I forgot what I was looking for in my flickr photos, but the browser tab has been open to this one for a while.
“A Book About Me” would have been published (by crayon) in 1971, as I gather a second grade assignment. That would have been in Ms. Foreman’s class.
I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic in October 1970 (which means this year coming up on a 50 year mark). In this book, apparently I shared some of my daily routines.
This was amongst the boxes of memories my Mom had saved, the flick photo published in September 2011 means this was found when my sisters and I cleaned out her house after she passed away the month before.
I must have scanned a few pages, the caption in the flickr photo leads to what I had published then on Issu (I had not even known I had an account there).
There seems to be no embed options, but for some page turning fun, see https://issuu.com/cogdog/docs/book-about-me.
Warning- Contains illustrations of me peeing, that’s for urine testing purposes.
If I can make out my crude writing, this is reference to the pre-blood testing era when diabetics had to do urine testing:
In the morning I make. I don’t make in the cup.
A half hour later, I make in a cup.
(Levine, 1971, pp1-2)
“Making” is urinating. In those days you would first empty your bladder, ten collect a sample so it was relative more recent into a cup, and then follow with the little Clinitest science kit.
Then I test. First my Acetone then my Sugar
Acetone is a test for ketones, something that signified problems at both very high and very low sugar levels. This test was a dip stick and compare to a color chart.
For sugar, it was ten drops of water plus 2 of urine, then drop in the tablet that fizzed and turned a color to indicate a relative measure of blood sugar (it was approximate as what ends up in the urine is relevant to blood sugar some time previously).
One would hope for blue, Negative, or low. Not Orange, which was High.
After I test dady [Daddy] gives my insulin. Today he tried my stoach [stomach]. He missed.
(Levine, 1971, p3)
The insulin was by injection. I seriously doubt my Dad missed. He may have joked some, to calm me (or himself).
Then I have breakfast. I have a big breakfast.
(Levine, 1971, p4)
Not much different than 2020!
After I eat, I brush my teeth. I wash my hands.
(Levine, 1971, p5)
Taking care of the germs. And the teeth.
I am pretty sure there was more to the story. Maybe I did not scan the full book, but maybe I was saving up for a sequel.
Anyhow, I may have to add this to my publication list. There’s no copyright in the book.
Featured Image: A scan of the “book” published (by me) on Issu. Consider it public domain. Why not?
