[Diabetes-talk] pumps

Thu Mar 12 09:59:17 UTC 2009

I am wondering if there is any way we can work with the pump companies to 
make an accessible pump

Cheryl Echevarria


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vincent Chaney" <vgc732 at optonline.net>
To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 6:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] questions from a fairly new list subscriber


> Chanelle,
>
> I will have been on the pump for 10 years this September. My first
> interaction with someone who was blind and using the pump was with Tom Ley
> in the middle of a National Federation of the Blind Convention Exhibit 
> Hall.
> Tom spoke of the positiveness of using the pump and I totally agree of the
> major improvement of control and the quality of life I have gotten with 
> its
> use.
> Using the Medtronic 712 my button configuration appears different than 
> what
> Dave Anspach noted in his description, though the logic is the same to use
> the bolus wizard. I prefer not to use the bolus wizard though as what we 
> all
> have to do is a memory game and if my sugars rise above 240 the wizard in
> the Medtronic Minimed (Paradigm) 712 pump gives pop-up messages that have 
> to
> be okayed before continuing. The message involves a note to check for
> Ketoacidosis and that a correction bolis may be required. In the 712, you
> have to clear out the messages to continue with the bolus wizard. One 
> other
> quick point and if anyone has a question dealing with the duration of
> insulin while using Humalog, please post any questions. The default time
> setting in the bolus wizard does not match my body either. The hard set 
> time
> factor of 8 hours in the pump for the insulin that has been delivered is 
> not
> equal to my body's
> duration of 4 hours. Quickly for everyone, the 712 pump is using 8 hours 
> of
> time when insulin is delivered and if I require to administer through the
> wizard in less than 8 hours, the pump subtracts the amount it calculates 
> to
> be still active in my body. In this miss calculation, any pump calculation
> after 4 hours is wrong for me. The pumps after the 712, which have 
> included
> the Minimed 715 and afterward, have an adjustable setting for the time
> factor of the insulin activity.
> Fortunately I'm very good with math an numbers and can calculate my bolus 
> or
> a square wave bolus accurately in my head and have done the job of the
> wizard.
> Please don't let this information scare anyone away from the pump if 
> you're
> considering to work with an insulin pump. Like any new thing we do, our
> first step with a cane, the first time you walk following a dog guide, 
> your
> knowledge grows with every day of life.
> Now to answer Chanelle's question on the square wave bolus, if I haven't
> lost everyone (smile). What I do to figure how much insulin and how long 
> is
> a procedure I use. First I consider what type of protein or slow digestion
> food I'm calculating for. If I eat chicken, turkey or fish, I know the
> digestion rate is quicker than for beef and slower if for pork/ham. I
> generally use a half unit per hour for beef and ham and a 0.4 unit for 
> fish
> and poultry. The amount and length of time is relative to the quantity I
> have eaten. I usually take 2.5 units for 5 hours and sometimes 3 units for 
> 6
> hours. But with most models of control for each of us, this is my controls
> and likely not to match anyone else. I'll also check my sugar at 2 and 4
> hours to determine where I stand. If I'm at my 100 goal at 4 hours I'll 
> also
> check near the end of the square too if I may need to stop the square 
> early
> or when it is done if I need to continue for any longer.
> As I have had diabetes for over 46 years, and have been advised to limit 
> my
> protein intake to the RDA amounts,
> it is only in the meals with the added protein from meats or cheeses that 
> I
> include the square wave bolus with my delivery.
>
> Vince,
> Vincent Chaney, President
> Diabetes Division of the National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ed Bryant" <ebryant at socket.net>
> To: "'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 2:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] questions from a fairly new list subscriber
>
>
> Hi Chanelle,
> WELCOME ABOARD!  We all work together to provide each other support
> and information.
> I suggest you contact Tom Ley with your insulin pump questions.  He
> is totally blind and has been on a pump for several years.  Tom lives in
> Baltimore and you can reach him at: RiveraLey at Verizon.net.
>
> Best Regards,
> Ed Bryant
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chanelle Hill
> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:44 AM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] questions from a fairly new list subscriber
>
> Dear Vince,
> Thanks for replying to my email. I am grateful for the many responses I 
> have
> received from the list. I am still using the 512 but would like to upgrade
> to the 522. How do you get your pump to deliver a square bolis? I use the
> easy bolis feature with the beeps, but I would like to use the other bolis
> options--especially since they give a person even more control. Does the
> square wave bolis have to do with insulin being delivered over the course 
> of
> a few hours? I am able to fill my pump on my own. I just have a sighted
> friend double check that there are no bubbles in my reservoirs. I have 
> been
> on the pump since 2004, and I went to a diabetes center in 2007 where the
> nurses were willing to teach me how to draw up insulin. Before that, I
> thought filling reservoirs was impossible for a blind person.
> Thanks for checking on the Clever Check meter. The lady from Homecare
> Solutions with whom I spoke sounded vague about it. Thanks for the
> information about Advanced Diabetic Solutions! I really need that now 
> since
> I haven't gotten anywhere with Homecare Solutions. If they have already
> shipped out the Clever Check today as they said they would, I will report 
> to
> the list as to what it is like.
>
> Chanelle
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vincent Chaney
> Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 9:10 PM
> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] questions from a fairly new list subscriber
>
> Chanelle,
>
> Welcome to the list...
>
> I too am a pumper, an insulin pump user. I am using the Medtronic Minimed
> 712 but require my wife to fill it due to the inaccessible menu options.
> Once it is filled I work with the beeps to deliver the "Normal" or 
> "Squared"
>
> bolis amounts as you probably do.
> Regarding the "Clever Check", I performed a "Google" search on this and
> found no indication it included any accessibility feature. The Blog I also
> looked at noted it worked with only one button which could be used with a
> talking machine but very unlikely. I would recommend you to contact one of
> the many suppliers noted on this list who carry the "Prodigy Voice Test
> Strips". The company I work with is "Advanced Diabetic Solutions" and just
> received new strips about 10 days ago. Their Web Site is:
> http://www.advanceddiabeticsolutions.net/
> Their phone number is 1-888-377-6382. Tina Rockwell, Director of Patient
> Services, is whom has helped me and the members from the Diabetes Division
> of the NFBNJ.
>
> Vince
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Chanelle Hill" <chanellemh at gmail.com>
> To: <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:27 PM
> Subject: [Diabetes-talk] questions from a fairly new list subscriber
>
>
> Dear List Members,
>
> I read an article about insulin pumps that someone from NFB wrote several
> years ago, and so I thought I would join this list to see if anyone has 
> had
> improved accessibility with the pump and for other diabetes issues. I am a
> Type I diabetic, and I have been using the Minimed Paradigm 512 insulin 
> pump
> and the Prodigy Voice meter. I know that NFB is heavily involved in
> advocacy, but what has been done to inform insulin pump companies of the
> need for more accessible pumps? Is there any way to become involved in
> advocating for better accessibility? It would be wonderful to use the new
> Minimed Continuous Glucose Monitoring system, but the meter needed to
> calibrate the pump doesn't talk. It seems like that could easily be fixed
> since there are already talking glucometers. I spoke with a rep from 
> Minimed
> about upgrading my pump and asked if Minimed was working on a pump that
> would be more accessible. She thought that the company was, but no one has
> gotten back to me.
>
> It sounds like someone is having problems with the Prodigy Voice meter on
> this list? After calling and waiting a few weeks to get some more strips, 
> I
> found out that Homecare Solutions is no longer carrying the strips for
> Prodigy Voice and that they are carrying a new meter that is supposedly 
> like
> the Prodigy called the Clever Check. Have any of you heard of this new
> meter? Hopefully it has all of the audible features and more accessible
> software (that's almost too much to ask :-) ).
>
> Finally my last question. I am checking out state rehabilitation centers 
> in
> Minnesota-one of which is Blind Inc. On the CD that SSB sent me containing 
> a
> BLIND cyber brochure, a class for diabetes management was mentioned. Do 
> you
> know if that is still taught? Apart from that, have any of you had
> experience with the training programs at Blind Inc.?
>
> Thanks in advance for answering my questions.
>
>
>
> Chanelle
>
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