[Diabetes-talk] Is losing Braille reading inevitable

[Mike Freeman]

Julie:

It's always a good idea to get one's A1C as low as possible consistent with avoidance of frequent hypoglycemia. The American Diabetes Association says one should get one's A1C below 7 percent and the American Association of Clinical Endrocrinologists says one should ideally get one's A1C below 6.5 percent. Of course, both groups rightly say that one shouldn't set an A1C goal without consulting with one's diabetes care physician as there may be good reasons (hypoglycemic unawareness, for example) for setting a target A1C higher than 6.5 or 7 percent. All other things being equal, however, lower is better (a "normal" A1C runs between 4 and 6 percent).

All that being said, it is definitely *not* inevitable that one will get diabetic neuropathy of sufficient severity to impair Braille reading. In fact, far more diabetics read Braille sucessfully than the "conventional" wisdom of traditional Braille teachers might indicate.

So while one can never make hard and fast predictions, I'd say go ahead and get that Braille display. And the lower you get that A1C, the more likely you are to never have trouble with diabetic neuropathy.

Mike Freeman
sent from my iPhone


On Oct 28, 2011, at 10:40, "Julie Kline" <julie.kline at rochester.rr.com> wrote:

> Good afternoon,
> I am thinking of buying a Braille display for my pac mate and I just
> wondered if this was a wise idea given that I have type 2 diabetes.  I know
> a lot of people who are diabetic who say they can't read Braille, and I
> don't want to purchase something and then find out a year later I can't use
> it because I can't feel the dots.  I've read Braille all my life and am
> proficient at it.  I don't have any trouble telling the difference between
> the dots, no finger pain, no loss of feeling in anything, no nerve problems,
> and my a1C is 7.8 which my doctor says is good but he still wants to get
> down to 6.  Just from a perspective of whether or not I will be able to
> continue to read Braille, is this a good idea?
> 
> Thanks.
> Julie
> 
> 
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