[Diabetes-talk] Checking Sugar

[Mike Freeman]

Hi, Steve.

There are two more-or-less fully-accessible talking blood glucose meters used by most of us.  The first is the Prodigy Voice which is manufactured by Diagnostic Devices, Inc., DDI.  It allows one to set the time and date (needed to track readings) and review readings from the memory.  It is the meter I use.  Readings from memory are tagged by time and date.  Averages can also be displayed/heard but the other accessible meter also does this.  The Prodigy Voice has some disadvantages: its software (used to transfer readings from the meter to a computer) is not accessible using either JAWS or Window-eyes.  Also, the only real warning one has that one hasn't accumulated enough blood on the test strip is a strange reading (either "Blood Glucose Low" or an abnormally low or high reading).  The fix is simple; take a second reading.

The other accessible meter is the Solo V2, manufactured by BioSense (dunno whether it's Inc. or LLC.).  Like the Prodigy Voice, one can hear readings, review readings from memory, set time and date and take averages.  Unlike the Prodigy Voice, however, the strips for the Solo have two sets of electrodes so that, in addition to warning of low readings etc., it often will give you a specific warning if you don't have enough blood on the strip or if there's some other error, in which case, it verbalizes an error code.  Many people see this as a distinct advantage of the Solo V2 over the Prodigy Voice although, if one is logical, the "fix" is the same for both meters -- take another reading; it's just that one uses different techniques for knowing when one must take a second reading.  Additionally, although Mike Barber of the Iowa Department for the Blind has not found the software for the Solo to be accessible via JAWS or Window-eyes, I have heard of a few persons who swear that this evaluation is incorrect.  The Solo also comes in a hard case which makes inadvertent button-pushes less likely.

On the other hand, as presently distributed, the Solo V2 has some distinct *disadvantages* which, in my opinion, are show-stoppers.  I am told that BioSense is coming out with an updated version of the Solo which will correct these difficulties but then it was already supposed to have been released.

The first disadvantage (although one person says there's a way around this) is that there's no "Say Display" key as there is on the Prodigy Voice which allows one to hear what's on the display, as, for example, to repeat a reading, whenever it is pressed.  Insofar as I could tell, the only way to hear the reading just taken again is to go into the memory and read it.

The second disadvantage is that when reviewing readings from memory, only the date is spoken although the time is displayed on the screen.  Although some will argue with me, good diabetes management requires keeping a detailed log with dates and times of readings.  Until the Solo says the times of readings, this is enough for me to recommend against purchasing the Solo.

There are some bells and whistles on the Solo such as tagging readings for before and after meals (useful) and setting an alarm to remind one of when one should take one's next measurement (that seems overkill to me) but this is the bare outline.

Mike Freeman, President
Diabetes Action Network
National Federation of the Blind
/

On Jan 5, 2011, at 5:44, Steve Cook <STCook at sccb.sc.gov> wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> What different machines does everyone use to check their sugar levels that has speech?  I am doing some research on which one to purchase for myself.
> 
> Steve Cook
> SC Commission for the Blind
> 1430 Confederate Avenue
> Columbia, SC 29201
> Office: (803) 898-8788
> Fax: (803) 898-8882
> E-Mail: stcook at sccb.sc.gov
> 
> 
> 
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