I'll talk a bit about my experience with Dixie over the last 4 months because her personality has changed a ton. I became her owner when she had been an unregulated diabetic cat for who knows how long, but I know her previous family so I have some idea of how her personality was before she got sick.
She was known to be a picky eater, dislike being held, and to lay on chairs all day long. I found this so hard to believe though because the Dixie I was taking caring of had a massive appetite and I could hold her as much as I liked. She was so docile and had barely any energy to walk, let alone jump. She also made no noises at all unless it was feeding time.
This has all changed over the last 4 months on insulin! I didn't see her jump on a chair or run around until 1 month in. This was also around the time that she stopped laying in front of her water bowl and drinking for 10 minutes at a time. Now, we are 4 months in and she has just started to explore the place and find new places to sleep in. She is more fast and playful than ever and makes so many noises when I interact with her. If I walk by her, she will meow and grab my foot to get me to pet her, and if I try to pick her up then she will tolerate it for a short while but now she has so much body strength that she can actually jump out! She has also gone back to her picky food eating habits.
All in all, it seems like she has gone back to her previous personality. Even though that might not be as easy for me (more strength, more picky), it is still so nice to have her meow at me while playing and be able to jump with ease. She also seems a lot more affectionate. I can't wait to see her future improvements.
What helped me with this process was to include short messages in the spreadsheet remarks column if I noticed a personality change. Time can go by so fast and sometimes I forget just how down she used to be.
As far as poking goes, the best thing I have done is create routines around it. Dixie is my first cat and she is quite old (14), so I had just wrongly assumed that she couldn't be trained. But I have been amazed with how she has transitioned to the shots and tests.
When I first started giving her the insulin, it would require my partner and I to team up. One to hold her and one to give her the shot. She often knew this was coming and would run under the bed. Every shot time basically became one of us chasing after her, squishing her down, and then poking her. I eventually tired to make this process smoother by giving her the shot next to her food bowl, and then always reward her with more food (either her normal wet stuff or chicken flakes) in her bowl afterwards. After a while (I think a month), things just got a lot easier. I would wait for her to finish her food, then she would walk away, then I would bring more food and she would come back to get her shot. I found it kind of hilarious how she would walk away after finishing her meal and then would sit and pretend not to notice that I was bringing more food. As soon as I put more food her her bowl, she would come back immediately. It sort of became a game and I found it brought us closer.
For BG test time, I always did the test at the same place (her cardboard scratcher). I think what really helped was having the test supplies in a recognizable container. It is a bright blue plastic tupperware container and I have the lancets loose in it. After testing her in the same place so often, and always rewarding her with chicken treats, she has taken to this routine AMAZINGLY. Literally all I need to do is sit down in front of her cardboard scratcher and shake her lancet box and she will wake up out of a deep sleep and come sit in front of me. I can't believe how easy it is. The tupperware container works so well that if I pick up the container to put it away, then she will think it's a signal and come to her scratcher to wait for a test
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Just like Ann (and many other people here) say, the shots and tests seems to bring us closer to our cats. However, the first month or so is just hell (wasting 10 test strips on Dixie at 3am and being so worn out and tearful was definitely a low point) so keep that in mind...
I hope my experience gives you something to look forward to! I'm sure that as Aboo starts getting regulated that his personality will change! You are in the early stages and it looks like Aboo it taking to the insulin super well.
