Re: Talk

September 10, 2006

Amen, Ms , tell it like it is.

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>>>>> > > >>

>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>>> am

>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

>>>>> here?

>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

thats what i want to know? and probably the reason i am single no sighted man

wants a legally blind woman.

Debbie

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>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>> am

>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

you got that right.

Debbie

Talk > > > > > ---

>>> In blind-diabetics , carol clevesy >

>>> > > wrote:

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

>>> I am > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk

>>> in here?

>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>> > > >

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

women are much more able to handle live with and marry blind men then men are

able or willing to live with,or marry blind women.

Debbie

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>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>> am

>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

can't keep your feet warm in bed that way.

Debbie

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>>> > > >

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>> am

>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

that's true try convincing sighted men of that.

Debbie

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>>>> > > >>

>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>> am

>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

i think we gotta feel that way. we can't change what has happened and don't know

what will happen all we have is today. it's all anyone really has.

Debbie

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>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>> am

>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

that'ssweet

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>>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

>>>>>> I

>>>>>> am

>>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

>>>>>> here?

>>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

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September 11, 2006

Ruth,

what did u have transplanted?

Debbie

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> > > >

> > > >>

> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

> > > >

> > > >>

> > > >

September 11, 2006

Hi ,

I handle things the same way you do, but there are still moments when I am

especially frustrated when I will sometimes ask - why me? I like what

J. Fox said after he got Parkinson's disease. He said - This is the

challenge God gave me, what I do with it is up to me.

Ruth

Re: Talk

ruth never did i ask myself why me. because i ask myself why not. my first

course i took from hadley school for the blind i realized that our bodies

fail us. no reason, they just do. i eat wwell, good healthy food, was slim

and excercise was always a part of my daily living. it just happened. that

is life. i was never one to feel sorry for myself. if i am presented with a

problem i just want to learn more about it and get on with things. to sit

around and feeel sorry for yourself is such a waste of time. i thank god

for today, you cant do anything about yesterday, and tomorrow is not here

yet. all we have is the precious now.

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>>>> > > >>

>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>> am

>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>>> > > >

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September 11, 2006

ah! if you are warm inside, the heat is enough to keep everything warm!

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> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >>

> >>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

> >>> am

> >>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

> here?

> >>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

> >>> > > >

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> >>> > > >

September 11, 2006

Hi Debbie,

I had a kidney transplant 7 years ago. I got it from an anonymous donor

after being on dialysis for 1 year and 1 week. I was very lucky and thank

the family daily who was so very generous in their time of grief to give

the gift of life to someone else.

Ruth

Re: Talk

Ruth,

what did u have transplanted?

Debbie

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> > > >

> > > >>

> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

> > > >

> > > >>

> > > >

September 11, 2006

Hi ,

This just says something about the person you are.

Ruth

Re: Talk

happy belated anniversary. I just love to hear these stories. I met my

husband after being blind two weeks and went home to my son and said I met

this very nice man. but never did I think I would become in love and married

again. I just had the most incredible husband for twenty five years and my

life was so wonderful I never thought that could happen twice. wow, it blows

me away and gives me goose bumps just thinking of it. how can life be so

wonderful and suck at the same time ha ha.

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>>>>> > >

>>>>> > > >

>>>>> > > >>

>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>>> am

>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

>>>>> here?

>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>>>> > > >

>>>>> > > >>

>>>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

ruth, dont get me wrong i too have moments of frustration. but i keep

thinking i just have to fide a different way. a lot is trial and error and

just asking questions of persons like yourself. karen

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>>>>> > > >

>>>>> > > >>

>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I

>>>>> am

>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

>>>>> here?

>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>>>> > > >

>>>>> > > >>

>>>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

So is Jackie.

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> >>>>>> > > >>

> >>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send

> recipies?

> >>>>>> I

> >>>>>> am

> >>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

> >>>>>> here?

> >>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

> >>>>>> > > >

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September 11, 2006

If you have visual aquity of 20/200 in both eyes, then you would be an ideal

candidate for low vision aids. Of course this depends on your motivation to

read with your eyes. It also depends on your frustration tolerance level.

If your low in either department, then you might as well forget about it.

It takes lots of practice and self training to become skilled and

comfortable with using low vision aids. It is not like putting on some

glasses and all of a sudden you see things more clearly. It is more like

Hey, I can see something, but what is it? I see reli, but that makes no

sense, but as you scan a little further you no longer see reli, but you now

see able, which also makes no sense, until you learn to put the two together

inside your head in the word reliable. After many hours of practice and

reading and rereading over and over until you actually know and see what you

are reading does it make sense. That is why it takes a lot of self training

in order to use low vision aids without getting so frustrated, that you give

up. Learning to scan as you read and put things together in your head takes

a while. Even when you know how to do it, you will still find yourself

rereading things to make sense out of them. For instance just skipping over

the word no or not can change the whole meaning of a sentence, and after

reading a paragraph, you begin to say that makes no sense until you reread

every thing over again without skipping a word or a syllable inside a word.

Believe me it ain't easy. For years I read with a single 10x power hand

held magnifyer until I finally got some high powered lenses in some glasses

frames via a low vision aid clinic, which with practice finally made it

possible for me to read six to eight hours per day. I was able to read with

these lenses for almost twenty years until now that I am glad just to be

able to destinguishe light from dark. So, if you have a good motivational

level to read and a fairly tolerant frustration level, then you ought to

give it a try.

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> >

> > >

> > >>

> > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

> > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

> > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

> > >

> > >>

> > >

September 11, 2006

I am an avid carb counter. I only count the grams of carbs I eat or drink

every time I eat or drink. I am now insulin dependent. If you have

diabetes and you are insulin dependent, you cannot master blood glucose

level control until you learn how to count carbs and dose for the carbs

consumed. Insulin does not work on fat, insulin does not work on protein,

but insulin does work on carbohydrates. Once any diabetic masters carb

counting they will have the first key to mastering blood glucose level

control. My last A1C was 5.5, and I remind all diabetics that the normal bs

level for a nondiabetic is a lot closer to 5.0 than it is to 6.0, and it is

definitely far from being near 7.0.

Re: Talk

>

> Hi Debbie,

>

> The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is to

> do what you just did and post a message. Just because one conversation is

> going on or a person is posting one thing like recipies doesn't mean you

> can't start another thread if there's something you'd like to discuss. If

> you don't post it no one has any way of knowing you'd like to talk about

> it. Welcome to the list.

>

> Jen

>

September 11, 2006

Ruth,

Well, I suppose it is all in what you are looking for in a relationship.

Of course, I have to tell you, at my age I am probably not looking for the

same thing I was looking for when I was 21. (LOL)

Cy, the Ancient Okie...

Re: Talk

Ruth our men are wonderful and god given to us. but more basic than that. I

notice most blind persons believe in god very strongly. it was not a huge

issue with me before but now. god is my purpose and I love it when others

feel the same.

Talk > > > > > ---

>>> In blind-diabetics , carol clevesy >

>>> > > wrote:

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

>>> I am > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk

>>> in here?

>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>> > > >

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

i don't remember who it was that wrote about the low vision aids. but here is

where i am on those items: i do have a cctv but i don't ise it because it's so

big and i have no where in my house to put it. i use Zoom text on my pc i also

use a 4x magnifying glass to read and wear glasses that have 4x bifocals in

them.

Not only are the low vision aids i have seen very large but they are also very

expensive and since i live on ssdi i can't afford them. the cctv was given to me

after a long hard struggle with a rehab dept here in Illinoisi never again want

to go through.

Debbie

Talk > > > > > ---

>>> In blind-diabetics , carol clevesy >

>>> > > wrote:

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

>>> I am > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk

>>> in here?

>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>> > > >

>>> > > >>

>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

Hi Everyone,

Thank you Debbie for getting this thread started. I've really enjoyed

learning so much about all of you over the last couple of days.

I have been lurking on this list for a while, but only writing in once in a

blue moon. I got type 1 diabetes when I turned eight years old in 1959, so

have been taking insulin for 47 years. The diabetes caused blindness in

1978, and a heart attack in 2001. I also have some kidney damage, but am

still getting by OK on my original kidneys.

After going blind in '78 I got some blind skills training and then moved to

Berkeley in '79 for computer training at the Center for Independent Living.

The next year I returned to Tucson and got a job as a computer programmer at

Aircraft. For the next 24 years I worked as a programmer and a

computer systems manager.

Fortunately I was nearly always able to arrange a car pool to work, because

public transit here is pretty bad. A blind friend of mine tried taking the

city bus across town to work, but found that it took two and a half hours to

get there and another two and a half hours to get back. Once, during a two

week break in car pool availability, I applied to Van-Tran, which is the

local transportation system for handicapped people. They turned me down,

saying that blind people should just use the city bus. I appealed, pointing

out that the last bus stop was four miles short of my office. The appeals

board turned me down too, just saying 'no exceptions'. Fortunately I was

able to arrange another car pool just about then, because my guide dog and I

would have never been able to cover those four miles here in Tucson where

the summer temperatures are often over 110 degrees.

One of my greatest challenges came when my sighted wife of 15 years died

suddenly and I was left as the blind single, working parent of our third

grade daughter. Some how we both made it through that, and my daughter is

now a 22 year old college student. Besides going to college she has a job

and does volunteer work at an agency for children who have recently

experienced the death of a parent.

For the last two years I have been counting carbs and checking my blood

glucose about five times per day. I use lantus insulin, measured by a

count-a-dose, and novalog insulin from a pen. My last A1C was 5.9.

If any of you are totally blind and use an insulin pump without any sighted

assistance I would like to hear about it. A pump sounds like a good idea to

me, but I am just not sure whether any of them are accessible enough for me

to use without assistance.

I see from this thread that some of you have been diabetic for a long time.

I shudder when I think back on the days when we had to boil a glass syringe

and a steel needle in a pan on the stove every morning. Think of how dull

those needles must have been after a few days. At least we only took one

shot per day back then, but that one shot sure didn't control the glucose

very well. Since we didn't have glucose meters back then, and the A1C test

wasn't yet in use, we just checked our urine with a clinitest kit. Makes

you wonder how much progress will be made in the next thirty years.

I just ran a spell checker on this note, and it offered to change 'counting

carbs' to counting crabs'. Reminds me of the time I referred to my boss,

Mr. Loper, in a note at work, and the spell checker wanted to change it to

'Mr. Loser'.

Now that I am not working I take classes at the community college just for

fun. This semester I am taking Introduction to Psychology. On that note, I

had better close this note and get back to reading that psychology text

book, page by page, on a flat bed scanner.

Bye for Now,

Mark

Talk

>

>>

>>>

>>> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

>> not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>> Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>

>>>

>>

September 11, 2006

Hi

I enjoy all these wonderful stories. I have been blind since birth. I am

getting married for the first time on the 7th of April next year to a super

blind man. So its great sharing great stories it makes my day so much happier.

Talk

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>>>>>> > > >

>>>>>> > > >>

>>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

>>>>>> I

>>>>>> am

>>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

>>>>>> here?

>>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>>>>> > > >

>>>>>> > > >>

>>>>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

Mark,

that is quite a story. you must be very strong. I admire your guts and wish I

had that.

I won't let myself be controlled by diabetes or the public transportation system

I find the system to be very degrading to human life and quite disgusting . no

one should be treated the way those people treat you it's not human.they seem

to put blind people at a loss for any thing but dependency on them and I won't

go there. I just flat out refuse. Why should blind people be treated like they

are worth anything because they can't see and there time means nothing. I was

raised to believe time is money and I won't have mine wasted.

I've been at this diabetes stuff since 1967 and lost a good deal of my vision in

2000 I have some kidney damage but so far it seems well controlled. I take

lantus once a day and novolog pen using a pen. I too wish we'd of had better

stuff when I was a kid but wonder if I would of used it. I was pretty stubborn

back then. I check my blood 6-8 times a day but have never had a A1c of 5.9 the

best I've ever gotten was 6.3 this diet truly SUCKS!

that is interesting about your daughter working with children who have lost

parents because when I was 8 years old my father was murdered. I survived that

it wasn't easy and I don't think I will ever really get over it. after his

murder I got very sick I often wonder if the diabetes was related to this event.

I have been a single parent since 1992 when my ex husband left me to marry his

secretary I raised my 2 girls alone they are now 23 and 26

I too am in school I take online classes at the university of Illinois in

Springfield and by the way the Dept of rehab here in Illinois told me I couldn't

take online classes I had to go to a college here they were wrong!

I need to get at that homework stuff.

nice talking with you.

Debbie

Talk

>

>>

>>>

>>> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

>> not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>> Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>

>>>

>>

September 11, 2006

Glad to hear that keep smiling.

Debbie

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>>>>>> > > >>

>>>>>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

>>>>>> I

>>>>>> am

>>>>>> > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in

>>>>>> here?

>>>>>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>>>>> > > >

>>>>>> > > >>

>>>>>> > > >

September 11, 2006

Hi Harry,

You are right about counting the carbs. Things like protein and fiber slow

down the absorbtion rate of the carbs into the blood. I applaud your 5.5

A1C but, the guidelines set out by the diabetes educators have a paragraph

after the range suggested saying that each person is an individual and that

there are exceptions because of other factors. For example, my A1C is 8.4

because I take prednazone and it screws with my insulin. My doctor wants

me between 6 and 10 and finds 8.4 acceeptable. There are also other factors

such as the fact I'm female and I have to deal with hormone changes that a

male does not, so that again can affect A1C s. I just finished discussing

this very point with my endocrinologist and was told this by her. Again, I

applaud you for your control, but remember everything is not written in

stone.