[Diabetes-Talk] meters

Fri Jan 15 23:59:30 UTC 2021

Veronica, I do agree with you.w all should have cgm and that way all these
mter nonsense would go away.  Don’t get in 2021 why they are still
adadvicating for accessible mete thwhen tehraer much bette tech out and that
they should beadvicating for othe things ot be accessible tha are health
related and htaimpactt the daily lives of blind people.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Veronica
Elsea via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2021 2:36 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Veronica Elsea <veronica at laurelcreekmusic.com>
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] meters

Here's the problem with the Prodigy. First, it requires twice the amount of
blood as do the current meters used by sighted people.
And here's the main issue. When you touch your finger to the strip, the
blood has to not only go straight in but it has to follow a channel around a
corner. If you don't have a lot of blood, it won't go around that corner and
your reading will be way off. Way off! The reason I know this is because my
hubby and I took strips apart. My readings could vary more than 150 points.
This is a disaster when one is making insulin decisions based on that
reading. It's not fair to just call something user error when we have no way
of knowing that this had happened. In the instructions put out by the NFB it
says, no visual verification needed. But in the print instructions that come
with the meter, item number 3 says that the user must verify that the yellow
window is full of blood. It's sad that in those early days, the NFB was more
concerned about having its name on the meter than the results given by that
meter. I have been using a FreeStyle Lite meter for 15 years now. No, it's
not accessible but my hubby and I made our own box. So yes, I'm spoiled. But
I can trust what it says.
And I'm not just randomly trying to trash the NFB. I was told by the NFB
that the reason they hadn't lobbied more aggressively to get the Prodigy
covered by Medicare was that they couldn't really push for coverage of a
device with such a low level of efficacy.
So our organizations should advocate for CGM's for anyone who is blind on
the grounds that we have almost no good options for accurate accessible
meters. Just my opinion. Thanks.
Veronica

"Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on
iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club. 
To learn more, visit:
http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
                Veronica Elsea, Owner
Laurel Creek Music Designs
Santa Cruz, California
Phone: 831-429-6407

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Alan Lemly via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 1:34 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
Cc: Alan Lemly
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] meters

Hi Jeanette,

While I agree one needs to use a glucose meter that gives accurate scores,
I'm not going to condemn a meter that several folks on an email list have
said gave them variable scores. The fact is that blood glucose scores can
vary widely depending on what the person testing has consumed and their
other behavior. Never mind that operator error can also enter into each
person's experience. I don't know how many times I've read about problems on
numerous technology lists dealing with both hardware and software where the
ultimate issue ended up being operator error by the person posting.

My own experience with the Prodigy Autocode meter has been excellent for the
years I've used it. And I never said I didn't care where a meter's rating
is. What I said was that I'm more interested in how a meter is rated in
terms of accessibility by those dealing with the same accessibility issues I
am and this is seldom possible. And I used a couple of different meters
during the years I was not visually impaired and those meters were not
updated. I personally think the Prodigy Voice is the only meter that is
fully accessible and can be independently set up by a blind person and I
believe those meters do well what they were designed to do and don't require
updating. Your interpreting this statement to infer that I mean leave well
enough alone where accessibility is concerned is spurious reasoning and
incorrect. I believe our efforts would be much better employed by working to
get a fully accessible insulin pump than by arguing for updated Prodigy
glucose meters.

Alan Lemly 

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Jeanette Kutash via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 1:43 AM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
Cc: Jeanette Kutash
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] meters

I've had such variability in my numbers that I don't trust the Prodigy any
more, and I know I am not the only one who says this. But this not caring
where it is rated bothers me. We need both; better meters that get updated
like those sighted people use, and greater accessibility. This "leave well
enough alone" is so often why people may not take us seriously when we ask
for greater accessibility.

Jeanette

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Alan Lemly via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 1:10 AM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
Cc: Alan Lemly
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] meters

Well, I've had no problem with the quality of my Prodigy meter and I'm much
more interested in a meter's accessibility than where it shows up in reviews
by most who are not concerned with accessibility. And I'm curious what sort
of updates you expect for a meter that does what it's designed to do and is
fully accessible. I've been using glucose meters for years and I don't
recall any of them getting updated like a smart phone or smart phone app. It
would be nice to have a meter that could transfer its readings to a
well-designed app that was fully accessible and allow review of past scores
as well as transfer of those scores to medical professionals. I see that the
ReliOn that you're touting has an app but 70% of its reviewers give it one
star so it has problems. I like that I can upload my Prodigy Autocode
readings to Diasend where I can print the reports my endocrinologist needs.

Alan Lemly

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Dorothea Martin via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 9:04 AM
To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Dorothea Martin
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] meters

Hello, Ed and Everyone,
To go on with what Ed said, the ReliOn Pro Voice is easily available though
hardly as accessible as the Prodigy Voice. However, accessibility is not the
whole story, since the quality of the meter itself must be considered. The
ReliOn meters show up near the top of reviews, while Prodigy courts the
bottom. We must also keep in mind that the Prodigy meters, including the
Voice, have not been updated in years and are getting long in the tooth. I'm
beginning to think that if we must continue to use those inexpensive little
glucometers with small memories, we will also keep on having to face a
trade-off between the device's actual quality as a meter and its
accessibility.
Dotty Martin

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