Wendy D
Member Since 2018
My boy was just diagnosed with diabetes & kidney failure. (He's the black & white one in the middle of the pic).
I'm a nervous wreck as I've never had a "special needs" cat, dog, or any other pet and I am almost 52! It terrifies me to have to give him shots, have to hook him up to the iv for the sub Q infusions daily...geez! And I've raised two human kids!! I'm not afraid of needles and the like, just afraid of injecting him and somehow hurting him. I know it's almost impossible to do that unless I inject incorrectly, but my brain can't seem to grasp the rational side of injections. I just gave him his first at-home injection, crying the whole time. His condition has been very costly thus far (almost $1000 and he was just diagnosed three days ago), but I would never consider giving up on him because of cost or "inconvenience". I know I'm not alone in this feeling of stress, nervousness, and anxiety, and in a few months, I'm sure I'll be a "pro" when it comes to injections, feedings, and such. How does one overcome this fear of hurting their furbaby until they get used to doing it? As an aside--it doesn't help my stress levels having my mom recently diagnosed with a-fib and heart failure. There are other things going on in my life simultaneously as well (like these two things aren't enough! When it rains, it may pour for most people, but for me, when it rains, it turns into a hurricane/tsunami.) Seems the tires are falling off one by one and I'm the one driving the (caregiver) car.
I'm a nervous wreck as I've never had a "special needs" cat, dog, or any other pet and I am almost 52! It terrifies me to have to give him shots, have to hook him up to the iv for the sub Q infusions daily...geez! And I've raised two human kids!! I'm not afraid of needles and the like, just afraid of injecting him and somehow hurting him. I know it's almost impossible to do that unless I inject incorrectly, but my brain can't seem to grasp the rational side of injections. I just gave him his first at-home injection, crying the whole time. His condition has been very costly thus far (almost $1000 and he was just diagnosed three days ago), but I would never consider giving up on him because of cost or "inconvenience". I know I'm not alone in this feeling of stress, nervousness, and anxiety, and in a few months, I'm sure I'll be a "pro" when it comes to injections, feedings, and such. How does one overcome this fear of hurting their furbaby until they get used to doing it? As an aside--it doesn't help my stress levels having my mom recently diagnosed with a-fib and heart failure. There are other things going on in my life simultaneously as well (like these two things aren't enough! When it rains, it may pour for most people, but for me, when it rains, it turns into a hurricane/tsunami.) Seems the tires are falling off one by one and I'm the one driving the (caregiver) car.
). And we're all here behind you, 100%, b/c we have all been there. So, feel free to ask questions and get the support you need here. It's a welcoming place. And information is power, I always say (I'm a librarian, so I'm all about trustworthy, life-changing information!). People are always in awe what I do for my cats (SubQs, glucose testing, insulin injections), but it's really because of the the information - and support from others - I have read and acted on that made it possible. Anyone can do this. You just have to want to.