Look at the picture in this link:
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Is anyone here familiar with urine testing with test tubes? Blue was perfect, 0% sugar. Red was very bad, 4% sugar. The test tube had to be placed in a container of water, and the water boiled for several minutes to see what color resulted. I used this method for about 20 years, starting in 1945.
Wow, that’s really great about the Artificial Pancreas research. 
I don’t have ANY insurance, right now… nor a job… and I depend on food stamps. Someone insulted me and called me a “diabetic welfare queen.” So, it’s my mock nickname for now.
The board, at least, to me… organizes all the threads from top to bottom, by those that have been replied to most recently… There’s also e-mails notifications one can set up so that we are e-mailed right away when someone replies to a group or thread we are in.
Oh, and I hear ya about the age thing… I’m 33, and I still feel like I’m 20, myself.
hi, more than 25: 43 years with Type 1.
Yes, I used the Clinitest tablets. 5 Drops urine 10 drops water. It would always turn bright orange. Then there was the acitone tablets that you put one drop of urine on and the little white pill would turn purple if you had ketones. I remember well…even remember, vaguely, heating the test tube over a bunson burner…was that before the tablets were available.
Anyway, how bizzare is that, the sugar is leaving your body…its already done the damage. It has already been filtered by the kidneys.
I remember never having a “blue” result, which meant no sugar !!!
Sheila
Yes, I remember sharpening the needles on a stone-slab kind of thing. There was a copper wire that you had to instert into the needle to make sure no insulin was trapped in there. I also had to boil the syringes and needles in a pot of water on the stove. They told my mother that I wouldn’t live long, and one doctor told me I wouldn’t live beyond 30 and if I did I would be blind !!!
Yes, ?? why do some of us survive and yet others are crippled with complications ???
Is it in the genes, DNA ??? In my case it certainly wasn’t because I took care of myself. My mother told me “not to make a fuss, not to make a scene”…so I kept my diabetes hidden for many, many years. I was terribly ashamed of having it.
Not any more !!
Sheila
LOL! You mention genetics or luck. I believe it was genetis or Bad luck that got us into this disease.
I’ve had Diabetes for 49 years, shortly. I was dxd. at age 3. I did take Insulin daily and tested my urine twice a day. I had mostly highs, lows and seizures when I was younger. I forgot my Insulin one day during my Teen years and ended up in a 3 day Coma soon after. After 22 years of Diabetes, I had my second complication - Retinopathy - in my left eye. I had it repaired by laser. Many years later, I developed Neuropathy in my left foot. I reversed the Neuropathy by getting my sugars back under Better control.
Thankfully, I’ve been doing Fine Diabetes-wise, for a good amount of years now.
Woops! Terrie, you just told us your age. Lol! I will try to forget, it won’t be hard to do. I’m rather forgetful now…at least I think I am…Hmmm…I forgot that too!
It is wonderful that diabetes complications are usually reversable, if they are not too far advanced. I have experienced that too. I think you read that in my book. See, I did not forget that. I am not totally hopeless.
I hope you and hubby are well. Anita and I are good!
That gives me some hope! Ive been at it for 25 years (just made the cut here) and my lack of control has lead to retinopathy. I think parts of it are genetic, but also lack of control. Anyways, things are tight now and Im just waiting on the eyes to get better. =^)
Welcome to TuD Ron! Im in IT as well, but never really noticed finger sticks effecting my typing.
Yeah I always figured I could make it until 35-40 (according to all the junk you read about us by the “professionals”), but now I’m 20 years past that. My new estimate is 80-90 and by then I’ll be ready to get on out of here.
My dad died at 88 and my mom turned 97, Oct. 2 and she is in pretty good shape. Her biggest issue is a detached retina in one eye which happened last week.
Her comment after getting back from the eye specialist was, “Well the right is is great, so I can still watch Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and work crossword puzzles.” Cracks me up.
I don’t recall that one, of course I was using Clintest in 1959.
I qualify I suppose. I am diabetic approximately 41 years +/- diagnosed c. 3yo.
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I loathe with every fiber of my being the “testing”, because it is the “Clinistix” of this generation. In short, it is the “best available” method , but, that method candidly is not very good on any level frankly.
Consider in order to be so called “healthy” we have to hurt ourselves… multiple times per day, damage, scar our skin, and in any other context in the world we’d be put in padded rooms for self-injury, if we were not labeled diabetics first. Sorry the method is too invasive. I like keeping my blood in my own body, call me silly that way…
The numbers the tests provide are subject to every kind of error. humidity, temprature, proceedural. Toss in the possibility of entirely false results generated by common OTC drugs causing incorrect high readings. … (http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/ucm155099.htm)
The results are NOT accurate by as much as twenty to thirty percent. If the price were urine, or… ear wax I would not care… except for the part where the information is costing me my own blood and I take that very personally.
I find no acceptable reason for the eggregious falsehood the numbers sometimes generate and then get used to calculate our medical needs re: insulin dosages. Gee I wonder why that might be “bad”. Add tp the problem the current technology instills a certain dependence upon it. Validation, proof (some number) before any action is taken… a tragic hesitation and badly misguided.
The sole focus of our “care” seems vested in the MAINTENCE of our disease rather than its cure… I wonder if there is any profit in that? I can only admire my diabetic elders’ (yours, richard’s, others) persistance and perspectives.
I say freely I do not easily understand them. But I hope I shall…
Stuart
HaHaHa Richard!! Yes indeed, I admit I am 29. 
Forgetting some things isn’t all bad.
Yes, it’s a blessing that many of the complications can be reversed, if caught early. Best not to get them in the first place, of course. Yes I did. I carry your book in my suitcase when we travel even. I’ve read it many times. Goodness no, you are not hopeless. You have achieved so much. Even recently. We always have Hope in you.
Hubby and I are doing pretty Good thanks. I’m Glad that you and Anita are Well also. Keep up your Good work Richard. You are a Gem!! Talk to you soon.
Hi Ron-
Welcome to TuD! (a few days late).
I’ve been chatting with Richard157 on FaceBook and after reading your post I had to tell you that you guys (the “old-timers”) are my inspiration! I’ve been Type 1 for 38 years. Dx’d 5/21/72. I was 2 1/2. My goal is to live to 103 and receive a 100 yr. Medal, maybe be in the Guinness Book of World Records for living the longest with Type 1? I told Richard I plan to design the medal! LOL.
My dad is 95 and in excellent health, but I’m no longer convinced it’s all genes. He was one of 12 kids and he fell in line at #7. Now, only he and #12 are living. I think a lot of it is how you live your life. My dad says he has to learn something new each day. He walks 2 miles a day and reads non-stop. So, between all of the old-timer Diabetics and my dad I’ve got some great inspiration!
And, it sounds to me like your mom has the right attitude too! God bless her at 97.
Richard-
My brother and I learned early on that if you added water to the urine in the test tube you could make the color get much closer to the Blue (0%). Fortunately our parents figured out what we were doing! I think back now and can not believe that we’ve done as well as we have when you realize that by the time we got that Red result the damage had already been done.
We were very fortunate kids though. I was dx’d May 1972 and my brother in June 1974. My parents did all they could to educate us about the disease (my dad was Chairman of the Board of Joslin for about 13 years) and to teach us that while we had to be prepared at all times, there was nothing we could not do! We traveled to all 7 continents between the years 1982 - 1988. My mom packed the insulin, the syringes, the blood testing kits, and all of the other needed supplies to keep us going. We climbed the Great Wall of China, trekked the Himalayas in Nepal and went swimming in Antarctica and all along we’d check our blood and take our insulin.
You figured that out too? And here I thought I was so smart when I figured that out! LOL! Let’s just say I got quite a few blues when I was probably 4+ or more! LOL! Now I see the damage I was doing to myself but then I done it to make my parents think I was in SUPER control!
Doris -
I just thinks it’s amazing that we lived to tell about it!
Had a few bad years and tried many “cures” but now just a diabetic. Yes I do have some trouble from it but I really concider myself lucky to be here! Hey I didn’t do the best job of taking care of myself in those teens and early 20’s when I had my 1st daughter at 25 I started doing SOME better then, Now? I pretty much try to do it right. (not saying I don’t mess up now & then)
You know now they have the meter and all that stuff but back then…I was told at 10 I would never live to see 30 and to NEVER have childern. Ok got 2 girls and 3 g-kids! THAT MAKES ME SOOOOO PROUD!!! And yes it is amazing we can tell other’s about it! Those 3 g-kids? They are my Type 1 daughter’s!
This just brought back memories of my chilhood. I must own up to doing that as well. LOL