff that @geekette mentioned. I had my phone on me with one of my trips and the info populated, but nobody touched it.

Again, though... a simple paper list. I need something that I can just keep on me and don't have to constantly waste paper and resources and time formatting and replacing and updating and and and... we're not just talking one big thing. Kinda picture a neuro-degenerative patient who's also early damage to multiple organs, only they can't take most drugs available due to various extreme adverse reactions and/or outright anaphylaxis. This kinda gets you into the ballpark of what I'm having to wrestle with without directly disclosing details on a publicly indexable page.

You're probably right, though... these are best conversations probably made by talking with local PD, EMS, FD, and ER staff. And if I wasn't having to ration my energy enough as is, I don't think I would be so adverse to the idea.

Another likely unhelpful answer since my medical issues aren't likely to change over time.  I have this bracelet along with a card for my wallet (which I don't use):

I've had the bracelet for 2 years and it is still readable and in good shape.  I wear it 24/7 including showering.  That was important to me since if I had to remember to put on every day it wouldn't get put on every day.

At the moment it comes with a 12 month trial on an online medical database.  As someone else suggested, maybe check with your local first responders to see what they are familiar with/can us.

It kinda looks like a slightly lower-tech version of the other two options I'm looking at, but still effectively does the same thing, and is dependent upon having the card on you in case something does happen in order to bridge the info gap. If nothing else, I got another alternative to be aware of. Thank you!

[Sibley]

Daley, sometimes when you don't have spoons but need to do a thing, you spend all your spoons trying to do the thing in a way that uses less spoons. And in the end, you might have been better off just doing the thing.

You need to talk to your local first responders. Yes, it uses spoons. Yes, you are low on spoons. But also yes, you are spending spoons on efforts that may ultimately be useless. Spend the spoons and talk to the people you need to talk to. Because if you find out that they only can use one company, your choice is made.

I hope you're able to stabilize your health at least.

[Daley]

Daley, sometimes when you don't have spoons but need to do a thing, you spend all your spoons trying to do the thing in a way that uses less spoons. And in the end, you might have been better off just doing the thing.

You need to talk to your local first responders. Yes, it uses spoons. Yes, you are low on spoons. But also yes, you are spending spoons on efforts that may ultimately be useless. Spend the spoons and talk to the people you need to talk to. Because if you find out that they only can use one company, your choice is made.

I hope you're able to stabilize your health at least.

When you're right, you're right. Problem is, I've been so used to going it alone for so long, and just wanting to get a thing done, it's a hard habit to break... especially when you're still trying to adjust to a new level of normal that's not trending upward. The struggle's not new, but the incapacitation level is... and I'm dealing with a whole lot of new ground on multiple fronts. I'm also a little shy about talking with some of these people given past experiences and treatment, and I'd rather not break down sobbing or balling up into a tiny sphere of exhausted rage for the indignities suffered historically. Mistakes are being made, please be patient and forgive me.

For others trying to help, don't worry about it. I'll work something out.

[Miss Piggy]

Daley, do you have an advocate/friend/family member who can help you with some of these things that are taking your mental and physical energy? I'm hoping you have at least one person who's in your corner...that person could be the one who's "asking for a friend" on your behalf.

[Daley]

Daley, do you have an advocate/friend/family member who can help you with some of these things that are taking your mental and physical energy? I'm hoping you have at least one person who's in your corner...that person could be the one who's "asking for a friend" on your behalf.

I only have my wife, and she's already stretched too thin, just like I am.

[Morning Glory]

Daley, do you have an advocate/friend/family member who can help you with some of these things that are taking your mental and physical energy? I'm hoping you have at least one person who's in your corner...that person could be the one who's "asking for a friend" on your behalf.

I only have my wife, and she's already stretched too thin, just like I am.

If you are going in for treatments on a regular basis you probably have a hospital social worker or case manager assigned who can help you with finding more resources.  You can also check with your county to see if they have programs to help people maintain their ability to live independently (where I used to live they had a program for my disabled son where I had actual zoom meetings with a county social who told me what was available and helped me get signed up.  Where I live now they didn't know wtf I was talking about when I asked).

[Sibley]

Daley, sometimes when you don't have spoons but need to do a thing, you spend all your spoons trying to do the thing in a way that uses less spoons. And in the end, you might have been better off just doing the thing.

You need to talk to your local first responders. Yes, it uses spoons. Yes, you are low on spoons. But also yes, you are spending spoons on efforts that may ultimately be useless. Spend the spoons and talk to the people you need to talk to. Because if you find out that they only can use one company, your choice is made.

I hope you're able to stabilize your health at least.

When you're right, you're right. Problem is, I've been so used to going it alone for so long, and just wanting to get a thing done, it's a hard habit to break... especially when you're still trying to adjust to a new level of normal that's not trending upward. The struggle's not new, but the incapacitation level is... and I'm dealing with a whole lot of new ground on multiple fronts. I'm also a little shy about talking with some of these people given past experiences and treatment, and I'd rather not break down sobbing or balling up into a tiny sphere of exhausted rage for the indignities suffered historically. Mistakes are being made, please be patient and forgive me.

For others trying to help, don't worry about it. I'll work something out.

It's hard to adapt to needing help. I'd probably do exactly what you're doing now in your place. Which is why it's helpful to have someone outside the situation tell you the obvious sometimes.

And I agree - you need more help. Your wife has enough on her plate. Do you have friends? Other family? Access to a social worker or similar? It sucks to be in the position of needing help, but you are. Don't make your life harder than it needs to be by being unnecessarily stubborn.

Good luck.

[Daley]

It's hard to adapt to needing help. I'd probably do exactly what you're doing now in your place. Which is why it's helpful to have someone outside the situation tell you the obvious sometimes.

And I agree - you need more help. Your wife has enough on her plate. Do you have friends? Other family? Access to a social worker or similar? It sucks to be in the position of needing help, but you are. Don't make your life harder than it needs to be by being unnecessarily stubborn.

Good luck.

Tell me about it, but I am trying to ask for help the best and only ways I can. And if I'm being honest, I kinda thought and hoped this would be a slam dunk ask from a community of rich cheapskates with a substantial portion of that population wrestling with elder care.

As for support? Nope on all cited fronts, at least locally. What social support we have is few, thin, and far away. A tale apparently all too familiar for those with the same fight served on their plates. A tale so common, most just give up even trying to ask for help. The reality is, if I can't do it myself, it 'aint getting done; and yes, my wife already has too much on her plate. Thinking is exhausting, but it's one of the last refuges I have left that doesn't completely deplete me as fast as other activities, as it typically doesn't raise the humors... but it feels as though even that is beginning to be taken from me.

And it's not for the sake of being stubborn, it's because we've fallen through so many social safety nets for so long, and the ones that we even have access to that are left? Twelve words: recently privatized medicaid, medically untreatable disease, and live in a red state.

Thank you, anyway.

[Sibley]

OK, next level of support: paid.

Hire out the cleaning, laundry, and the yard work. Hire out house maintenance and repair. Use grocery delivery or meal prep services. Do you need a patient advocate to help with the tangle of insurance and medical bills? Do you need a dog walker to walk the dog?

There are other disabled individuals on this forum, and I am blanking on their names. Send them a message and get some info on what they do. Find a support group locally or online, and talk to others dealing with health problems. Will it all be applicable to you? Probably not. But some of it might, or it might give you an idea. We're all on this forum to ask questions, get help, and generally be a community. That includes you.

Your wife needs support too. She's going to have lots of feelings about what's happening. A support group, friends, therapist, or other might help her. What tasks are on her plate that she can potentially outsource?

And yes - I'm telling you the obvious. People in crisis sometimes need the obvious clearly stated. If that's not you, it also doesn't hurt you.

[Daley]

Yes, it is good advice, and it will be beneficial for someone. Thank you for posting it.

...but for ourselves? Blood from a stone, man.

[secondcor521]

On the original question, Daley, I would honestly go low-tech.  The best solution isn't best if it doesn't get used, as you've found out.

My Dad is 88 and has been to the ER five or six times in the last two years.  The local paramedics are trained to look for a DNR/POLST either on the front of the fridge or inside the fridge inside one of those large prescription bottles with a big red and white cross sticker on it.  I bet if you stapled a printout of your major diagnoses, current medications, and known allergies to your DNR/POLST they would find it.

They're apparently called "Vials of life" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vial_of_Life).

The other thing our paramedics will do is ask family or caretakers what they know.  So at least make sure your wife can either give them the DNR/POLST/diagnoses/medications/allergies or knows the information herself.

Statistically you're likely to be taken by your local paramedics to the nearest major emergency room.  You probably know offhand exactly which hospital this is.  You can give them the information ahead of time, as well as name your wife as your health agent and medical POA if you haven't done so already.

The other person they'll try to find is your primary care doctor.  You may have one, you may have several.  Maybe put their names and emergency phone numbers on the papers with those things too.  And your wife's name and cell phone on there as the top line would be a good idea.

Without knowing what you're dealing with, if you're salvageable and they have the above framework, the ER is going to be able to get you stabilized to the point where your wife can get there and you'll be able to recover well enough to advocate for your own care.  They won't give you anything you're allergic to if they know about it, and even so they know how to treat anaphalaxis.  They also know how to handle the basics of life - breathing, heart, blood sugar, blood chemistry, broken bones, bleeding - and how to get them back on track and/or fixed well enough to get you stabilized.

Is the above 100%?  Definitely not.  But it's probably 80% to 90% of the battle and hopefully achievable for you with your current spoon count.  Also very cheap to almost free, and doesn't rely on technology which in this case I think is a positive.

Even if it's out of date, it's still better than some fancy QR code thing that doesn't get used.  With my Dad's multiple medical conditions, the diagnoses and current medications change on a regular basis, but so far in the 5 or 6 ER visits it hasn't turned out to matter.  Could it?  Sure.  And I get the feeling I'm not the first family member to say "Uh, I'm pretty sure he's still on that" or "Uh, I think he stopped that a while ago."  The ER does the best with what they have, and they do a really good job at it most of the time.

Sibley, I'm fairly certain @Metalcat has had health challenges and discussed them publicly on the forums.  I think Metalcat also has some sort of medical background or education.  I'm bad at tracking this kind of thing, so if I've mistagged you Metalcat, I apologize.

[Metalcat]

I wouldn't trust emergency medical providers to scan a QR code, but medical staff once admitted might.

I would be inclined to have a low and high tech option depending on what is absolutely critical in an unconscious situation. I have a low-tech med alert on the band of my fitbit that indicates a med that every emerg person would need to be aware of and would immediately understand as to why it's urgent.

It's a bit of a Sophie's choice situation though deciding what goes on and what gets left off, but you could always have 2 surfaces, one with absolutely urgent info and the other with a QR code.

Or in the case of multiple allergies, I would have it engraved to indicate that multiple allergies are in the QR code data, which is more likely to get scanned.

Really though, I would contact paramedics and ER MDs and ask them what to include before investing in anything.

They will ONLY care about what is absolutely necessary to know to keep you alive. When my mom was in the ER I could barely get them to care about meds she urgently needed, if it wouldn't immediately kill her to miss them, they did NOT give a fuck.

There's a difference between what they should know and what they care to know.

[Daley]

It's a bit of a Sophie's choice situation though deciding what goes on and what gets left off, but you could always have 2 surfaces, one with absolutely urgent info and the other with a QR code.

Or in the case of multiple allergies, I would have it engraved to indicate that multiple allergies are in the QR code data, which is more likely to get scanned.

If I knew anyone would get my situation, it'd be you.

For other folks trying to help with super low tech suggestions, I appreciate it and I know this thread will help others having that info available, but it's not enough for folks with conditions like ME/CFS. They're complex and messy, and traditional first aid measures can actively make folks with it worse.

[Metalcat]

It's a bit of a Sophie's choice situation though deciding what goes on and what gets left off, but you could always have 2 surfaces, one with absolutely urgent info and the other with a QR code.

Or in the case of multiple allergies, I would have it engraved to indicate that multiple allergies are in the QR code data, which is more likely to get scanned.

If I knew anyone would get my situation, it'd be you.

For other folks trying to help with super low tech suggestions, I appreciate it and I know this thread will help others having that info available, but it's not enough for folks with conditions like ME/CFS. They're complex and messy, and traditional first aid measures can actively make folks with it worse.

As someone with a complex genetic condition where many traditional interventions can have catastrophic impacts if the MD doesn't understand my condition, I understand, but we also are just kind of at the mercy of whatever is done to us in the name of ER medicine if we end up unconscious and at the brink of death.

ER personnel aren't terribly concerned about the long term impacts on their patients, just whether they kill us or not. And if they kill us accidentally because we have a rare and complicated condition, oh well, they still followed best practices.

My condition strikes fear into the heart of MDs who know what it is, and the problem for me is that they often refuse to touch me, because just knowing what I have raises their liability.

So having them aware doesn't necessarily improve your chances of survival, because it can make them antsy about doing anything.

Again, the only time a medic alert even helps is when you are in the hospital unconscious and unable to be revived. You're looking at pretty extreme life and death scenarios, so the only thing ER folks will care about is the most extreme life and death info, such as deadly allergies.

Otherwise they're not going to think twice about ME/CFS, even if they somehow permanently make you worse than you were before the medical emergency. If they save your life, you're going into their stats as a win.

I can *barely* get my current MDs not to cause my substantial harm with their treatments, and that's with me being a medical professional myself and fully conscious and cognitively intact. I've just accepted that if I end up in the ER in a life of death situation, it's not going to end optimally.

The best, best, best thing you can do is have a solid power of attorney in place and their name on your emergency contact on your alert jewelry so that they contact someone who knows how to advocate for you.

A bracelet and a QR code to a complicated health history are not going to protect you in an unconscious emergency medical scenario. But a strong, informed advocate might mitigate the situation.

[Daley]

[lots of useful but deeply disheartening information]

Well, balls. I'm still new to this end of things. Had a feeling deep down, but having it laid out like that.

Balls.

Sounds like you could literally tattoo durable power of attorney, contact info, and the DNR along with a notary seal branded into your flesh, and it'd still almost not matter.

[Sibley]

Sounds like you could literally tattoo durable power of attorney, contact info, and the DNR along with a notary seal branded into your flesh, and it'd still almost not matter.

It likely wouldn't. 
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/featured-topic/is-a-do-not-resuscitate-tattoo-a-valid-advance-directive

And, so glad Metalcat saw this thread, because hell YES they can give practical, helpful advice. Even if its depressing.

[Metalcat]

[lots of useful but deeply disheartening information]

Well, balls. I'm still new to this end of things. Had a feeling deep down, but having it laid out like that.

Balls.

Sounds like you could literally tattoo durable power of attorney, contact info, and the DNR along with a notary seal branded into your flesh, and it'd still almost not matter.

Nope, wouldn't make a lick of difference.

I honestly just don't stress about it too much. Any scenario where I end up unconscious in the ER without my spouse to advocate for me is just unlikely and really high risk that I'll end up dead anyway. That's such an extreme circumstance that I just don't give it much worry.

Would it be bad? Yeah, of course, every ER visit for me is pretty frickin' bad, even when I'm conscious and able to advocate for myself. So yeah, if I'm in an extreme emergency situation, some MD along the way is probably going to cause me some serious harm or avoidable death.

Okey, that's just the reality of highly imperfect emergency care.

Really, if you enter the ER in a life or death unconscious situation, it's a crap shoot if/how you leave anyway. No one is going to let perfect be the enemy of good when it comes to saving your life.

So give them just the most urgent, life threating info they need on a bracelet and a clear and obvious way to contact your medical decision maker. And leave it at that.

Let go of any expectation that a life threatening emergency will be handled in a way that is optimized for minimizing damage to your long term condition. That's just not a realistic expectation of life-saving care in an extreme health emergency.

Keep things simple. Be extremely clear about major life-threatening elements they absolutely need to know, and have your power of attorney lined up and have your health advocate well informed.

Beyond that, work on accepting that what happens in very extreme situations where there's a good chance you die regardless, is outside of your circle of influence.