Are you wearing a medical alert insignia? When I was first diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, my neurologist recommended I wear some type of medical alert insignia. He explained that people with MG should not receive general anesthesia. In the event of an emergency, where a person with MG may be unconscious, the medical alert insignia would notify emergency medical personnel of their MG condition.
Why is this so important? There are three major concerns with general anesthesia for a person with MG.
Muscle Weakness: MG is characterized by muscle weakness, especially in muscles controlling voluntary movements. Anesthesia, particularly muscle relaxants, can exacerbate this weakness, leading to severe complications.
Respiratory Complications: General anesthesia can affect respiratory muscles, which are often already weakened in MG patients. This can result in respiratory failure or difficulties in breathing after surgery and may require prolonged ventilation support.
Drug Sensitivity: MG patients often have an increased sensitivity to certain medications used in anesthesia, such as neuromuscular blocking agents. These drugs can lead to prolonged muscle paralysis and difficulty in reversing the effects.
That’s enough reason for me to be wearing a medical alert insignia.
There are all kinds of medical alert insignias available for people with significant medical conditions. The most common are jewelry in the form of necklaces and bracelets.
I’m not one to wear jewelry, except a watch, so I began looking at options. I found a medical alert insignia that slides onto the wristband of my watch. This was perfect for me because I normally wear my watch all the time and I wouldn’t have to fool around with additional jewelry. This type would allow emergency medical personnel to scan the insignia with their phone and instantly call up my emergency information including MG and a list of my medications.
Many years ago, I went through Paramedic School and became a licensed paramedic. One of the things we were taught, after assessing the ABCs (airway, breathing and circulation) and evaluating any apparent conditions, was to check for any medical alert insignia the person might be wearing. This would notify us if the person had any significant medical conditions like diabetes, epilepsy, pacemaker, MS, MG and a host of other conditions. The two most common places we would look for any medical alert insignias were around their neck for a necklace or on their wrist for a bracelet. Since my current medical alert insignia fits on my watchband, it should be easy for any emergency medical professional to see in the event of an emergency.
If you have Myasthenia Gravis or any other significant medical condition, I highly encourage you to check with your doctor to see if they recommend you wear a medical alert insignia. If they do, then shop around and find the type of insignia that works best for you.
If you’re a caregiver, family member or friend of someone with MG or other significant medical condition, I would highly encourage you to convince them to wear one. One day it just might save their life. They make great birthday or Christmas gifts! But here’s a tip…. check with them first on the type they would prefer. Some necklaces and bracelets can feel uncomfortable or clumsy. Let them pick it out. There’s nothing worse than a medical alert insignia setting in a drawer because the wearer finds it too uncomfortable to wear.