If you’re having weight loss surgery like gastric bypass surgery, you might be wondering if you need a medical ID bracelet or necklace. People commonly think that medical ID jewellery is only useful when living with chronic conditions or illness, like type 2 diabetes or heart disease. But it’s always worth discussing with your surgeon or healthcare team, as there are many reasons to consider a medical ID bracelet for and after weight loss surgery.

What is a medical ID?

Worn around your neck or wrist, a medical ID helps in an emergency. First responders are trained to look for it and check the custom engraving to see if you have any conditions, illnesses, allergies, medications or devices. They’ll then make treatment decisions based on this information.

But it doesn’t just help when you need urgent care. As it is paired with a MedicAlert membership, it also enables 24/7 access to your full online record. So when you go to the doctor, pharmacy or hospital, you can feel safe knowing that you and your healthcare team can refer to your record and provide all the information needed to make decisions on new medications or future treatment.

Why is a medical ID useful during weight loss surgery?

If you have any existing medical conditions, medications, implants or allergies, wearing your medical alert bracelet into your weight loss surgery or gastric sleeve surgery can help enormously.

Your doctor, nurses and anaesthetist can double check your details to ensure it won’t interact with the surgery or treatments they give you.

For MedicAlert member Robert Tunbridge, keeping his medical ID bracelet on during surgery was an obvious choice: “[My anaesthetist] said he is the one person that needs to know more than anybody else and it was the only piece of jewellery allowed into an operating theatre, because it has a patient’s most vital medical information on it, which can be very helpful and even lifesaving.”

Do I need a medical ID bracelet after weight loss surgery?

Even if you don’t have any pre-existing conditions that warrant wearing a stainless steel medical bracelet before your weight loss surgery, you may opt for one after it. That’s because first responders may need to know things like:

• the type of surgery and when you had it.
• whether you can have NSAIDs or sugars.
• whether or not to insert a blind NG tube.

NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like aspirin and ibuprofen. While they provide pain relief, people who have had gastric bypass surgery usually have to avoid them as it could irritate the pouch and cause serious ulcers. You’ll likely have to steer clear of sugars, too, as it can cause something called dumping syndrome (when food moves too fast from the stomach into the small intestine.) This can be marked on your medical ID as ‘NO NSAIDS’ and/or ‘NO SUGARS’.

If you need to be intubated in an emergency, emergency responders might insert a gastric tube. However, if you’ve had gastric band surgery, the tube could damage the pouch if it's inserted blindly (that is, without a camera to guide it). So it’s essential that emergency personnel know that you’ve had weight loss surgery. This can be marked on your medical bracelet as ‘NO BLIND NG’.

On top of that, if you have complications in the future, having your weight loss surgery engraved on your medical bracelet makes it easier for first responders to treat you quickly and accurately. They’ll immediately know what to do – and what not to do.

Where can I get a medical ID before my weight loss surgery?

A MedicAlert membership and ID jewellery provides 24/7 protection and peace of mind before, during and after your weight loss surgery. It ensures that your vital medical information can be identified by those providing care in an emergency, allowing them to provide appropriate treatment without delay, so you can have peace of mind throughout your weight loss journey.