[Diabetes-Talk] meters

Sat Jan 16 00:07:58 UTC 2021

Hello all,
I do not understand this message.
It would really be helpful if you proofread your messages before sending them.
Thank you,

Robert Stigile, Second Vice-President
National Federation of the Blind of California
President San Fernando Valley Chapter
818-381-9568

> On Jan 15, 2021, at 4:00 PM, gary-melconian via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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