You are posting correctly, and you weren't wrong to introduce yourself and D'Argo in the Introduction forum. You are doing great!
One thing I will ask of you is to edit your signature with a little more info on D'Argo.
eg: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what he eats/any other meds or health issues he has. You can add a geographic location (sometimes the country/time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished. You can do a lot of abbreviating like diagnosis date can be Dx (date), and if you are feeding wet or still feeding some dry food.
If you will then put your spreadsheet link right at the last, then we can locate it quickly, should the need arise.
Ok, I promised some info on getting ready to test, and Chris & China (GA) (you probably know Chris from the FB page) wrote this:
It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.
Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!
You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also,
if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!
It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well
For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number
Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
Here are some links and tips for home testing:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/testing-and-shooting-tips.85113/
There are many videos on YouTube..I know because I think I viewed them all when we first started!
One last link that I would like you to read through is very important:
How You Can Help Us Help You
I just looked at your spreadsheet, you have already completed two tests! Terrific, and how did they go? You don't have to test every hour..but if you can today, get a mid-cycle test just to see how low the BG is going.
Please enter the dosage if you shot insulin this morning. If you miss a shot you can put NS for no shot, if it's a fur shot, in which you don't get any or all of the insulin in the skin, put FS.
