How would you manage if ......

[Ushthetaff]

Quick question .. how do you think you would manage your Type 1 diabetes if there was ...

No personal blood sugar meters
Only urine tests to control blood sugar
No insulin pens
No Bolus Basel regime
No insulin pumps
No internet
Eat to amount of insulin you take rather than other way around
No carb content on food labels

Well I suppose the answer maybe .....poorly , or ....it would be difficult

All of the above is how many long term type 1 diabetics had to try and control their diabetes, without and with these things ,and you know what many of them/ us are still here 30 ! 40! 50, years on and more ,
I’m not writing this for people to feel sorry for us , but to give people who are newly diagnosed hope , to realise that because you have been diagnosed with diabetes , doesn’t mean that you leading a long life isn’t possible,
Technological advancements have made that totally possible.

 

[JaneC]

Great idea for a post, I like it! Like you having had my diabetic life improved by all the above and I now realise how tough the first ten years were. The only upside to having basic blood testing kit, BM sticks cut in 4 to last longer, syringes and vials of pork insulin then is that we didn’t have the constant worry and knowledge we have today when insulin control doesn’t go to plan. Is too much knowledge a dangerous thing for anxiety levels?

 

[StewM]

"No insulin pens
No Bolus Basel regime
No insulin pumps
No internet
Eat to amount of insulin you take rather than other way around"

Is pretty much my childhood, and food packaging whilst good isn't what it is today.

A lot of it was guess and hope for the best. What I can tell you from going through the various technological leaps is you often don't realize you have a problem until you have it staring you in the face. I thought my control was pretty good at all stages of my life*, despite quickly learning there were issues every time I got more data.

*and I did have good HBA1Cs too.

 

[Wanderer89]

Is too much knowledge a dangerous thing for anxiety levels?

Very good point. This is my first week ever on a libre metre. Before I used to take my insulin & let it take its course before checking it again. This week I have found myself worrying when i see it rising/dropping too sharply. Maybe it’s because it’s new & i’m still learning but yes, it does impact anxiety. Saying that.. I still would never go back to how i managed it before.

 

[jaywak]

Can you remember the days when you had no idea how many carbs were in prepared food ? The manufacturers have made it so much easier for us by listing the carb content on the packaging !

 

[Jaylee]

Hi,

It was the summer of 1976 for me.

There is sort of an "animal" in me that wishes to go "retro" with the old kit.
Maybe cheat & wear a sensor.. Just to track it for a week...

Can you remember the days when you had no idea how many carbs were in prepared food ? The manufacturers have made it so much easier for us by listing the carb content on the packaging !

Blimey, they even put the carb content in recipe books these days..

 

[EllieM]

Can you remember the days when you had no idea how many carbs were in prepared food ? The manufacturers have made it so much easier for us by listing the carb content on the packaging !

I remember memorising my blue book of proprietary foods. I think there was also a white leaflet of carb values of non proprietary foods, but I was less interested in that because my Mum did the cooking.

And I only missed out on the reusable glass syringes that had to be sterilised, because my mother splurged and paid for plastic disposables herself (she'd used the reusable ones and wasn't a fan).

Then there was Rose's diabetic orange, the only fruit squash available that had artificial sweetener (they had lemon as well but that tasted pretty nasty).

Does anyone know when hba1cs started to be used for diabetics? I have no memory of these during my childhood, but I definitely got blood tests every few months.

 

[Jaylee]

Does anyone know when hba1cs started to be used for diabetics? I have no memory of these during my childhood, but I definitely got blood tests every few months.

I got no idea.. A quick search on my phone suggests the early 1980s?
Yeah, I remember all that stuff. Plus pee test weight & height..?

The "pilgrimage" with my mum to the clinic in the hospital through the back past some wasteland strewn with "Nissan huts" left over from WW2?

 

[Ushthetaff]

I remember memorising my blue book of proprietary foods. I think there was also a white leaflet of carb values of non proprietary foods, but I was less interested in that because my Mum did the cooking.

And I only missed out on the reusable glass syringes that had to be sterilised, because my mother splurged and paid for plastic disposables herself (she'd used the reusable ones and wasn't a fan).

Then there was Rose's diabetic orange, the only fruit squash available that had artificial sweetener (they had lemon as well but that tasted pretty nasty).

Does anyone know when hba1cs started to be used for diabetics? I have no memory of these during my childhood, but I definitely got blood tests every few months.

Don’t remember when the Hb1ac test came in but I do remember being “ told off “ for having a “ bad” one . , not being treated like a bad school kid is a definite step forward in diabetes management, along with attitude change so it’s not all
technology

 

[Jaylee]

Don’t remember when the Hb1ac test came in but I do remember being “ told off “ for having a “ bad” one . , not being treated like a bad school kid is a definite step forward in diabetes management, along with attitude change so it’s not all
technology

I mentioned this before, i felt like i may as well have stolen a car??
I also remember a time when a nurse asked me what i liked to eat. I mentioned salad..
Quite keen on chicken too. I remember my mum quite upset when we came out of the appointment. The nurse looked at my mum like she was feeding me "crack cocaine??"

I think i was intuitively trying to avoid anything that pushed my BGs up? It was all about "using the force" back then with a pee test before bed..

 

[JaneC]

"No insulin pens
No Bolus Basel regime
No insulin pumps
No internet
Eat to amount of insulin you take rather than other way around"

Is pretty much my childhood, and food packaging whilst good isn't what it is today.

A lot of it was guess and hope for the best. What I can tell you from going through the various technological leaps is you often don't realize you have a problem until you have it staring you in the face. I thought my control was pretty good at all stages of my life*, despite quickly learning there were issues every time I got more data.

*and I did have good HBA1Cs too.

Yes ‘guess and hope’ sums it up for me too, like you I had good HBa1's somehow, that is never above 8 but not under 7, loads of highs and so many bad hypos but that was considered part of the diabetic lot. I'd certainly trade in all that for a bit of anxiety these days, the knowledge and technology makes it so much more manageable.

 

[jaywak]

I remember memorising my blue book of proprietary foods. I think there was also a white leaflet of carb values of non proprietary foods, but I was less interested in that because my Mum did the cooking.

And I only missed out on the reusable glass syringes that had to be sterilised, because my mother splurged and paid for plastic disposables herself (she'd used the reusable ones and wasn't a fan).

Then there was Rose's diabetic orange, the only fruit squash available that had artificial sweetener (they had lemon as well but that tasted pretty nasty).

Does anyone know when hba1cs started to be used for diabetics? I have no memory of these during my childhood, but I definitely got blood tests every few months.

I remember the glass syringes we stored them in a light blue plastic tube filled with meths and that was in the same colour box with the insulin and alcoholic swabs which they then told us to stop using as it could harden the skin around the injection site , I also had a gun which you loaded the syringe onto and the fired it into your flesh , Boy the bruises I had using that ! The needles were a lot bigger in them days to , If you go back 40 -50 years there were no blood tests either we had a pee testing kit which was such a chore to use i've got to admit I didn't use for years , It's wrong to say it's easy now it's never going to be easy but just a lot easier than it was then !

 

[Wanderer89]

Yes ‘guess and hope’ sums it up for me too, like you I had good HBa1's somehow, that is never above 8 but not under 7, loads of highs and so many bad hypos but that was considered part of the diabetic lot. I'd certainly trade in all that for a bit of anxiety these days, the knowledge and technology makes it so much more manageable.

same for me. Even through my worst spell of rarely testing and guess work it still came out at 61. Incredible really. It’s much better now.

 

[StewM]

Very good point. This is my first week ever on a libre metre. Before I used to take my insulin & let it take its course before checking it again. This week I have found myself worrying when i see it rising/dropping too sharply. Maybe it’s because it’s new & i’m still learning but yes, it does impact anxiety. Saying that.. I still would never go back to how i managed it before.

Yeah, absolutely Wanderer89, like it's all a little overwhelming at first. I think the main point is if you're testing 4/5 hours apart*, A LOT can be happening in between which affects how you deal with any problems you may encounter.

*as is pretty normal on Blood Tests alone.

 

[StewM]

I remember memorising my blue book of proprietary foods. I think there was also a white leaflet of carb values of non proprietary foods, but I was less interested in that because my Mum did the cooking.

And I only missed out on the reusable glass syringes that had to be sterilised, because my mother splurged and paid for plastic disposables herself (she'd used the reusable ones and wasn't a fan).

Then there was Rose's diabetic orange, the only fruit squash available that had artificial sweetener (they had lemon as well but that tasted pretty nasty).

Does anyone know when hba1cs started to be used for diabetics? I have no memory of these during my childhood, but I definitely got blood tests every few months.

HBA1Cs were already pretty common when my dad first started explaining things to me in 1989/1990. Did a quick Google to double-check my memory and apparently they were first introduced in 1980 (but we all know how long it takes for something to go from introduced to common use).

 

[Ushthetaff]

I do remember when first diagnosed was put in hospital for 2 weeks ! Total standard practice in them days told me it was to “ stabilise me “ I was basically in bed for 2 weeks , they gave me insulin , even back then I told them but I’m never in bed for this length of time how can this represent what I’m like when I get out ! I was told by a sister in a very dark blue uniform basically do as your told,
As someone has said previously and I agree totally, having diabetes whatever the date is in never going to be easy , but just more manageable , with changes in technology and attitude who knows what the future will bring but if the last 40 years are anything to go by , I personally think it will be good things for us all.

 

[jaywak]

I did make a mistake in my earlier comment when I said about the alcoholic swabs , That was actually quite high tec , In the early days it was a bottle of meths and a cotton wool swab !

 

[jaywak]

Don’t remember when the Hb1ac test came in but I do remember being “ told off “ for having a “ bad” one . , not being treated like a bad school kid is a definite step forward in diabetes management, along with attitude change so it’s not all
technology

I remember going for my annual review and telling the nurse that my blood test that morning was 12 , I got such a rollicking and the consultant was called in to give me another one , It's almost like you don't tell them the truth just to keep the peace , I haven't changed anything but recently have had comments like " I don't know what your doing John but just carry on doing it " And John " your one of the best if not the best controlled type 1s i've ever come across " If I weren't that bad I would have thought they were being sarcastic .

 

[rochari]

Quick question .. how do you think you would manage your Type 1 diabetes if there was ...

No personal blood sugar meters
Only urine tests to control blood sugar
No insulin pens
No Bolus Basel regime
No insulin pumps
No internet
Eat to amount of insulin you take rather than other way around
No carb content on food labels

Well I suppose the answer maybe .....poorly , or ....it would be difficult

All of the above is how many long term type 1 diabetics had to try and control their diabetes, without and with these things ,and you know what many of them/ us are still here 30 ! 40! 50, years on and more ,
I’m not writing this for people to feel sorry for us , but to give people who are newly diagnosed hope , to realise that because you have been diagnosed with diabetes , doesn’t mean that you leading a long life isn’t possible,
Technological advancements have made that totally possible.

I think I would manage OK because I was diagnosed in 1964 and that’s exactly how it was. I will never forget the glass syringes and the wee boxes of six stainless steel needles (the needles expected to last about the same number of weeks). Also, the Clinitest and Acetest tablets, with the wee test tube and dropper for the former.

Another thing was the diet sheet. I smile when I remember the Sunday treat of the small Walls block of ice cream, which I think cost sixpence that replaced the three cream-crackers I had most other days.

Although it’s been more than a year since I was last at the diabetic clinic I usually find I don’t now understand all the doctor is talking about and have to ask for clarification. So, it always ends with me asking if I’m OK and the answer is usually always ‘yes’. That’s good enough for me. It’s an age thing!

Bill

 

[Peter03]

Hi,

It was the summer of 1976 for me.

There is sort of an "animal" in me that wishes to go "retro" with the old kit.
Maybe cheat & wear a sensor.. Just to track it for a week...

Blimey, they even put the carb content in recipe books these days..

1969 for me the thought of them needles still scare me