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            *      Diabetes LISTSERV Group       *
            *                FAQ                 *
            *    (frequently asked questions)    *
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Last update: 27June96, added to list of abbreviations and acronyms

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1. What is the purpose of this list?

The original creator of the list, R.N. Hathhorn, says it was created for "the
diabetic patient to exchange any ideas, comments, gripes, fears, or whatever,
related to your condition." The list is not moderated. The list has evolved
into a kind of support group for people with diabetes and for other interested
people.

2. What kind of information can I expect to find here?

Expect to find lots of "real world" accounts about living with diabetes. List
members sometimes post reports about diabetes research, but posting hard
scientific information is not the purpose of the list. We exchange a lot of
information about every aspect of living with diabetes. We also realize that
everyone is different. Many different treatment regimens are represented here,
including pumps. Because this list is a support group, expect to see lots of
supportive messages. If you have a question, please post it. You will probably
receive answers from several people. Please remember, however, that you still
need to discuss your diabetes care with health care professionals.

3. Why is there so much non-diabetes chatter?

Because this is a support group, and we get to know each other.  Diabetes is
only one aspect of our lives, and we frequently discover common interests and
concerns that may not be directly related to diabetes. If someone has a bad
day, they know they can get support from people on this list. If someone has a
reason to celebrate, they know that people on this list will be happy for
them. These types of posts appear frequently, and some people may consider
them frivolous. However, as one member put it, "we kinda specialize in moral
support and caring about people."

4. What if I don't want to read all of those chatter posts?

We instituted a convention in an effort to make it easy to delete the chatter
postings, if that's what you prefer. A post that contains only chatter should
have CHAT in the subject line. However, some mail systems won't allow the user
to change the subject line when replying to a message. In that case, you can
start a new message, or you can insert a "CHAT warning" for the first line of
your message.

Because of the volume of mail, it also helps to make your subject lines as
descriptive as possible.

You can suggest that people stop chatting so much, but others have suggested
that, and it didn't work!

5. What do those acronyms and abbreviations mean?

A1c       Hemoglobin A1C test or glycosylated hemoglobin test. A test
          that measures diabetes control over the last three months.
ADA       American Diabetes Association
BDA       British Diabetes Association
bG or BG  Blood glucose (often used instead of blood sugar)
BP        Blood pressure
BS        Blood sugar
BTW       By the way
carbs     Carbohydrates
CDA       Canadian Diabetes Association
CDE       Certified Diabetes Educator
CHO       Carbohydrates
DCCT      Diabetes Control and Complications Trial
digest    A collection of the last 50 (more or less) posts
DKA       Diabetic ketoacidosis
DM        Diabetes mellitus
DMer      Person with diabetes
DOD       Date of diagnosis
DXed      Diagnosed
EMT       Emergency Medical Technician
endo      Endocrinologist
ER        Emergency room
FAQ       Frequently asked question(s)
FBS       Fasting blood sugar
GP        General Practitioner
HA1c      See A1c
HbA1c     See A1c
HgA1c     See A1c
HMO       Health Maintenance Organization
Hypo      Hypoglycemic, hypoglycemia
IDDM      Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Type I)
IM        Intramuscular injection
IMHO      In my humble (or honest) opinion
L         Lente insulin
LADA      Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults 
LBS       Low blood sugar; or weight in pounds
MD        Medical Doctor
MI        Multiple injection therapy (more than two injections/day)
MODY      Mature onset diabetes in the young
N         NPH insulin
NIDDM     Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Type II)
NLD       Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum
NSA       No sugar added
OTII      One Touch II meter
OTOH      On the other hand
pumper    Someone who uses an insulin pump
R         Regular insulin
ROTFL     Rolling on the floor, laughing
SF        Sugar free
SO        Significant other
subcu     Subcutaneous injection
UL        Ultra Lente insulin
YMMV      Your mileage may vary.

6. What are the guidelines for posting?

SEND SYSTEM COMMANDS TO THE RIGHT PLACE. listserv@lehigh.edu is the address
for subscription and mail on/off commands; diabetic@lehigh.edu is the address
for posting to the list.

TO GET OFF THIS LIST: send a message to listserv@lehigh.edu and leave the
subject line blank. Put SIGNOFF DIABETIC in the body of the message and send
it.

TO TURN MAIL ON AND OFF TEMPORARILY: follow the instructions for getting off
the list, except instead of SIGNOFF DIABETIC send SET DIABETIC MAIL POSTPONE
to turn mail off. To turn it back on, use SET DIABETIC MAIL ACK.

THIS IS A SUPPORT GROUP, not a source of hard scientific/medical
information. If that's what you're looking for, post your questions and we'll
try to refer you to an appropriate source. Our specialty is what's NOT in the
books, the nuts and bolts of daily life as affected by diabetes.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS! This list generates far too much traffic for browsing to
be an effective way to get specific information.

KEEP TO THE SUBJECT LINES, OR CHANGE THEM. If you can't change them, originate
a new message with an appropriate subject line. Don't simply "reply" unless
your message is CLEARLY on the same subject.  Put the word CHAT in the subject
line if the message isn't mostly about diabetes.

WHEN IN DOUBT, USE PRIVATE E-MAIL. Is your message of general interest? If
not, send it privately. This goes for test message confirmations, too -- only
the person who needs the confirmation should get it.

BE CAREFUL ABOUT VERY SHORT MESSAGES AND EMBEDDED POSTS. If you've already
seen a couple of congratulatory or condolence messages to one person, send
yours by private e-mail. Also, don't just add a one line message after
embedding a whole long post -- if you don't have time to edit, don't embed.

PUT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IN THE BODY OF YOUR MESSAGE. Some mailers don't
provide full headers and signature files. Also, in your first post to the
list, please tell us what type of diabetes you have and what your treatment
regimen is (diet, pills, insulin, combination, number of shots a day,
pump). This helps us answer your questions more accurately. We are also
interested in your geographic location.  It is also helpful if you include a
line at the bottom of your post that tells us your type of diabetes and
treatment regimen (i.e., type II - diet).

DON'T POST TO THE LIST TO ASK IF THE SERVER IS DOWN. Instead, find a buddy who
is not on your leg of the network, and send private e-mail to find out what's
going on.

BE TOLERANT. Lots of different diabetes regimens are used successfully by list
members. It's okay to disagree, it's NOT okay to attack other members
personally. Be polite even when you're angry. If you're too angry to be
polite, don't post or send private e-mail.

USE "EMOTICONS" TO SHOW EMOTIONS IN YOUR MESSAGE. These make it easier to
gauge emotion in small samples of text; it's better to be explicit than
misunderstood. Two common systems are words in brackets, such as <grin> (often
abbreviated to <g>), and "sideways smileys." Some common smileys are: :-)
(regular happy smile), ;-) (winking sly smile), :-( (sad frown), and :-|
(grave concerned look).

KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. A post that LOOKS offensive might actually be an
ongoing joke between list members -- don't jump in with criticisms until
you're sure what's going on. Remember that topics will shift if you're off the
list for awhile; use private e-mail to catch up.

BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE ACCURACY OF INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE -- someone's life may
depend on it. Make it clear when you offer an opinion, and cite your sources
when you quote them. Nutritional info with recipes, please.

Enjoy your stay with us!