FOOD FOR THOUGHT
We invite blurbs and tidbit articles for inclusion in this column. Materials received may be edited and used as space permits. Products and services included in this column are for information only and do not imply endorsement by the Diabetes Action Network of the NFB.
REAL MEDICAL RECORDS
The following quotes were taken from actual medical records dictated by physicians! They appeared in a column written by Richard Lederer, PhD, for the "Journal of Court Reporting." Reprinted with permission.
1. By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.
2. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
3. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it had completely disappeared.
4. The patient has been depressed ever since she began seeing me in 1983.
5. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
6. Discharge status: Alive but without permission. The patient will need disposition, and therefore we will get Dr. Blank to dispose of him.
7. Healthy appearing decrepit 69 year-old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
8. The patient refused an autopsy.
9. The patient has no past history of suicides.
10. The patient expired on the floor uneventfully.
11. Patient has left his white blood cells at another hospital.
12. Patient was becoming more demented with urinary frequency.
13. The patient's past medical history has been remarkably insignificant, with only a 40 pound weight gain in the past three days.
14. She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in separate directions in early December.
15. The patient left the hospital feeling much better except for her original complaints.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
To all of you who responded to our recent donations drive, an enormous THANK YOU! It costs more than $150,000 per year to publish VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, the principal communication tool of our Diabetes Action Network. Through the generosity of the National Federation of the Blind, we offer subscription without charge; but our advertising income covers only a portion of production costs, so we depend on YOU, our readers, to help us keep on carrying our message to more diabetics, family members, health professionals, and individuals with an interest in the condition. As our circulation has now grown beyond 225,000, our need for your assistance grows more acute. Twice a year we send out requests for donations. To those of you who responded—Thank you again!
DRUG TESTS EXPLAINED
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in charge of testing all new "investigational" drugs and medications, prior to their release for general sale. Their testing process has three phases. Here's what they mean:
Phase 1. The new drug is tested on between 20 and 100 human volunteers, for safety and efficacy.
Phase 2. As many as several hundred people, who have the condition the drug is to treat, volunteer to participate in tests for up to two years. The goal, at this stage, is to test the drug's effectiveness as a treatment.
Phase 3. In this final stage, the drug is tested again, for safety, appropriate dosage level, and general effectiveness. Typically, hundreds, even thousands of volunteers are involved. Often the statistics become complex, terms such as "randomized" and "double-blind" being common.
In this testing procedure (which only follows a company's own process of research and development), perhaps 75% of all investigational medications fail, according to "FDA Consumer" magazine; a few more are rejected by regulators; perhaps 20% are ultimately approved for marketing.
ACE INHIBITOR MAY RETARD RETINOPATHY
A large (354 patients) European clinical trial, recently completed, examined the effect of the ACE inhibitor lisinopril on the progress of diabetic retinopathy. Researchers, led by Drs. Nish Chaturvedi in London and Anne Katrin Solle in Denmark, found that lisinopril appears to significantly reduce the progression of diabetic retinopathy. As ACE inhibitors are already known to reduce the progress of diabetic nephropathy, kidney disease, this information could have far-reaching importance.
ELECTIONS COMING UP
At this year's national convention in Dallas, Texas, elections will be held to fill divisional board positions. These are one-year terms, running from July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999. Positions to be filled are: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two "Board Members at Large." If you are interested in a board position, or know someone who you think would do a good job, then contact our Diabetes Action Network President, Ed Bryant. Yes, hard work and dedication are prerequisites for each board position. Anything worthwhile is usually challenging, and requires hard work. Leadership should be a positive force, and one must lead by good example.
THE 1997-98 DIABETES ACTION NETWORK BOARD
President: Ed Bryant (Columbia, MO); First Vice President: Janet Lee (Cedar, MN); Second Vice President: Sandie Addy (Prescott Valley, AZ); Treasurer: Mary Hurt (Louisville, KY); Secretary: Sally York (Castro Valley, CA); Board-Members-at-Large: Tom Ley (Baltimore, MD), and Eric Woods (Denver, CO).
DISPLAY TABLES
For this year's annual convention of the NFB, our Diabetes Action Network has reserved space in the exhibit hall, where we will display literature and equipment of interest to blind diabetics and others interested in diabetes.
There will be hundreds of other display tables with products and information that may be of interest to blind persons.
CAN YOU HELP? It takes many people to work the display tables, and if you can help for two hours, four hours, or more, please contact our Display Table Committee Chairmen: Bruce Peters, 1670 Liberty Drive, Akron, OH 44122; telephone: (330) 865-8477, or Mary Hurt, 1107 E. Burnett Ave., Louisville, KY 40217. For more information, you can call Ed Bryant at the VOICE office: (573) 875-8911, or fax him at: (573) 875-8902.
PLAN AHEAD AND BE PREPARED
At this year's annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind, there will be many insulin-dependent diabetics in attendance. Each of us should have the foresight to bring extra insulin and syringes so as to avoid needing to search for a pharmacy.
At every convention, a few diabetics undergo avoidable hypoglycemic attacks. Hotels are jammed, and restaurants are packed, with long waits for a table. We diabetics should always be prepared for an insulin reaction. THINK AHEAD! Always carry something sweet, such as candy or glucose tablets, that can be used for reactions. We should be sure to have, in our rooms, snack foods to help control our food needs.
We diabetics can travel anywhere and do almost anything we want, except go without food. Our bloodstreams should have a balance of insulin and glucose. If there is not enough glucose (food) then we have an insulin reaction.
"Plan ahead and be prepared."
JOB SEMINAR AND BREAKFASTS
Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB) is a program jointly administered by the National Federation of the Blind and the U.S. Department of Labor. JOB brings employers together with blind job-seekers. Anyone legally blind and looking for work in the United States may participate in the JOB program. There is no charge.
The 1998 Job Opportunities for the Blind National Seminar will be held on Saturday, July 4, 1998, from 1pm to 4pm, at the NFB National Convention in Dallas, Texas. This will be an exciting three hours of blind persons talking about their jobs and how they got them. Admission is free; come for practical tips from those who know best because they've been there. Plus, recruiters from federal agencies and private firms should be there.
The JOB Networking Breakfasts, held every morning of convention for the past six years, will be offered again in 1998, providing further opportunities. All begin at 7am (come early!), and all are BYOB (buy your own breakfast). Some examples include: The JOB First-Timers' Breakfast (a chance to meet convention veterans and start the process) on July 4 and 5;
Emergency dispatchers, and Travel Instructors, also on July 5; Braille Proofreaders and Transcriptionists, and another for Blind Persons in Medical Fields, on July 5; Blind Lawyers, and another for Blind Artists and Craftspersons on July 6; Customer Service Reps on July 7; "Writing for Money," and a new breakfast for Outdoor Workers: rangers, farmers, gardeners, sports/athletic workers, animal caretakers, etc., on July 8; Blind Computer Access Teachers, and another for Entrepreneurs, on July 9; an (invitation only) "Breakfast for Employment Professionals" on July 10, and more! July 5 through July 9, there will also be "Generic Breakfasts for Job Seekers," to help you get started. All of these will be crowded, so reservations are recommended.
Further information about JOB, and the JOB seminars and breakfasts, is available from Job Opportunities for the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone: 1-800-638-7518 (12:30pm to 5pm, EST, weekdays).
ARTICLES ON TAPE
We have been asked to announce: "Choice Magazine Listening" is a free service offering a selection of current magazine articles, short stories, and poetry, on 15/16 IPS audiocassette tape for the blind. Six times a year, "Choice" offers an eight-hour tape compilation, drawn from the pages of "New Yorker," "The New York Times," "National Geographic," "Esquire," "Gourmet," "Sports Illustrated," and more.
The necessary tape players are available free, to the legally blind or print-handicapped, from the Library of Congress. For information, or a free subscription, contact "Choice Magazine Listening," 85 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11095; telephone: (516) 883-8280; fax: (516) 944-6849.
ARTICLES NEEDED!
If you have diabetes, are a family member or friend of a diabetic, or a health professional with an interest in diabetes, we invite you to submit an article for publication in the VOICE OF THE DIABETIC.
Our philosophy regarding diabetes is positive. Do you have an inspiring, enlightening story? We, the Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind, seek to show people they are not alone, and do have options, regardless of diabetic complications. If you have experienced ramifications, others, who may be facing the same side effects, could benefit from what you have to say.
Perhaps you have not experienced side effects? Your unique insight, coping strategies, and lifestyle can still inspire others. Are you a relative, a friend, or a health professional? More than 225,090 VOICE readers could benefit from your story.
For information and article submission guidelines, contact: VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, 811 Cherry St., Suite 309, Columbia, MO 65201; telephone: (573) 875-8911.
SUBSCRIPTION/DONATION FORM
The VOICE OF THE DIABETIC is a quarterly magazine published by the Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) for anyone interested in diabetes, especially diabetics who are blind or are losing vision. An outreach publication, it emphasizes good diabetes control, diet, and independence.
Donations are gladly accepted and appreciated. Contributions are not only tax deductible but are needed to keep the VOICE and the Diabetes Action Network moving forward to help people with all aspects of diabetes.
Members of the NFB Diabetes Action Network enjoy priority services and unique benefits such as a continuous free subscription to the VOICE, automatic access to committees covering all aspects of diabetes, free counseling concerning all facets of blindness and diabetes, as well as access to diabetics who have experienced complications.
The VOICE is free to any interested person upon request. Each subscription costs the Diabetes Action Network approximately $20 per year. To help defray publication expenses, members are invited, and nonmembers are encouraged, to cover the subscription cost.
To begin receiving the VOICE, please check one:
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Voice of the Diabetic
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