I've gone back and forth about whether to wear a medical ID bracelet. Part of me says I shouldn't bother because once a paramedic friend of mine told me one of the first things they do to a person who has passed out is to check their blood sugar. Part of me says I should wear one as an extra measure of caution.

I wore a medical ID bracelet throughout my third pregnancy. I don't think I ever took it off -- not in the shower, not for exercise, nothing. I don't remember why I stopped wearing it. Perhaps I lost it. In fact, now that I think about it, I think that's exactly what happened. I had removed the ugly silver chain and replaced it with strands of colorful beads to match whatever I was wearing. Well, the chains and clasps were cheap and ...

It wasn't until I started back on MDI and my diagnosis was changed to type 1/LADA that I thought I better start wearing the ID bracelet again. I found a company that sold only the ID plates. Again with the cheap chains and beads. And, of course, I lost it.

Last week I ordered another. I plan to visit one of the many bead shops around here to get the good beads and the good chains and the good clasps. I'm not interested in losing another bracelet.

Seeing as it took me close to nine months to get around to ordering another bracelet shows me that I'm not all that convinced that I need one. I know there are plenty of people out there who get along fine without wearing one. Heck, I have for this long. Of course, I haven't been in a serious accident.

I think what really pushed me to order another ID plate was my new walking routine. I take no identification with me whatsoever. I don't even take my phone, though I probably should. Although I test my sugar before bed and as soon as I wake up, there's still no guarantee that something won't happen while walking. And how long will it take for someone to find me? And then what?

My ID bracelet has my name, my phone number and the phrase "I take insulin." It's the bare minimum, and I think it will give me a little peace of mind.