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When I think back to my life 47 years ago and the challenges of living with diabetes, I had no idea how almost uncivilized those times were.  The comparisons to today are monumental. 

Try to imagine the only way of gauging your blood sugar level was by testing the urine.  You would “pee” in a cup.  Then put a few drops of the urine into a test tube followed by dropping a tablet into the tube.  Then you watched the two combine while watching the combination begin to sizzle.  After the scientist — that would be me – would observe the bubbles calming down, there would be the high technology of shaking the two together.

The secret was in the wrist and the observer’s getting the visual color exactly right which would range from a blue to a yellow.  WOW, when you saw that blue, you could breathe easier now knowing that this scientific wonder, made you feel comfortable knowing that what was in your urine showed a negative sugar level!  Let’s go all the way down the scale to the yellow color – uh oh, are you in trouble!  So, what do you do now with these results, probably not one thing until your next doctor’s appointment!

Wait til my next “tell all” about the non-existence of at home self care, or rather the trial and error which consisted of crossing your fingers and believing you were actually on target, with what was available, for you the diabetic to monitor yourself.