Do Not Resuscitate Orders, ID Bracelets & Experiences

@raye

Hi,
My grandson is a licensed tattoo artist, educated at a licensed tattoo school, working in a licensed shop. I was amazed at what he learned and how they practiced their techniques. Instructions are strict, classes small and before they can get their certificate, they will actually do a tattoo on one of their classmates . The Health Department randomly makes checks on shops and they are very nit picky which is great. Certificates have to be on display and everything labeled and , of course, the shop is clean. On my grandsons first random check he had 2 bottles with no labels (not ink) and got points deducted from his score. He knew what was in the bottles but that didn’t fly with the Health Dept. His station is cleaner and neater than his room ever was growing up lol.

“Dr Goggle” offers a lot of misinformation on all subjects. Any of the tattoo ink should not get into the bloodstream as a good technician will not go deep enough for that to occur. But yes, it can happen. It depends on the skill of the artist. The ink must travel past the epidermis into the deeper dermis level. If ink does get into the bloodstream, the immune system immediately goes into action because it is a foreign substance. Inks also have evolved over the history of this profession and most don’t contain the harmful and toxic heavy metals they use to. However, like everything else, it depends where you get your products from. Artist generally buy their own inks and needles and equipment along the way.

So the caveat is to go to a reputable shop. Believe me, a shop does not want to get the whiff of a bad reputation in this very competitive business and a Junior artist has to work 2 years to attain Sr artist status and there is always a lead artist or owner (years of experience) present .

For ongoing tattoos (working on a full sleeve for example) there is a 2 week waiting period for healing purposes and to see if there is an allergic reaction before continuing. I asked him about the 3 month waiting period you mentioned and he said he would suggest 3 weeks before any blood drawing. But it is what anyone is comfortable with.

I think everyone here is somewhat knowledgeable about the tattoo industry now? 😀…it’s good to know though.

FL Mary

@rosemarya I honestly do not know what my state recommends/has in place. Talking to our local ambulance service and fire department are things I hadn't even considered doing! I have a registered POLST [portable order for life sustaining treatment]. All my doctors and clinics have a copy, I retain the original. There is also an advanced directive, medical power of attorney, with my husband knowing where all those are located. We keep copies of our important documents on a stick, and a second [same info] stick resides off-site with my bonus son.

As others have mentioned, there is no time like the present to have things in place.
Ginger

I know nurses and other medical professionals who favor the tat! Not all religions allow it, though. I keep my DNR in my purse and on file at both local hospitals. However, I have heard some hair-raising stories about attempts made on very frail very dead family members. So I also accept that what I want may not happen. Obviously hospice will help, as no 911 call. Best to all of you.

My son, a firefighter/EMT told me that when there is an accident or 911 call, the EMT/Paramedics are there to stabilize the patient and transport them to ER or hospital as quickly and safely as possible. They are trained to look for a medical ID Bracelet for possible medication allergies or medical condition like diabetes, immunosuppression, and medical devices etc. A fireman or EMT does not look into purses or wallets. That is for the Police to do.

I was told by my Mother’s nurse that if 911 is called you are giving permission to resuscitate, so the EMT was doing his job. Her advice for my Mother was to wait an hour before calling anyone if she stopped breathing.

I think it depends on the state, when my dad was with me on hospice I was told to keep the DNR close at hand. I am sorry you are dealing with this.

I was a nurse many years ago and I am not signing a DNR until I am in such a condition that it is actually appropriate. I will not sign one “just to have for later when I need it”. Don’t assume that all support personnel will be fully advised of your condition except your doctor.

@gingerw

It’s been a while since we discussed tattoos but I am now the proud owner of tattoos on both ankles. My right ankle is a shamrock and then a couple of weeks later my grandson added a shooting star. I love it so much I got the sun and moon combo on my left ankle last week.

I have to say that nothing hurt at any of the 3 times that he inked me. He has an amazing touch and gave me extensive aftercare instructions.

People have a lot of misconceptions about the process and what it involves. Anyone thinking of getting a tattoo should research the most reputable tattoo shops and, when you decide on one, go get a consult with one of the artists. Ask anything and everything you need to know. You will pay a small fee for that but you can get a feel for the shop and how it is run. The consult fee should go towards the price. Tattoo artists will make sure you are ready to do this, take you through all the steps and take breaks when you need to. They will refuse to work on anyone who seems under the influence. My grandson refused to work on a belligerent customer who wanted a tattoo to cover a very damaged skin area. He said that the outcome would not hide the damage and that he wouldn’t be happy with the result. The older more experienced artists agreed with his decision after the customer angrily stormed out. A very large tattoo may take more than one visit with a minimum healing time of 2 weeks. Some people take longer to heal. The artist will be the judge of whether you are ready to continue.

This particular shop is well known and in a great area here in Florida. There are also many many of these shops all over the state and some have bad reputations. The Health Department makes random inspections.

As always, take into consideration your own health. It’s not surgery but it is invasive.

FL Mary….first tattoo at 82!

@imallears Congratulations! It has now been about 14 years since my last one was done. Soon I will have skin cancer surgery near an old tattoo from the 80s. It remains to be seen if they will have to cut into it to get a good margin, or not.

Going back to the topic of this thread, regarding Do Not Resuscitate orders, last weekend I participated as a pretend patient for training purposes with some firefighters. Once again, in my feedback to them, I stressed about having POLST paperwork available at all times. And, as I told them, if a patient has a a DNR, but you don't know about it, it is better to have saved their life for them to refer to it later, than to lose a patient. It's a sensitive subject to many people, and our first responders are not immune to that. I was honored to help them out.
Ginger

I received an emergency alert folder from local fire department that you fill out all information and post it on your refrigerator. So if you have to call them all the information they need is on that paper.