Stressed, haven`t been able to sleep

My cat Nermal just got diagnosed. I bought lantus and he is on fancy feast high protein-low carbs diet-cats only vet recommended. I haven`t slept much since he got diagnosed last thurday. Have not bought a blood glucose meter yet-will tomorrow. Didnt know I needed one till now. My vet knows I am aiming for remission. I feel like I`ve just started studying for final exams. The vet has only done two shots but i have only done it once, any recommendations for my fear,anxiety and shaking of giving him a needle twice daily?

 

Hi and welcome Laura and Nermal. I can completely identify with what you are feeling right now. When Idjit was diagnosed I had all those reactions: fear, anxiety, not sleeping, the whole gamut. But..you can see I survived, Idjit survived and so will you and Nermal! Deep breaths and then read on.... You are just meeting a new challenge, you have done this before. You learned to walk, talk, you got potty trained, you got through school, you got a job and learned how to do that. Not any of those things were easy at the time. This seems hard and it is a steep learning curve at first. But, you found the board, you are invested in learning to help Nermal and you have this treasure trove of information and the support of a very active community.
Wonderful that you have already found out that the low carb wet diet is best, but it can also significantly lower the BG (blood glucose), so you do need to be testing if you are already giving insulin. Testing is one of the very best tools you have to keep Nermal safe. And as far as learning to test, practice makes perfect. Treats for Nermal are in order, so he associates testing with something good. Treats for you are essential!
Since this forum is for the initial "hello, here I am" I invite you to post in the Main Forum, so more members can get eyes on questions, concerns, and issues. Just click on that blue hyperlink and start a new thread.
It would be great if you would create a signature so that Nermal's info is available when you post. Link: SIGNATURE
This info can be updated at any time to reflect changes as they happen.
Take heart, you have found the best place to learn and get help.

 

Sorry about the diagnosis. Give yourself some time to get used to the shots... It will definitly get easier with time. Some find singing whike injecting helpful.

So glad you intend to test. That took away a lot of the stress for me because I wasn't wondering if she was too low. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

Welcome! It all becomes routine more quickly than you can imagine right now.

 

Thank you! Ive been trying to breath. I also quit smoking 25 days ago so more stress. Have not got the blood glucose meter yet. I have three cats, they always get along. However my cat Keanu smelled the vet on Nermal and hissed at home, then my other cat Wednesday tried to attack Keanu defending Nermal. Keanu is seperated-no one got hurt but me. Big cut on my hand by accidently being between them. Ive never been so stressed out about my cats before -im scared this will happen everytime Nermal goes to vet

 

I'm sorry you got in the middle of a cat fight..not fun at all. You will not have to go to the vet as often if you are home testing. Why pay big bucks to the vet, increase your cat's stress (which raises BG) when you can do it yourself?
When you are home testing you know immediately how the insulin and food changes are affecting the blood sugar levels. You really need to be testing before you inject insulin, to be sure it is safe to do so. Every single time! I know this is all daunting and pretty scary, but we all had to learn to help our beloved fur kids. Testing before shots and testing at other intervals in the day is going to let you know if the dose is too high and needs adjustment. Testing can help prevent a hypoglycemic event, which is serious and can be fatal. The experienced Lantus users can help with dosing questions, but not without recorded testing data to see what's going on. I urge you to go to Walmart and get a ReliOn Confirm or Micro, the test strips, some 26 or 28 gauge lancets, some cotton balls or cosmetic pads, some pain relief ointment. JanetNJ has a video of how she tests her cat in her signature, there are many YouTube videos, you can review these: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
It takes practice and perseverance, but it's essential. Post in the Main Forum, and let's get more eyes on this and more input.
Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Saint Francis of Assisi