Artwork: Hand pulling a book from a shelf of books
Inclusion of materials in this publication is for information only and does
not imply endorsement by the Diabetes Action Network of the NFB.
Correction
In the last issue of the VOICE, Volume 17, No. 2, April 2002, we carried
an short piece about the FlexSite Diagnostics' A1cAt.Home test kit. In that
piece, the company's phone number was listed incorrectly. The correct telephone
number is: 1-877-212-8378.
Diabetes Supplies
American Diabetic Supply, Inc., will ship your diabetes supplies to your door.
They handle all insurance claims and provide free delivery. Folks with Medicare
and/or private insurance (no HMOs) may receive supplies at no further cost.
For information, contact: American Diabetic Supply, Inc., 400 S. Atlantic Ave.,
Suite 108, Ormond Beach, FL 32176; telephone: 1-800-453-9033.
Adaptive Computing Equipment
Freedom Scientific is a powerhouse adaptive equipment maker for the blind and
visually impaired computer user. A union of Arkenstone, Blazie Engineering,
and Henter-Joyce, Freedom Scientific offers screen magnifiers, talking attachments
(voice synthesizers) for your computer, Braille printers and much more. Whether
you need adaptive software or hardware, check them out: Freedom Scientific;
telephone: 1-800-444-4443; Web site: www.freedomscientific.com
Consider Lantus Insulin
LANTUS (Insulin Glargine Rdna), from Aventis Pharmaceuticals, is very different
from the "rapid acting" insulins types you hear so much about today.
How is this insulin different? LANTUS is a very slow insulin. The company describes
it as a "long-acting basal insulin ... providing a relatively constant
profile with no pronounced peak, and a glucose-lowering effect for over 24 hours."
Company literature states LANTUS is for once-a-day administration, at bedtime,
to treat adult patients with type 2 or type 1 diabetes, who require "basal"
insulin.
LANTUS is a recombinant dna insulin analog specifically formulated to provide
a long, flat response. Because of its special formulation, LANTUS cannot be
mixed in a syringe with any other insulin, so if you wished to take it with
Regular, Humalog, or Novolog, you'd have to take two injections. LANTUS insulin
is available now. To find out more, contact: Aventis Pharmaceuticals; telephone:
1-866-452-6887; Web site: http://www.lantus.com
Full Service Diabetes Supplier
DS Medical Supply is a full-service supplier with a catalog of more than 55,000
items, dealing with diabetes, its complications, and many other medical supplies,
delivered to your home. Diabetes products range from glucose monitors by Bayer
and LifeScan, and the AccuChek VoiceMate talking glucose monitor, strips, lancets
and other supplies, to diabetic orthotics/foot care items, and much more. They
accept Medicare, private insurance, some HMOs, and, in most states, direct or
crossover Medicaid. Contact: DS Medical, 2105 Newport Place, Suite 600, Lawrenceville,
GA 30043-5561; telephone: 1-800-722-2604, Web site: www.dsmedical.com
Easy Diabetic Cookbook
If you want to prepare healthy diabetic meals, but find most cookbooks just
too complicated, you need Linda Coffee and Emily Cale's THE DIABETIC 4 INGREDIENT
COOKBOOK. There are over 200 recipes, in all food categories, with complete
nutritional and exchange information, each one using four ingredients. The book
costs $9.95 (+$2.95 shipping), from: Coffee and Cale, PO Box 2121, Kerrville,
TX 78029; telephone: 1-800-757-0838.
Treating Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy can be a particularly challenging complication, producing
everything from itching and burning to extreme pain and numbness. It's inconsistent;
what treatments help one person may not help another. You need expert medical
advice from a neurologist trained in this field. If you live in New York or
New Jersey, contact Dr. Bello, telephone: (718) 437-5001. If you live in Illinois
or Indiana, contact Dr. Ungar: telephone: ( 219) 210-6353.
Diabetic Supplies Online
Pharmacist Bryan Luna, Rph, offers diabetes supplies, including glucose monitors,
on line at www.diabeticsupplies.com.
This convenient Web site is simply laid out, and can be accessed in large print,
too. For those without the internet, telephone: 1-877-787-7543. They will file
your Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance forms. Free product catalog;
30-day money-back guarantee.
Talking Blood Glucose Monitor
Based on the proven Accu-Chek Advantage meter, the Roche Diagnostics Accu-Chek
Voicemate provides the following: Clear, high-quality speech synthesis, talking
the user through preparations, test procedures, and results, without the need
for sighted assistance; an "insulin vial identifier" which reads Eli
Lilly insulin vials and speaks their type, as a safety aid in tactile insulin
mixing; a new, improved, "touchable" test strip -- the Accu-Chek Comfort
Curve (no more "hanging drop of blood" needed!); no meter cleaning
required; and a tactile "code-key" system for programming test strip
codes. The Voicemate is the most "blind-friendly" talking glucose
monitor available today, and the only one whose regular operations require no
sighted assistance at all.
The Voicemate comes with an adjustable over-the-shoulder carrying case, with
meter, voice box, battery, adapter cord, 10 Comfort Curve strips, earphone,
insulin check-vial, manual and quick-reference guide (in print), and instructions
on audiocassette. The meter (catalog # 2030802) can now be ordered through any
pharmacy (suggested retail price $495-525). To do so, have your pharmacist contact
Roche Diagnostics, 9115 Hague Road, Indianapolis, IN 46250; telephone: 1-800-428-5074.
For direct purchase, and a price below $500, contact any of the following retailers:
BeyondSight, Inc. Littleton, CO: 303-795-6455 ($498); Independent Living Aids,
Inc. Plainview, NY ($495): 1-800-537-2118; or the National Federation of the
Blind Materials Center Baltimore, MD ($475): 410 659-9314.
Talking Computer
The VoiceNote, from HumanWare, is a laptop note-taker/organizer for blind individuals
and those losing vision. It combines the familiar MicroSoft WINDOWS CE operating
system, and standard computer keyboard, with voice access. You can create MS
Word documents, access your e-mail, transfer documents to and from a standard
PC computer, use your VoiceNote as a speech synthesizer for another computer,
and access a number of planning and scheduling tools. For more information,
about the VoiceNote or their many other products, contact: HumanWare, 6246 King
Road, Loomis, CA 95650; telephone: 1-800-722-3393; Web site: www.humanware.com
Diabetes Supplies
When you need it, you need it. When it's time to test, when it's time for medication,
you need it already there. Diabetic Care Center will ship your diabetes supplies
to your door, and they do the paperwork. No forms, no trips to the pharmacy.
Medicare and most private insurance accepted. Call the Diabetic Care Center,
telephone: 1-800-633-7167; Web site: www.diabeticare.com
Diabetic Products
Health Care Products makes many over-the-counter medications and supplements
for diabetics, including DiabetiSweet sugar substitute and Diabetic Tussin sugar-free
cough syrup. Find these products in the diabetic section of Wal-Mart, Rite Aid,
Walgreens, and other retailers. For information, contact: Health Care Products,
369 Bayview Avenue, Amityville NY 11701; telephone: 1-800-899-3116; Web site:
www.diabeticproducts.com
Change Your Ways
Good diabetes management is a lifestyle. Although doctors can prescribe medication
and recommend changes, sometimes "changing your ways," adapting/adopting
a healthy lifestyle, can be a lot of work -- for there is so much to learn.
The NEWSTART Lifestyle Center offers 12- and 18-day in-house, physician-supervised
intensive education programs, that emphasize permanent lifestyle changes designed
to help the participant lose weight, maintain health, and adopt healthier habits
in nutrition, cooking, exercise, and stress management. Contact: Weimar Institute;
telephone: 1-800-525-9192; e-mail: [email protected]
Full Service Diabetes Supplier
Access Diabetic Supply promises free delivery, no paperwork, and free in-home
training in the use of blood glucose testing devices. Your private insurance
is welcome, and they accept Medicare, too. They offer free blood glucose monitors
to folks who sign up. Check them out online: www.diabeticsupply.com
or call: 1-800-276-5712.
Diabetic Food Exchange List
The 1995 EXCHANGE LISTS FOR MEAL PLANNING is now available in Braille (74 pages)
and on audio cassette. This publication, the result of a joint effort of the
American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association, reflects
the current emphasis on total carbohydrate intake, rather than restricting specific
sugar types. Users find its orientation simple, and its meal plans flexible.
Although it is only one of several ways to manage diabetic food intake, the
"Exchange List" has been proven to work reliably and well, and will
continue to play a pivotal role.
To purchase, make tax deductible checks payable to: National Federation of the
Blind. Cost: Braille $10, cassette $2. Order from: National Federation of the
Blind, Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone:
(410) 659-9314.
Free Diabetes Literature
The National Federation of the Blind maintains an extensive literature collection,
with free materials on many subjects available in a variety of formats. The
articles listed below make up one part of the collection, the "diabetes"
category:
"Arthritis and Diabetes: A Common Association," "Blind Diabetics
Can Draw Insulin Without Difficulty," "Can I Eat Sugar?," "Cardiovascular
Health: Bypass May Be Better for Diabetics," "Check Your Hemoglobin
A1c I.Q." "Diabetic Eye Disease," "Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy,"
"Diabetics, Don't Give Up on Braille," "The Emotional Side,"
"Finger-Sticking Techniques," "How I Went Blind...And Then What,"
"Hypoglycemia - Low Blood Sugar," "Insulin Measurement Devices,"
"Insulin Types: A Review," "Keeping Your Feet," "Kidney
Disease: Prevention, Dialysis, and Transplantation." "Male Sexual
Dysfunction," "Many Blind Diabetics Successfully Use Insulin Pumps"
"New Dietary Guidelines for Diabetes Management," "Oral Diabetes
Medications Update," "Talking Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems,"
and "What Is Diabetes Mellitus?"
A volume of these articles is available in large print and four-track audiocassette
for the blind (all the diabetes articles together), titled: "Diabetes Action
Network Articles"). Both formats are free of charge. To order, or to request
a complete NFB literature catalog, contact: NFB Materials Center, 1800 Johnson
Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone: (410) 659-9314. You may also order by
e-mail: [email protected]. The Materials
Center is open 8:30 pm to 5 pm, EST, weekdays.