When do you ever feel you can relax and not worry?

So far, Sid has had three insulin shots overall. I realize we are in the baby stages, but I always feel like I have to check on him about hypo.
His ketostix for ketones is negative which is good.
I've only managed one extra cycle test at hour four last night, but he's just weary of us between all this poking, administering his antibiotic, etc. I don't want to overdue it and have the little success we've had get with his patience be ruined.
I feel like once the antibiotic is finished (3 days left) I'll be able to mid cycle test when husband is home, over the holidays.
But I can't mid cycle test on him without my husband present. Right now, it still takes two of us to manage a test.
I've been waking up every two hours to check on him. Today is the first day I'm here alone and I keep peeking at him. He's sick of me, to be honest. I'm trying to give him some space.
I'm just tired. I have to get some work done today, but....still worried.

 

Early days. And there is so much other stuff going on at this time of year. As you become more adept at testing, and you will, you will be able to get a sense of how Sidney reacts to insulin and food and you will be able to see patterns and trends on the spreadsheet. It takes a bit of time to build that confidence. You will know when you should check and when you can get a decent night's sleep.

Try for a test mid cycle if you can. Get some work done. Lantus is a depot insulin and the depot is not full yet. Leave out low carb food if you are worried.

As to habits, I still think that there is something I should be doing around 9 p.m. – that was Rover's shot time.

 

Even though I haven't been able to do much for Smokey, I still check on him. You are doing so good! Look at all the positive things you have already done for Sidney! Not only are you able to handle it alone, but you and your husband are able to work together as a team!

 

Thanks, Tbarry and R&R.
I am hoping that I can get Sidney used to at least one mid cycle test alone soon. He won't even let me touch his ears without my husband around. Hubby is off tomorrow, so a mid-cycle test should be possible.
R&R, I think it takes a long time to break those ingrained habits. My mom is going through that now with the loss of our family cat, Bob.
Thanks for the encouraging words, guys.

 

I feed Sidney every four hours. He gets the equivalent of three cans of FF per day. I split the can with my other cat.
I wonder how this will affect insulin.
He eats at 6:20, 10:30, 2:30, then again at 6:15, repeat. So far it’s working. I want to make sure he has enough in him for the shot.
This schedule allows me to test and know his BG readings are accurate as possible.

 

Jenn, you might find this helpful. Yes it takes time to get used to the new routine and stop worrying but Sidney isn't worried and you don't need to be either.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/letter-from-your-kitty-to-you-during-this-time.131186/

 

I had to laugh reading this. It's all SO SO true. Is he warm? What was that sound? Why is he sleeping near the TV? Ahhh! Thank you, Linda, for pointing me to this. <3

 

You're doing so great @SidneysMom !

I hear you on checking kitty often - we didn't do home testing at first and I was constantly making little noises or petting our kitty often to check him. I swear he was like, "come on lady, just let me sleep!"

We started home testing in early November after reading more about it and having encouragement and support here on the forum. It was really hard at first and we could only test with both myself and my husband there as kitty hated having his ears touched and would try to escape. Due to our work hours being a bit off from each other, I wasn't able to do the AMPS test consistently as my husband wasn't always home. So we did the best we could and it got easier and easier. I kept trying to pet kitty and touch his ears whenever possible to get him used to the feeling. Eventually I was able to test solo. I was almost in tears on the floor trying a couple of times and felt a bit discouraged at times, but it didn't take long and now I can test solo confidently and so can my husband. We're able to get pre-shot tests every day now and sometimes mid-cycles. We try to get more mid-cycles on weekends. It felt hard at first, but it got so much easier in a short time.

Kitty is also much more used to testing now. He still doesn't love it - and he's now started to move his head right before we click the lancet device, so it can take a bit of wrangling or being super quick at the click - but we give him a low carb treat every time we finish testing, and with pre-shot tests he also gets his meal right after, so he knows the routine. He's a bit more tricky to test when he's hungry, as he's usually up and active and excited for food. So when I first started testing solo, I would try to test him when he was sleepy and laying down. It was much easier to keep him calm and gave me more confidence in testing.

You've got this! You're doing great, and Sidney is lucky to have you!

 

That was so nice of you to say, Stephanie! Thank you. <3 It helps hearing stories like these.

 

Hi Jen. You mentioned that you can't touch Sidney's ears without your husband around. There is a technique used with working with animals called approach and retreat. Think about your cat having a personal bubble that may be quite large. The idea is to get as close to the animal as you can without the animal moving and then you moving away from the animal. Each time, get a little bit closer without the animal moving - in essence, by doing this you are shrinking the animal's personal space bubble. As you get closer to the target (whether it be the animal itself, or in your case Sidney's ears) stay there a little bit longer but then retreat. So in your case for example, you may be able to pet Sidney's tail (I'm just using this as an example). Each time, move up Sydney's back toward's his head stroking his back and then retreat (move your hand away). Soon you'll have worked your way up to Sydney's head and ears ears but remember the retreat is just as important as the approach. When you are able to touch Sidney's ears, start leaving your hand there a little bit longer each time. Don't be too focused on the end goal as your cat will pick up on your energy and be suspicious. If you take the attitude that this is not a big deal and you really didn't want to touch Sidney's back or ears or head or whatever for very long anyways, sometimes the cat's curiosity can work in your favor.

Does that make sense? I hope that helps.

 

You're very welcome @SidneysMom - so glad to hear it was helpful!