Then in 1921 Fredrick G. Banting, Charles H. Best, J.J.R. Macleod, and James B. Collip (all Canadian scientists) discovered insulin. They extracted insulin from the pancreases of animals. It was the dawn of a new era where diabetes could be treated. Of course, the treatment had a long way to go to be serviceable. Remarkably, all of the Canadian scientists refused personal financial gain because of their discovery. They said that the discovery was too important to be withheld from the public.

The first insulin injection was given in 1922. It was insulin extracted from the pancreas of a cow. The insulin was far from pure; and the recipient, Leonard Thompson developed a 7.5-cm callus at the injection site. It was obvious that insulin was a miracle, but one that would have to evolve to be effective.

Needless to say, the demand for this new miracle medicine was huge. The University of Toronto issued licenses for the production of insulin in 1922, but it took several years for the product to become pure and standardized.

The first advance came in 1936, when protamine, a low-weight protein, was used to develop a slow-release insulin. Protamine zinc insulin (PZI) was developed. This is an insulin whose effect lasted from 24 to 36 hours.

In 1950 yet another leap in research led to the isophane NP insulin, which is also bound to protamine and is still available today.

Over the years insulin has been improved. The insulin today is, of course, pure, and it is a standardized strength. Insulin has given hope and life back to diabetics all over the world — and it gets better all the time.

The symptoms of high ketones are:

* Stomach pain

* Deep, rapid breathing

* Fruity breath odor

* Flushed face

* Dry skin and mouth

* Nausea or vomiting

High ketone level is a serious problem that can lead to coma or even death. The diabetic should be taken to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible.

Low blood sugar occurs when diabetics use too much insulin, exercise too much, or have not eaten enough food. Low blood sugar can develop quickly, but there are warning signs of low blood sugar that appear when the sugar level falls below 70. The warning signs of low blood sugar are:

* Weakness

* Shaking

* Sweating

* Headache

* Nervousness

* Hunger

Low sugar level is serious but not fatal, and ingesting plain sugar can rectify the problem fairly quickly (within 15 minutes). If table sugar isn’t available, use candy, fruit juice, or regular soda. If sugar doesn’t fix the problem within 15 minutes, you should call 911.

When a person is diagnosed as diabetic, the first piece of equipment he needs is a blood glucose meter. Many companies manufacture blood glucose meters, and the meters vary in size and appearance. But all glucose test meters have one common factor, and that is that they all require the use of blood glucose test strips.

While the meter can be used for years, the blood glucose test strips may only be used only once, so they are a consumable item.

The blood glucose test strips contain chemicals that react with a drop of blood. Most of these blood glucose test strips are small plastic strips with a small spot on one end that is impregnated with glucose oxidase and other compounds. A few models of test meters use discs rather than strips, and these discs can be used for taking several readings before they must be discarded.

Test strips can vary from production batch to production batch, so some models of blood glucose test meters require the user to enter a code that is stamped on the strip container. Sometimes the code is stamped on a chip that comes with the test strips.

Entering the code number is done to calibrate the blood glucose test meter to work correctly with that particular batch of test strips. It is vital that the code be entered correctly in order to assure an accurate blood glucose reading. An incorrectly coded blood glucose meter can cause the user to make an error in the insulin needed — and those kind of errors can be fatal to those who are insulin dependent.

Blood glucose test strips also can vary in the time needed for an accurate reading. The time can vary from 3 to 60 seconds depending upon the brand.