Medical cards

I recently had a pacemaker and got my medical card to carry around with me, the ony thing is it's a peice of paper with a bit of information on it folded up and shoved in a plastic wallet. How is that something that I can take seriousley? Has anyone else from the UK had thus issue?

5 Comments

does it help?

by sam78 - 2010-03-14 04:03:34

Does it help any to know that I do actually have a plastic card that has very little useful information on it??? I mean I could hand this card to a ER physician who would look at it and say.. uh yeah ... great... and then hand it back. They dont give a rats what my serial number is. Mine doesnt list any sort of details such as pacer dependant or the mode of which I am in. It is seriously better used for an ice scraper for my windows then anything else. (And p.s I shove mine in a plastic wallet too!)

laminate

by Tracey_E - 2010-03-14 09:03:56

Sometimes they send plastic cards after a few weeks. If not, can you laminate it? Or make a copy and keep the original in a safe place?

Short Changed!

by Wannabe - 2010-03-14 10:03:53

Hello Charli - I'm here in Sheffield and my medical card from ELA's the same - hardly any information on it. One of the items was incorrect in the first place anyway! They states the mode as DDD, in fact it's set for DDDR, and has been from the outset, so the pacemaker clinic told me. I filled in most of the other information myself. Also, ELA didn't send me the card until after my interrogation a month after implantation. Mine's in a tacky plastic wallet which is rapidly disintegrating and shoved into my bag next to my mobile. I wear a medical bracelet, though. A silver chain with a medallion with Caduseus on one side and pacemaker stuff on the other.

Nice to have a whinge, isn't it!!! All love, Sheila

Yorkshire Girls!

by Wannabe - 2010-03-14 11:03:03

Hi Charli - I think it's probably a good idea to have some kind of indication that there's a pacemaker about! I've heard it said the medics look for anything like this in an emergency or an accident. After all, we don't want to be shoved into an MRI machine and fry, do we?

I'm right at the other side of Sheffield from you at Millhouses. Often go to Foster's Garden Centre over your way. There's a nice antique (junk) shop in there as well as the usual garden centre stuff.

Hope you're having a nice weekend - won't be long before you're breaking up for the Easter holidays. All love, Sheila

Lol....

by Charli - 2010-03-14 11:03:46

Lol, I'm from Rotherham. I ended up having to go to Leeds to have my pacemaker fitted. My cardiologist us great but there has got to be something better to carry around for the rest of our lives!! It's just a little tacky!

Do you think it's a good idea yo get some sort if medical identification chain or bracelet?

You know you're wired when...

You can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

Member Quotes

The pacer systems are really very reliable. The main problem is the incompetent programming of them. If yours is working well for you, get on with life and enjoy it. You probably are more at risk of problems with a valve job than the pacer.