From: wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com (Bill McGarry)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.l-hcap
Subject: Handicap Digest # 2972
Date: 14 Oct 92 06:00:48 GMT
Reply-To: Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Approved-By:  Bill McGarry <wtm@SHELDEV.SHEL.ISC-BR.COM>


                             THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                                 Issue # 2972

                         Wednesday, October 14, 1992

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                            Re: re: Hearing Aids
                          RSD Support Group,You, Me
                                  RSD Group
                                  Neck pain
                                Re: Roll-Aid


                                ******


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Subject: Re: re: Hearing Aids
From: Charles.Cafarelli@f104.n2240.z1.fidonet.org (Charles Cafarelli)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2240/104 - FoxFire, Flint MI


[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

SB> Since I became Deaf and wheelchair confined from a four car accident in
SB> '89 I found that OCTICON E38P is the best, but you really should go and

    Is that more powerful than a "Beltone Avanti"?  I've held off getting a
new aid, because I can't find anything stronger than the Avanti.  I need
something new.

Chuck

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Subject: RSD Support Group,You, Me
From: Arthur.Saus@p160.f72.n376.z1.fidonet.org (Arthur Saus)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:376/72.160 - Windows of the Worl, Columbia SC


[This is from the Chronic Pain Conference]

Hello Dave!

28 Sep 92, Dave Resnik writes to Arthur Saus:

 DR> I can say by having RSD it does spread.

This only makes me question the diagnosis of RSD.  I do not
disagree that there are other pain problems that are mistakenly
diagnosed as RSD by many well meaning physicians.  I have not seen
any peer reviewed medical literature that agrees with this
contention of RSD "jumping" from one extremity to another. Also,
this is very contrary to my experience in dealing with this
problem.

 DR>  True RSD is very rare but if you look and see millions of people
 DR> have it. It is just never diag. as having it.

Maybe, but I am also concerned about exactly the opposite problem
of people actually not having RSD, yet being "diagnosed" as having
it.  I believe this is much more common than what you have
suggested now that RSD has become a more "popular" diagnosis.

 DR> But you are only as good as the teacher. If the teacher
 DR> does not know the subject then all the students will be in the dark as the
 DR> teacher.

Although this may be true in many fields of study, this is NOT TRUE
in medicine!  All physicians are trained from the beginning to be
independant researchers and have a lifetime dedication to
independant study of reference material.  Physicians are not
limited to being "only as good as the teacher", although our
understanding is limited by the current state of research in any
given field.  Although a tremendous amount is known about disease
processes, there is still a tremendous amount yet to be discovered
about these same disease processes.

Arthur

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Subject: RSD Group
From: Arthur.Saus@p160.f72.n376.z1.fidonet.org (Arthur Saus)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:376/72.160 - Windows of the Worl, Columbia SC


[This is from the Chronic Pain Conference]

Hello Mike!

29 Sep 92, Mike Lyons writes to Arthur Saus:

 ML> the lawyer currently has the book and video and ALL of our pamplets,
 ML> photocopies and disks on RSD.

This statement makes me question your motivation to continue this
discussion. Again, I stand behind my previous statement that I know
of no scientific information to suggest that a true case of Reflex
Sympathetic Dystrophy will "jump" from one extremity to another,
although it may indeed "spread" to involve progressively more of
the same extremity where it initially started.

 ML> Normally, your body will show red for warm, well from the waist
 ML> down there was green, blue and black.  This shows that the body
 ML> temperature is real low.

Again, your "facts" are not quite correct.  Thermography does not
show that "body temperature is real low".

 ML> I can not give you copies of some of the information because of copyright
 ML> laws, but the info I can give you I will.

Again, this seems suspicious.  Copyright laws do not prevent the
spread of scientific reference material.  If you will quote the
references in peer reviewed scientific journals or medical
textbooks, I will attempt to examine the documents to which you are
referring.

Arthur

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Subject: Neck pain
From: Ruthie.Hoffman@f223.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Ruthie Hoffman)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:260/223 - Interstellar System, Vine Valley NY


[This is from the Chronic Pain Conference]

 >  RH> I'm  not a happy camper these days either, so, as usual, we're
 >  RH> all here in this together.

 > I am an extremely unhappy camper these days.  The pains get
 > worse, and answers don't come.  Let's deport all the current
 > doctors, and import new ones.  It won't help anything, but it'll
 > keep the government busy.  *adh*  :-)

good idea.  is it me, or does everyone's pain go through a
particularily "bad time" when fall arrives?   Nawwww....I'll be we
could say that about alot of different times of the year.

CUL, Ruthie

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Subject: Re: Roll-Aid
From: livesey@u.washington.edu (John Livesey)

<I'd love to do that fancy "quoting", but my mailer doesn't know how>

In reference to a reply in HD#2967 which quoted a request from John
Lynch of 29 Sept (I missed the original):

"Any one have or know about a product called Roll-Aid what allows
you to add a tempory motor unit under your chair, and remove it
in 10 sec.  Vidio sounds great, but Stand-Aid of Iowa only sells
direct and the people who have them in the Baltimore area will
not contact me.  All info greatly appreciated."

My wife has had one of these devices for about 2 months now.  She
loves it for what it does for her.  Her situtation first and how
the device helps:  Doreen has chronic progressive Multiple
Sclerosis and has been full-time in a wheelchair for about 15
months.  She has a Kushall ultralight chair for around the house
but kept her old E&J 9000 when getting the new Kushall.  The E&J is
perfect for adapting to the Roll-aid, which she uses for 'distance'
jaunts.

The Roll-aid really does attach in about 30 seconds and detaches in
about 10 sec.  It's rather heavy (I heard her say 85 lbs; I think
it's closer to 50).  Whatever the weight, it's too heavy for her to
lift by herself, even if she dismantled it.  The unit fits under a
wheelchair by attaching to a bar inserted between the horizontal
tubes of her folding wheelchair.  The mounting brackets are
installed semi-permanently onto the ends of the frame tubing.  Then
this "lift bar" is dropped into sockets and provides a point of
attachment for the rear hooks of the Roll-aid.

The device is powered by two 12-volt batteries (sealed lead-acid, I
believe).  Steering is by a tiller mechanism in the front of the
device, which is mechanically linked to the drive wheel in the
front.  When installed, the front of the wheelchair is lifted off
the ground, transforming the four-wheel chair into the functional
equivalent of a three-wheel scooter.  The controls on the tiller
include an on-off key (looks like an RCA phono jack plug), speed
control (top speed is rated at 4 miles/hr), and forward and reverse
levers operated by pushing in opposite directions.  The fact that
the front of the wheelchair is lifted off the ground is initially
disconcerting, but you rapidly become accustomed to it (only about
3/4 - 1 inch off the ground).  A side benefit is that unlike
conventional 3-wheel scooters which can tip fairly easily, the
(unused) front wheels of the wheelchair act like stabilizers - if
you start to tip, they will contact the ground and help keep you
upright.  The tiller is easily removed (and must be removed to
transfer into the chair with the device attached), but this is
also a "hidden" advantage - ever been in a restaurant and
can't get close enought to the table?  - just remove the tiller and
you can manually roll up close to the table.

We took this on vacation this year - Doreen went on hiking trails
and all over Victoria BC with much less fatigue than before (on her
part and mine!).  I can walk fast again and she has regained
control of where to go and how to get there.  As her fatigue has
increased and upper-body strength declined, I was doing more
pushing.  Now we can stroll side-by-side again at a fairly rapid
clip.  I remarked to my in-laws the other day, "ever since my wife
got 'electrified', I lose her all the time!"

Our only beef is the weight (no arguing there; batteries are heavy)
and the fact that it's a tad difficult to align the chair and the
Roll-aid when you're sitting in the chair.  It usually takes a few
tries to get it centered correctly, unless a second person is
guiding you... (a little to the left, honey... :-) ).

The Stand-Aid folks have been great.  They sold it to us on 30 day
approval (we're still waiting for our insurance company to make up
their mind about paying for it :-( ).  We've called them repeatedly
to get it customized to Doreen's chair and limitations.  For
example, the "standard" installation resulted in the tiller being
about 4" out in front of the arm-rests of the chair, meaning that
Doreen rapidly fatigued holding her arms out in front to steer.
Their service guy fabricated "extensions" for the horizontal tubes
to which the device attaches at the bottom of the chair, resulting
in the tiller being just (1/2") in front of the seat - now she can
steer with her arms on the armrests.  They've made us a new handle,
a new lift-bar support (a spot weld gave way after a week of
bouncing around on hiking trails and bumping up bad curb-cuts), and
were ready to make a whole new tiller before this other
customization worked.  Super service for a direct sales company,
but then they have Mr. Fix-it (me) helping.   (<- tongue firmly in
cheek on that one; I'm 'handiest' with the phone to call
a repairman most times!).

The other device that competes in this category was mentioned here
before (Damaco?) - but I believe it does not detach from the chair
and is basically a permanent conversion.

Feel free to e-mail me with questions.  I'm just a satisfied
customer; as far as I know Stand-Aid is a private company, but I
_would_ buy their stock if they were publicly traded!.

(sorry about the length of this posting)

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
John Livesey
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
livesey@u.washington.edu (internet)
livesey@max              (bitnet)
75540,3454               (compuserve, but not checked regularly)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -





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                                ******

                  End of Issue # 2972 of the Handicap Digest

                                ******
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU