Can anyone remember blood test strips in the 80s

[robert72]

 

[staffsmatt]

View attachment 18662

Ooh yes I remember that. Not what I meant though,

what I'm thinking of is like a plastic tube the needles that had an orange top on went in. It had a spring loaded plunger on the end that you pulled back and a button on the side that released the plunger and pushed the needle into your leg and pushed in the needles plunger at the same time... I'll have another search!

 

[gail1984]

Was it this one?

 

[iHs]

I honestly think that if I had to go through that every day I would give up. Well done for making it through

Not every day lol.........Once per week. My mum used same saucepan she boiled my dad's underwear in.......m & s string vest and cotton pants lol

 

[noblehead]

That was the Palmer Injector. I used to see one in a glass cabinet at the chemists and think nope!

I can barely look at that photo, imagine having to use that

 

[staffsmatt]

Was it this one?

It was very close yes ☺. Mine was a bit more plastic looking same principle though ☺

 

[staffsmatt]

I can barely look at that photo, imagine having to use that

I think my parents have one in their attic, not sure they ever actually used it on me though!

 

[Flakey Bake]

When I was a kid, I remember my friend's Mum with her old glass syringe. She had this spring loaded frame into which she put the syringe, placed it against her skin. Then WHAM, with a loud crack, it stabbed syringe in. It had the same effect on us kids as watching someone get caned, we literally jumped out of our skins. It looked and sounded brutal. Thank goodness I was smart enough to wait until 2009 to develop Type 1 diabetes - the smartest thing I have ever done ;-).

 

[PseudoBob77]

Times are better now

My first bg meter was the Reflolux S, it took 2 mins to complete a bg test but was a welcome relief after using the Clinitest Kit for testing glucose in the urine, but as you say you could cut the strips up to make them last longer and compare the strip to the colour coded chart on the bg strip container.

I had one of those, before that i used to match the colour of the blood test strip to the colour measure scale on the side of the cannister. Now test strips are all electronic, still got to take it everywhere you go, that part hasn't changed.

 

[videoman]

In 1961,the only way of testing at home was by using the "klinitest" tablets that dissolved on urine and you had to guess the colour difference from a chart great for a 14 year old.With boiling the glass syringe and the needles that were used more than a week at a time

 

[noblehead]

I had one of those, before that i used to match the colour of the blood test strip to the colour measure scale on the side of the cannister. Now test strips are all electronic, still got to take it everywhere you go, that part hasn't changed.

Maybe there was method in their madness (test strip manufacturers), by cutting the strips up we made them go a long way @PseudoBob77

Yes we still have to carry a meter around but you only have to look at the size of them now compared to 30 years ago, back then they were like a small house brick

 

[curly wurly]

That looks like some form of torture device!

It was. Lol

 

[charlieb]

Geez that brings back memories!! (not necessarily good ones!!)

While going down memory lane does anyone else remember those sprint powered things for hypodermics? I think they were supposed to encourage children to do their own injections but it actually hurt more! (can't find a picture unfortunately!

I think there's one of those glass syringes in my parent attic somewhere, must have been a revelation for them (and me!) when the plastic ones came out!!

I remember having one of those gun things, it was really painful for a very thin child,

 

[plus50]

I was 14 when I was diagnosed -- 58 years ago -- so I went through the entire gamut of testing devices. First there were urine tests, Clinitest (involved test tubes) then Testape (a roll of yellow tape that turned green when positive).
The first blood test involved strips that resulted in very subtle color changes, impossible to read. Then Lifescan produced a meter that gave out actual blood glucose readings. This involved special blotting paper and a waiting period of 1 minute. Finally the modern, easy-to-use meters came out.
My endocrinologist later told me urine tests were useless (variable kidney thresholds), just as well because I seldom used them.
No disposable plastic syringes with needles in the early days, so when traveling I had to use special containers filled with alcohol. I remember the 25-gauge needles back then, massive compared to the 29-gauge needles in use today.
Pricking my fingers never bothered me -- I just felt fortunate that blood-glucose meters were now so easy to use.

 

[BrianInMidlands]

The Reflolux S was the only meter I ever bought, sure I paid around £100 for it but may be mistaken.



This finger pricking device was torture:

Yes - I remember these, "load it", "prime it" and shut my eyes and try not to pull my finger away....then put a massive amount of blood on the strip. Time it, blot it and compare the colour !

 

[Ralphand_pants]

I had the big metal and glass syringe and mum and dad boiled it every morning and the needles were massive wise guage things.The insulin I grew up with from 1966 aged 4 years was the lente 80 strength zinc suspension.You had to wipe your leg with cotton wool and surgical spirit. before the injection.It was superb,never had a reaction like I do with the 100's.In the 1980's they made us just change one day,never had a good day since,bring my 80 strength insulin back!!!!!!Everybody is different and they gave an insulin the they considered suited you.The urine test kits were like something out of a lab,a test tube with 5 drops of pee then 10 drops of water and I think a clinitest tabet dropped in.It all fizzed up and then settled and changed colour.There was blue which was fine,green which was ok,green trace which was starting to get higher,brown which wasn't too good and then orange which was the highest,it said it was 2% whatever that meant.Overall it was so much more predictable than nowadays,not all these night time hypos that constantly read about.Also we had acetest tablets when a drop of pee on it changed colour to show acetone.I think my dr's were behind the times as I had to ask myself for disposable syringes in the late 1970's.They gave me the test strips from the specialist once when there was no finger pricker just a big needle to get blood and had to do it 4 times a day for a few days.Can't remember the first meter,but remember you had to 'grade' them each time with the box of strips.My diabetes was managed well through all the years of no meters and only one injection a day.Now it is hell with these 100 insulins as far as I'm concerned,they just don't agree with me.The humulin nearly killed me as I just kept falling over.Had to travel from my home as far as Sheffield(I live in Blackpool)before a specialist changed me back to a beef insulin that I grew up with,I do think I would have died,I get warnings with the beef,but never the same as my old lente's.Sorry for moaning,but the old urine tests and those big glass syringes bring back some memories.

 

[Heathero]

Yes I remember that re boiling syringe and needle- same needle was used for ages injected at right angle as needles too long. Remember from age 5 when had to pop into skin after hard push. Used to leave a small hole. Thankfully much better now no clinitest, and much more care and understanding re Diabetes. Better insulins etc.

 

[caarlyx]

I'm a little young to know the devices used in the 80's (born in '92, diagnosed in '94).. but I do remember a testing meter I used to have vaguely.. it had a cute little polar bear cover that made me really excited until I finally realized that it was an awful thing to have to poke my finger Makes me wonder if she kept it for the memories.

I remember the strips were quite large, too! My fingers were to tiny my mom used to nearly turn them purple trying to get the proper amount of blood out to test my sugars.

 

[BFishr]

Great walk down memory lane. I remember clinitest and I remember being loaned a reflolux when attending pre-pregnancy clinics and once I got pregnant continued using it. Had to return it when my son was a few months old but decided to buy one. I think it was £60. He's 31 now. I remember the blue autolet pricker and I remember glass syringes, kept in surgical spirit and first steel then later disposable needles. I only boiled the syringe once a month but we were told to rinse the syringe with water before drawing up insulin as the surgical spirit could make injections very painful (my consultant was absolutely right there). I think there was a brown colour with clinitest but your sugar level had to be really high to get it - we were told to aim for green or blue but orange or brown was not on. All so primitive, whatever colour the urine tests showed referred to a blood sugar 2 hours before so no way of keeping an accurate record of blood sugar levels before BM strips arrived. I've been diabetic approximately 53 years (diagnosed as a baby) and have seen lots of change, mostly good although I can't recommend GP practices for diabetic treatment - I prefer going to see a consultant.

 

[BeccyB]

Times are better now

My first bg meter was the Reflolux S, it took 2 mins to complete a bg test but was a welcome relief after using the Clinitest Kit for testing glucose in the urine, but as you say you could cut the strips up to make them last longer and compare the strip to the colour coded chart on the bg strip container.

I had this as my first meter too - it was fantastic as it stopped the whole family from arguing what colour they thought the test strip was!! I had a glass syringe in surgical spirits but don't think we ever used it - my parents scrimped and scraped to buy the little plastic ones for me as they weren't available on the NHS yet.