Special diet Legislation

[Malcolm Dilts]

I have made PDF versions of the new changes to the Special Diet legislation that Angela posted a few days ago.   They can be downloaded from our ODSP site @ http://odsp.magmac.ca/special_diet.htm   If you thought the last round of changes was going to be rough and gouging wait until you understand just how badly the gov't has destroyed the program.   

[Bill Higgs]

Thanks Malcolm, I am no lawyer  but did I read this right?  for instance diabetes and high cholesterol, are in the same group, but you can only claim either or?? whichever is higher??

 

Having both conditions I can attest the nessessary foodstuffs for both are not related in the least.

 

Bill

 

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[Bill Higgs]

After reading the info supplied by Malcolm I have a couple of questions I hope someone more knowledgeable than me can answer

 

1. the form mentions "normal" body weight, just who or how is "normal" determined

 

2.  it seems the 'administrator"  has the final decision on any special diet application   Who is this "administrator"? Is that the manager of our regional ODSP office? If so I am in trouble as the manager of my local office and I have had our disagreements in the past.

Are they saying this medically untrained "administrator" can overule the finding of my medical specialist?

 

Thanks

 

Bill

 

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[Malcolm53]

NOTE: The links to the ODSP versions were incorrect when the page was
first put up. They are now active.

[Bill Higgs]

Malcolm, not complaining but the third and fourth link wont work for me

 

Thanks

 

Bill

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[abrowne]

Thanks, Malcolm, for posting these.
I don't know if I can do PDFs.  Can you also post them in
Word format, as some people might have trouble reading
PDFs?  (Not me, but I've heard people express concerns
in other groups).

Where do you think this new formula is going to take us,
Malcolm?  I am certainly concerned there appears to be
a bias against people with certain types of disability again!
Angela

---

From: Malcolm Dilts <m...@magmac.ca>
To: A - ODSP Fireside <odspfi...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, February 7, 2011 6:02:45 AM

Subject: [odspfireside: 34583 ] Special diet Legislation

If you thought the last round of changes was going to be rough and gouging wait until you understand just how badly the gov't has destroyed the program.   

--

[Malcolm53]

While hunting for the legislation on the Special Diet changes I found
more info. I lucked into the Special Diets Expert Review Committee
Final Report from April 2008. This is a 79 page report prepared by:

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Donna Danelon, Registered Dietitian
Dr. Greg De Marchi, Co-Chair
Stephanie De Maio, Registered Dietitian
Janet Dubeau, Registered Dietitan
Dr. Raphael Folman
Gloria Mamakwa, Wunnumin Lake First Nation, Community Health Worker
Connie O’Connor, Registered Dietitian
Dr. Janis Randall-Simpson
Dr. Brian Roy, Co-chair
Uma Sebastiampillai, Registered Dietitian
Dr. Chandrakant
P. Shah Maria Spray, Registered Nurse
Dr. William Sullivan
Lorraine Willows, Registered Dietitian

  The full report in PDF format can also be downloaded from our ODSP
site @http://odsp.magmac.ca/special_diet.htm

As I find other items of interest I will update the page and post a
note to the board.

[StarTears]

Thanks Malcolm, I am no lawyer  but did I read this right?  for instance diabetes and high cholesterol, are in the same group, but you can only claim either or?? whichever is higher??

 

Having both conditions I can attest the nessessary foodstuffs for both are not related in the least.

 

Bill

 

to answer both your questions bill

yes.  you can only claim ONE condition per blocked off section no matter how many you check off [though i'd still get all checked that apply] and you will receive monies for the MOST high paying one.

secondly, NO, you do not return this form to your local ODSP office whatsoever.  it goes to a SDA office specifically.  more people hired to do more bs work that isn't fair by cutting back the diet allowance in NO relating way.

in the first section for example i qualify for all of the conditions by my meds...but technically i do NOT have hypertension but my meds say i do.  [i take a multi-use statin but its primary use is hypertension however if you do not have it, it will not affect your blood pressure....seems like an pretty unaffective med to me but i digress]  however, i DO have a malignancy disease [where i was talking about malignancy meaning more than cancer, diabetes type 1 is considered as that as well] but because i have that obesity thing, and its in that other wasting weight loss category, i can't claim it.  however, because its worth so little, i'm thinking we'll skip the BMI check and then check the malignancy one off instead which would give me a total of $386 per month for food whereas now i get $244.

its such a stupid thing.  the people who did the 'work' on it not ONE was an endocrinologist who is also an expert in half the conditions they list.  there is NO compromise with some of the foods some diets that some of us MUST eat with certain conditions but -THEY- want us to compromise on that.  i dunno....there is some things that there should be NO ROOM for compromise on.  meds, shelter and food are the basics when you qualify to be on this system are the top 3 i can think of that ought to be non-negotiable.

star

[Lorene]

Thanks for posting again, Malcolm. This time I can see them and read
them over carefully.

Lorene

[Alicia]

I'm not trying to sound whiny or unappreciative of the SDA in general,
but why is lupus covered but RA, AS (for me I've lost 25 lbs on a five
foot petite to begin with frame, way more than 10%) and I'm trying to
understand why one autoimmune is on there but not the others? I'm
really worried about this new form.

[anarchris]

oh yes. and why crohn's and ulcerative colitis but not irritable bowel
syndrome and why wheat and milk but not corn, yeast and sugar etc etc.
totally arbitrary as to what gets covered and what doesn't.
nrx

[tracey daminato]

Lupus can affect the digestive tract therefore they don't absorb nutrients properly.
How does RA & AS affect your appetite, absorbing nutrients, etc.  I think that is what they are basing it on.
Maybe your doctor can explain why you have weight issues to their satisfaction.
 
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 09:01:58 -0800
> Subject: [odspfireside: 34672 ] Re: Special diet Legislation
> From: alicia....@gmail.com
> To: odspfi...@googlegroups.com

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[corrinna]

Good point indeed, then IBS should be covered as well and is not.

[StarTears]

Good point indeed, then IBS should be covered as well and is not.

IBS and short bowel are considered the same condition by ODSP.  medically no they certainly are NOT only similar but in their 'expert' eyes they are the same.  so if you have IBS you can check off short bowel.

yes i have had this confirmed by the several doctor release forms on what is and isn't on the diet form that they give to the doctors etc filling them in as to what condition constitutes what.  dieticians and nutritionists get more detailed 'what does this term mean?' forms from ODSP regarding this than your GP.  they are issued every year and/or every time the form changes.  its ridiculous.  in black and white they clearly stated that there were double conditions on the previous form and yet some of the food doctors would NOT check off both conditions!! that was funny.

anyways, hopefully your GP will help everyone with these stupid asinine money sucking forms and give us as close to condition verifications if we provide ALL the appropriate information.

star

[Sayge]

Would this still be allowable even if the weight loss was good for you
initially but unintended due to the IBS? I've gone from 247 to 188
and I do have IBS, I haven't really done anything different..

On Feb 9, 3:37 pm, StarTears <starte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >  *Good point indeed, then IBS should be covered as well and is not.*
>
> >  *
> > *

[Sayge]

*bump*

[Vintage]

Something I'm wondering about is, I have Crohn's Disease butI didnt
loose weight! I GAINED weight due to the various medications I was
put on for it. So how would that work as far as getting the Special
Diet Allowance?

[tracey daminato]

I also have Crohn's Disease, and was diagnosed in 1989. 
WATER weight can be caused by steroids and other meds.  That will eventually disipate and your dr. would know that.  That weight gain isn't a constant problem therefore you should still be covered, I am.
I have to have 3 ensures a day to help keep my weight up to 110lbs, in the past when I haven't had it I have lost over 10 lbs in a month.
There are foods that you probably can't tolerate, so you will need to buy the foods that you can, and supplements for others.
If you ever need any help with anything, do not hesitate to contact me :)
 
> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:36:43 -0800
> Subject: [odspfireside: 35189 ] Re: Special diet Legislation
> From: vintag...@gmail.com
> To: odspfi...@googlegroups.com

[StarTears]

shouldn't affect it.  no where on the form does it ask for confirmation of your weight.  so why they specifying weight in the form in the first place is just stupid.  if your doctor knows you have crohn's s/he marks it off and initals it.  along with malignancy in that same category.  there is NO specification on their definition of WHAT malignancy means to them and in general terms malignancy means an incurable condition which leads to death. 

star

[Vintage]

As far as I know this isn't just water weight. I was on Prednisone
and then weekly injections of Methotrexate, and then on BOTH for
awhile. I'm not on either of them now. Was pulled off them about 2
years ago when my weight kept going up and up....I gained about 80
lbs. in the space of about 18 months. I'm only 4'11" tall, and
ballooned up to 189 lbs. I've now lost about 40 lbs., still have
another 30 or so to go yet to get down to where the doctor feels my
weight should be, and it's been since summer of 2009 since I started
losing. So when I saw that on the form about losing weight, I started
to wonder about if I'd still qualify because I'd been gaining so
much.

Thanks for easing my mind.

[StarTears]

 still haveanother 30 or so to go yet to get down to where the doctor feels my
weight should be, 

gotta ask, is this according to your health or according to that flawed BMI index that in reality of health has no value whatsoever? 

if you do some in depth research on the BMI index you eventually will uncover that dividing your weight by your height....now use a bit of common sense here without even doing the research....has very little to do with your actual HEALTH.  blood tests on what is going on inside you has far more value along with physical exams of your stamina and endurance plus where your weight/fat is located in the first place than that 'random' health label.  ultimately BMI is code for society diet fads and body image stereotypes.  there is truth in being overweight/obese and healthy.

star

[tracey daminato]

No Problem :)
The extra money really helps with the Ensure.  It used to be covered by a prescription, but isn't anymore and it's really expensive. 
I hope you are feeling well, and like I said you can e-mail me anytime you like. :)
 
Tracey

 
> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:02:15 -0800
> Subject: [odspfireside: 35218 ] Re: Special diet Legislation
> From: vintag...@gmail.com
> To: odspfi...@googlegroups.com
>

[Sayge]

MIne is to take the strain off of my knees and hips.. both are
deformed, I have PFS in my knees and have had many release/debride of
my ligaments.. Right now I'm at 188, my "ideal" is something really
retarded.. *checking* 136 lbs... (Seriously? I'm of Nordic & German
descent, I was a linebacker in high school, I have a wide back,
there's NO WAY I'll get down to 136, I'll look sick.. ).. My doctor
said to stop around 165.. I *might* allow my IBS to let me go less
before I start doing 'maintenance' depending on how I look (I really
do want the roll off my back.. ).. I have had 'Unintentional Weight
Loss' (I was 220 for ages.. ) and have done nothing different, just
the IBS went into high gear, I guess..

[Lorene]

How do you manage PFS every day? I have that in my knees. It is so
painful every day.

Lorene

[Sayge]

I have an EXTREMELY high pain tolerance, Lorene, lovingly (and
thankfully) inherited from my mother.. Thirty Percs last me about 8-9
months as I only take them when I absolutely need them.. Not to make
myself seem like Wonder Woman but I have PFS, scoliosis, Degenerative
Joint & Spine Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, catalepsy, deformed jaw,
hips & knees, very thin ligaments in my ankles, pericardial effusion
(due to hypothyroidism), hiatus hernia, IBS, lactose-intolerant,
enlarged liver, slight brain damage due to an abusive ex-husband AND
I'm an ovarian cancer survivor.. I walk my dog every day, I play bass
guitar, and I can even wear platform boots (I'm talking 8" heel, 5"
platform.. ) .. To see me you wouldn't think I was disabled, that can
be a problem at times.. :(

I may have disabilities but I'll be damned if I'll let them have me in
the sense that I can't maintain a decent quality of life.. When I get
to the point where that quality of life is gone, I can no longer walk
and I find myself actually complaining about pan then and ONLY then
will I succumb to them.. For a brief period about three years ago I
had the thought of 'Am I really that disabled that I can't work?'.. I
found work with an accountant and lasted 4 months before the stress
started to wake up the catalepsy (no pun intended).. At least I
tried..

[Vintage]

It's a combination of both actually. My doctor says he wants me down
to around 105-110 lbs. (BMI stuff) and I've told him I feel best
overall, at 115-120 lbs. So I'M aiming for 118 or so LOL Thanks for
info Star.

On Feb 23, 6:15 pm, StarTears <starte...@gmail.com> wrote:

[StarTears]

It's a combination of both actually.  My doctor says he wants me down
to around 105-110 lbs. (BMI stuff) and I've told him I feel best
overall, at 115-120 lbs.  So I'M aiming for 118 or so LOL  Thanks for
info Star.

no problem.  i think you have a lot of common sense and just looking at that chart it simply makes none.  so tell your doc to shove it really.  the BMI index has no merit.  like really,  this magic number by doing NOTHING but dividing your height into your weight has ANY bearing on your actual health?  really?  no.  that has nothing to do with the speed of your metabolism or the rate of digestion of your bowels or the rate of your stomach emptying [gasteoparisis] and how your liver responds to your pancreas dumping sugar when you feel hunger.

whenever i see that BMI chart....and i DO at my endocrinologist's office, i get very angry.  there is NO scientific validity to it so why is it even there?  why am i being literally JUDGED by it?  people need to get it through their heads that its perfectly okay to question their doctors or even specialists method of diagnosis or treatment. its just the manner in which you do so.

star