Back in the day!!!!!!!!

[rochari]

Hi @JMK1954 Although I have posted this before. I thought you ought to see it:
1979 At a party in Haringey, hosted by one of Helen’s predecessors: The hostess, called Julie, left for work at Harrods, with Yours Truly unconscious on a sofa. She telephoned at 12.45. “You still there?” After my baffled response, I put the phone down and tried to think about my state of affairs. I had a raging headache, my vision kept disappearing, and worryingly, I was experiencing a total memory loss. I started to pace around the stark room like a leopard in its too confined quarters. What the hell is wrong? This is not a hangover. I need to talk to someone. My father. What’s his name? Where does he work? (He retired in 1985 and I still remember his number 01 405 9222 ext 6036) Brain’s battery was completely uncharged then. As I sped around the room in increasing panic, I chanced upon a directory. With my focus looming in and out, I flipped through the pages in the vain hope I might recognise anything. Something suggested the word “assurance” and I had enough cognitive function to write it down. Minutes later I was through to some saint (female) at the switchboard. Why she didn’t think “We’ve got a right one here” I’ll never understand. She deserves recognition.
“ er, Oh God, what’s his name?”
“Don’t worry love, which department is he in?”
“Er, ....... Oh blimey I can’t think"
At this point she began reading down the list until she said:
“Job evaluation"
“That’s it!"
I’m a great believer in fate. Normally one of three lovely secretaries would have answered the phone, but for some reason my father himself answered. I must have been able to tell him my whereabouts, because I remember him giving me some chocolate in the flat. The rest is blank until 6.30 the following morning. I had been put in Johanna’s bedroom (I think she was away at college in Oxford at the time) and my father put his head round the door to check progress. He found me with the top of my head on the floor, followed by most of my torso. He managed to get me back on the bed and then tried to give me warm sweet tea. I hit him. Apparently it took both my parents to hold me against the wall and get some in. Had they the luxury of a
Glucagon injection, I’m sure they would have used it. My father did his National Service at Haslar, the onshore naval establishment at Portsmouth. He was trained as a nurse and used to give up to three hundred penicillin injections a day. Yes, every sailor loves a call girl. To this day nobody has bettered his technique in my experience.

Grant, what a nightmare and I can associate with what you describe. My dad would have run a mile but my mother could do enough for both of them! Until I left home in my teens dad left the room when I took the insulin kit out, he hated needles. He did National Service too, was a big strapping lorry driver and not to be messed with but a size 16 or 20 had him out the door, pronto.

The hospital made a major mistake with me in my late teenage years regarding a new insulin I was put on (can't remember its name, but they had to find an alternative because my 'old' insulin was being discontinued). It was hypos all the way, which didn't stop despite daily reductions in dosage. I kept contacting them but they said it was just taking time to adjust! I was single, just moved to the city and transferred to a diabetic clinic there, plus I lived alone. The bad ones happened in the evenings and I usually always fitted. I got used to leaving the flat door unlocked and most times I managed to get into the hallway and my neighbours, bless them, would find me there and call an ambulance. My face bounced off the wall one night and I needed stitches along my forehead. The next morning my GP was horrified when I told him what had been happening and I was sent to the clinic there and then, with a stern letter from him in my hands. Everything was re-checked and it was found I’d been double-dosed.

I could deal with hypos no matter how severe in my younger days but after that incident, I became completely phobic about them and that fear has never left me.

Bill

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Grant, what a nightmare and I can associate with what you describe. My dad would have run a mile but my mother could do enough for both of them! Until I left home in my teens dad left the room when I took the insulin kit out, he hated needles. He did National Service too, was a big strapping lorry driver and not to be messed with but a size 16 or 20 had him out the door, pronto.

The hospital made a major mistake with me in my late teenage years regarding a new insulin I was put on (can't remember its name, but they had to find an alternative because my 'old' insulin was being discontinued). It was hypos all the way, which didn't stop despite daily reductions in dosage. I kept contacting them but they said it was just taking time to adjust! I was single, just moved to the city and transferred to a diabetic clinic there, plus I lived alone. The bad ones happened in the evenings and I usually always fitted. I got used to leaving the flat door unlocked and most times I managed to get into the hallway and my neighbours, bless them, would find me there and call an ambulance. My face bounced off the wall one night and I needed stitches along my forehead. The next morning my GP was horrified when I told him what had been happening and I was sent to the clinic there and then, with a stern letter from him in my hands. Everything was re-checked and it was found I’d been double-dosed.

I could deal with hypos no matter how severe in my younger days but after that incident, I became completely phobic about them and that fear has never left me.

Bill

You have my absolute empathy Bill. Although I deserted the diabetic camp six years ago, as a result of hypos thhroughout my formative years, I have never liked to be alone, even now. This, together with a self-imposed adherence to the Lawrence Line Weight Diet which I started in August 1966, makes me realise how engrained Type 1 is in my subconscious. I do think that it ultimately gave me a stronger sense of self discipline. I just hope that your control is preventing the fuelling of the phobia. All the very best to you. Grant

 

[Geri]

When I saw the insulin 'gun' and the blue through to orange colour chart for clinitest, I got a lump in my throat as I remember feeling so bad when it turned orange, which in the 70s, was quite often. I wish I had kept my insulin gun, I didnt use it, but it looks like a medieval torture instrument now and would be quite a curio. !

 

[Jaylee]

When I saw the insulin 'gun' and the blue through to orange colour chart for clinitest, I got a lump in my throat as I remember feeling so bad when it turned orange, which in the 70s, was quite often. I wish I had kept my insulin gun, I didnt use it, but it looks like a medieval torture instrument now and would be quite a curio. !

Hi,

Yeah, I know what you mean about the aversion "orange" in the 70s.
Lucky for me, by the time I past my driving test in 86? I managed to find a blue one..

 

[Skylab]

Back in the day when I was in hospital for 2,3 weeks introduction to insulin.There used to be a smoking room end of the ward for the smokers being a coronary ward also diabetic patients and Guinness, Mackeson in the fridge for the many older guys who had anemia. How times have changed not for the better on these two issues.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Hi,

Yeah, I know what you mean about the aversion "orange" in the 70s.
Lucky for me, by the time I past my driving test in 86? I managed to find a blue one..

View attachment 37728

I had exactly this car, but white (what's the significance in diabetes terms?!) straight after I passed my test!

 

[Jaylee]

I had exactly this car, but white (what's the significance in diabetes terms?!) straight after I passed my test!

Yep, I had the Escort estate MK1 1300 just after passing my test.

 

[Ushthetaff]

Yep, I had the Escort estate MK1 1300 just after passing my test.

I had a mini mustard in colour, after I passed my test
Relevance in diabetic terms it peed all the time it drank like a fish it’s control ( Hb1Ac) was sh**e well in the 90’s
It’s yearly test was always problematic,
Very poor circulation , performed badly in the cold,
Probably described initially as Type 2 but very quickly developed into type 1 and no matter how much “ insulin” I put in it it never got better after that I got a blue ford escort estate and control picked up dramatically.

 

[Ladybird1]

I know there are a many newly diagnosed diabetics on this forum and there are a lot of concerns about life expectancy and diabetes, so I thought I’d like to try and give a bit of perspective to people who think diabetes is the end of the world.
Don’t get me wrong it is a minefield especially at the outset but it does get better as you understand you body’s needs and idiosyncrasies,
So
Once upon a time “ In A Galaxy Far Far Away’"......................

There are many T1 diabetics on this forum who like myself have had diabetes for 40 years and longer ,
Developments in technology and treatment have made living with diabetes and having good control , let’s say a tad easier (that comment may be a tad controversial ) than it was say 30 years ago.
There was a time when there was no blood sugar testing unless you went to hospital ( it was urine testing with a “ chemistry set) Insulin came from a pig, it came in different strengths so you had to know your times tables.lol there were no insulin pens , no pumps.We had prescription syringes ( the ones your granny use to inject brandy into the Xmas pud with ) the needles were about the size of dart tips , we were told to use them “ til they went blunt”
They were sterilised in surgical spirit, I’m sure some older diabetics can remember stuff I have forgotten .
The point of this trip down memory lane is to say I’ve had diabetes for 40 years and gone through that with technology that had computers the size of a house .and I’m still here relatively healthy plus the amount of people on here with diabetes in excess of 30 years who went through the the same as me., there is a good chance I believe that the new diabetics with technology advancing the way it is advancing will live to “ ripe old ages “ with far less complications that in the past.
Ps
One thing I’m so glad they developed was diet cola cos TAB for those of you who remember it was total pants and minging lol!!!!!!!!!!

Brings back memories, 56 years T1 and still going strong. I remember having a small pan to "boil" my glass syringe and needles in it. A drawing up needle and a needle for injecting, both nearly the same diameter, thank goodness for the ultra fine ones now.