[Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor

Fri Apr 2 05:20:40 UTC 2010

Well the NFB did endorse the PV in fact we have the A+ rating on it, you 
mean to say that when myself and others did it, that we were wrong for 
endorsing it, and the NFB had DDI come to the convention and give them our 
good deed on it, especially since they were a sponsor at the convention. 
Isn't that being a little hypercritical.

Or are you just saying the Ed Bryant and Ms. Williams who were president and 
v.p. not do there jobs right.

Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor

> Eileen:
>
> Mild question: why is it that everyone immediately thinks that because NFB
> may endorse equipment, it's either (a) getting special publicity and/or 
> (b)
> is getting money out of it? In other words, why is NFB (and not ACB)
> automatically imputed to be doing everything for nefarious purposes or 
> with
> nefarious motives? End of query.
>
> I assure you that NFB does not endorse or recommend a product because of 
> any
> special arrangements. In fact, if Chris Gray of ACB and his Bay Area 
> Digital
> Company actually come out with a bg meter system that works well, DAN and 
> I
> will recommend it. And if the Solo system works out well, I will recommend
> it also.
>
> In fact, as some on this forum can atest, I am not totally satisfied with
> *any* meter (for the sighted or the blind) at present. It seems to me that
> manufacturers can and ought to do far better with both consistency
> (precision) and accuracy than they do today and apparently the FDA is
> beginning to think likewise.
>
> You will note that NFB has not taken a position with respect to JAWS, 
> Window
> Eyes, SuperNova, NVDA, System Access or any other screen-reader. Why?
> Because we think that competition is good for us and given our small 
> market
> size, there's precious little of it.
>
> That being said, however, I believe that NFB/DAN would be remiss in not
> recommending a meter if it worked and was accessible. Until recently, at
> least, the PV was the only truly accessible meter that had its 510(k)
> certification and was on the market. I wish the SensoCard Plus from the UK
> were 510(k) approved over here as there were some features of it I liked.
> But it is not so we work with what we have.
>
> AS for the problem with your previous meter, I suspect that somewhere
> between your meter getting sent back and it being tested, the linkage
> between you and it got lost so I wouldn't hold your breath insofar as
> learning what might have been wrong. Frankly, it has been my experience 
> that
> absolutely *every* meter goes flaky after about two years and some a lot
> sooner than that. In fact, meter accuracy may be one of those things like
> Plato's Perfect Forms -- it exists in the mind but may not exist in fact 
> in
> that. to some extent, how accurate a meter is depends on how uniform 
> strips
> are, i.e., how much differing batches of strips are one from another and 
> how
> closely coding of strips matches the actual chemistry of strips --  
> something
> we don't have a lot of control over.
>
> There is a way to test your meter against what your local lab gets for a 
> bg
> reading but even that depends upon the particular batch of strips and 
> might
> be different for a different bunch.
>
> This last applies to both sighted and blind diabetics, of course.
>
> WE do the best we can.
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "eileen scrivani" <etscrivani at verizon.net>
> To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 6:54 AM
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
>
>
> > Cheryl:
> >
> > You are totally correct!  We, each and every one of us, would be big
> > horses hineys if we do not want to see a competitive market for these
> > talking meters for the blind.  If the NFB as an organization wants to 
> > put
> > their stamp of approval on only the Prodigy Voice only because they get
> > the organizations name given high publicity and acolaids I have a 
> > problem
> > with that -- big time.  A meter should only be given high praise, not 
> > only
> > because it talks (essential for the blind) but is a quality product, 
> > easy
> > to use, accurate and helps us with our primary concern, controling and
> > managing our diabetes.  The Solo Meter is new, but the Jury is not back 
> > on
> > it.  It might prove to be as good or even better as the Prodigy.  It is
> > important that both companies keep making improvements and stiving for a
> > more accurate, accessible talking glucose meter.
> >
> > The ear phone jack is not a big selling point for me, I could do without
> > it and in fact could count on one hand the number of times I have used a
> > head phone jack while testing.
> >
> > I am currently using the PV and think it's okay, but see room for
> > improvement.  I am still questioning its accuracy whenever I test with 
> > it.
> > I was recently shipped a new meter by the company.  While the numbers I
> > see have changed with the upgraded meter, I still think they are not
> > accurate and the variations I get from test to test are to wide and have
> > me altering insulin dosages.  I have still not heard back from the 
> > company
> > on what the problem with the old meter was ... was it me, was it the
> > strips, or was it the meter itself?  I got no feed back and would very
> > much like to know what the problem was.
> > I shipped the older meter back to them in December and was told they 
> > would
> > run some tests on it to see what the problem might have been.
> >
> > I am interested in the new Solo meter, but have a small fortune worth of
> > PV test strips that I'm not about to just toss in the trash.  All these
> > strips are expensive either with or without insurance!
> >
> > Eileen
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> > To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: "Tina" <trockwell at advanceddiabeticsolutions.net>
> > Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 9:16 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
> >
> >
> >> Eileen I totally agree, we shouldn't poo poo at these things companies
> >> are listening and now there is a second one, they want to work with us.
> >> So we need to work with ADS and either let them know Vincent Chaney or
> >> myself and of course Tina and Jordan are on this list, they want this 
> >> to
> >> work so they can get it out to us. Solo Meter wants this to work. so 
> >> try
> >> let them know you want to try it maybe you can get it for free and see
> >> how it works.
> >>
> >> Competition is great.  I like many things about the new solo meter, I
> >> don't use a ear piece, because my ears are to sensitive so I just lower
> >> it to where I can hear it.  But some like the ear piece.  So let them
> >> know.
> >>
> >> They can redesign it.
> >>
> >> Cheryl Echevarria
> >> Independent Travel Consultant
> >> http://Echevarriatravel.com<http://echevarriatravel.com/>
> >> 1-866-580-5574
> >>
> >> http://blog.echevarriatravel.com<http://blog.echevarriatravel.com/>
> >> Reservations at echevarriatravel.com<mailto:Reservations at echevarriatravel.com>
> >> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel
> >> CST-1018299-10
> >>  ----- Original Message ----- 
> >>  From: eileen scrivani<mailto:etscrivani at verizon.net>
> >>  To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind<mailto:diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> >>  Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 9:02 AM
> >>  Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
> >>
> >>
> >>  Since the Prodigy Voice has been the ** ONLY ** fully talking meter on
> >> the
> >>  market, what else was there for a totally blind diabetic to use?
> >> Process of
> >>  elimination alone, of course, would place it as the best by blind
> >> diabetics
> >>  because we had no other choice in the matter!  That is until the 
> >> release
> >> of
> >>  this very new meter just announced!  I think it's a disgrace that we 
> >> do
> >> not
> >>  have available to us the same selection of choices in glucose meters 
> >> as
> >>  sighted diabetics.  We should all be very happy about the new
> >> announcement
> >>  and hope there would be more coming onto the market down the road.
> >>
> >>  Eileen
> >>  ----- Original Message ----- 
> >>  From: "Albert Sanchez"
> >> <albertsanchez at suddenlink.net<mailto:albertsanchez at suddenlink.net>>
> >>  To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind"
> >> <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org<mailto:diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>>
> >>  Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 2:43 AM
> >>  Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
> >>
> >>
> >>  > Hey! Patty!
> >>  > The Prodigy Voice is considered by many to be the most usable
> >> glucometer
> >>  > for blind folks, I use mine daily.
> >>  > Albert Sanchez
> >>  > Al's Piano Tuning & Repair
> >>  > 215 John Avenue
> >>  > Greenville, NC 27858-4113
> >>  > 252-757-3023
> >>  > ----- Original Message ----- 
> >>  > From: "Patty Droppers"
> >> <patty at thedroppers.com<mailto:patty at thedroppers.com>>
> >>  > To: "'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'"
> >> <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org<mailto:diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>>
> >>  > Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 8:57 PM
> >>  > Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
> >>  >
> >>  >
> >>  >> This afternoon I received the news that I was "borderline" 
> >> diabetic.
> >> My
> >>  >> primary care physician wants me to sign up for diabetes education
> >> classes
> >>  >> at
> >>  >> my local hospital in Arlington, VA, and he wants me to regularly
> >> monitor
> >>  >> my
> >>  >> blood sugar for the next three months when they'll test my blood
> >> again.
> >>  >> Is
> >>  >> Prodigy really as good as it seems? Or are there other and better
> >> talking
> >>  >> glucose monitors available? I used to be better informed than I am
> >>  >> currently. I look forward to receiving accurate information and
> >> support
> >>  >> from
> >>  >> this list. Thanks in advance.
> >>  >>
> >>  >> _______________________________________________
> >>  >> Diabetes-talk mailing list
> >>  >> Diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org<mailto:Diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> >>  >>
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> >> for
> >>  >> Diabetes-talk:
> >>  >>
> >> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/albertsanchez%40suddenlink.net<http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/albertsanchez%40suddenlink.net>
> >>  >
> >>  >
> >>  > _______________________________________________
> >>  > Diabetes-talk mailing list
> >>  > Diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org<mailto:Diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> >>  >
> >> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org<http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org>
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> >> for
> >>  > Diabetes-talk:
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> >> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/etscrivani%40verizon.net<http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/etscrivani%40verizon.net>
> >>  >
> >>
> >>
> >>  _______________________________________________
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> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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