[Diabetes-Talk] meters

Mon Jan 18 18:11:51 UTC 2021

Veronica, I think my doctor would take my concerns more seriously if I 
actually lost my vision due to diabetes.  As it stands now, she insists 
that her Type II diabetic patients only test an average of twice a week 
and manage to control their diabetes.  I seriously do not get this, 
because I know I and others on this list are not the only ones dealing 
with fluctuating sugar levels or stress or what types of foods work best 
for our bodies. Guidelines are fine, but that doesn't take into account 
that someone like my dad who has been a Type II for years can eat French 
fries with no issues while my sister who has been a type II for a year 
or so can't even think about fries without her sugar shooting up.  How 
are we supposed to find what works for us if we don't have the 
information.  Absolutely crazy, and the mixed results regarding 
accessibility don't help.  I'm glad there is technology out there, but I 
want to be someone benefiting from it the same as everyone else.

Lisa Belville

missktlab1217 at frontier.com

On 1/17/2021 9:28 PM, Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk wrote:
> Hi Lisa.
> Right back at you. Thank you for making me feel better, just by telling me that I'm not the only one getting really stressed out about this diabetes stuff partly because it's piled on top of everything else. I really appreciate it.
> I definitely do think there should be a rule passed somewhere to allow all people who are blind or visually impaired to get a CGM in place of an old-fashioned, inaccurate meter. Let me know how it goes. Hang in there and thanks again.
>
> 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 Lisa Belville via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2021 7:51 AM
> To: Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk
> Cc: Lisa Belville
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] meters
>
> Hi, Veronica.
>
>
> thank you so much for explaining this to me.  I have been getting
> horrible results with my prodigy; Often the meter beeps to indicate it
> is testing and comes back with a blood sample is not enough message.
> Or, more commonly, it will beep as it should then there is an extra long
> pause and it comes back with a reading that I know can't be correct: 20
> or 35 or 54.  I know this is dangerously low, but I'm conscious and
> coherent, so I immediately doubt the readings and try the process again
> on a different finger.  This whole procedure is time consuming, painful
> and frustrating.  I know there's blood.  I have my lancing device set
> for the sharpest stick and my fingers are bloody and I feel like the
> table I'm using is a crime scene.  What's worse is my fingers are
> getting rough, and that's effecting my sense of touch.  I thought it was
> something I was doing wrong, or maybe a bad batch of strips or low
> batteries.  But your description below is probably why things aren't
> working for me.
>
>
> I have an A1C test tomorrow, and a week later I'll be seeing my doctor.
> I'm going to push hard for an CGM, probably the Libra because it seems
> to be cheaper.  This whole thing has been stressing me out and things
> are already stressful enough without this process being more difficult
> than it has to be.
>
>
> Thanks again for making me feel better about this process.
>
>
> Lisa Belville
>
> missktlab1217 at frontier.com
>
> On 1/15/2021 4:35 PM, Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk wrote:
>> 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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