Only 9 more days to go...

[gothceltgirl]

So, I've finally managed to get Darragh her low-cost spay appt. after having her for over a year now.

 Her estrus cycles are driving me up the wall. I wish I'd known just how awful a cat in heat could be to live with. I'd have never have taken her in. Or I probably would've because I'm the eternal optimist. She woke me up peeing right under the bed, right beneath my head. I got up to clean it up after only 4 hours of sleep. I was so angry, I couldn't get back to sleep. Have stuff to do, don't know how I'm going to get anything done. I feel so awful. My BFF has barely replied to any of my emails in a few weeks. (She has a new baby)

I'm so isolated & alone.

 I hate my new city. I should never have left NYC. I hate NJ. It's been nothing but obstacles and resistance the whole way. And Darragh's behavior is so draining. I'm so tired and have an appt. with a new doctor after months of not going to my last doc. But I don't think I can go, it's tomorrow morning at 11 am. And b/c of my sleep disorder, I'd have to stay up all night, and what with not getting enough sleep today, probably not being able to nap, as I already took a stimulant, I'm pretty screwed.

 

[foxden]

So, I've finally managed to get Darragh her low-cost spay appt. after having her for over a year now.  Her estrus cycles are driving me up the wall. I wish I'd known just how awful a cat in heat could be to live with. I'd have never have taken her in. Or I probably would've because I'm the eternal optimist. She woke me up peeing right under the bed, right beneath my head. I got up to clean it up after only 4 hours of sleep. I was so angry, I couldn't get back to sleep. Have stuff to do, don't know how I'm going to get anything done. I feel so awful. My BFF has barely replied to any of my emails in a few weeks. (She has a new baby)

I'm so isolated & alone.  I hate my new city. I should never have left NYC. I hate NJ. It's been nothing but obstacles and resistance the whole way. And Darragh's behavior is so draining. I'm so tired and have an appt. with a new doctor after months of not going to my last doc. But I don't think I can go, it's tomorrow morning at 11 am. And b/c of my sleep disorder, I'd have to stay up all night, and what with not getting enough sleep today, probably not being able to nap, as I already took a stimulant, I'm pretty screwed.

Hang in there. I know that's not enough, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. You have a date to get Darragh fixed. She won't be in heat the entire time until that appointment.

You're not feeling well, you're not sleeping well, you're in a new place, and kitty is being annoying.

You haven't seen a doctor for awhile, so you really need to try to see the doctor tomorrow.
I don't know anything about your sleep disorder. Do you sleep most soundly in the mornings so you might miss the appointment? Could you break up tonight into shorter "naps" instead of trying to sleep for 8 hours straight?

I think it's really important to see the doctor. Your sleep impacts your mood, your eating and being able to get things done.

No sleep also makes it harder to put up with the kitty. Could you put her in the bathroom with her litter box and a towel on the floor so you can sleep better tonight?

It's annoying to be awakened halfway through the night, but it really isn't Darragh's fault. Unfortunately, it's one of the things kitties do until they are spayed.

How long have you been in NJ? There are lots of members on the east coast. I live in Northern Delaware, and I know there are people in NJ.
Why did you decide to move away from NYC?

Moving to a new place almost always feels isolated for awhile. There just isn't an easy way to get through that.

Your BFF probably would still be as tired and unavailable if you were still in NYC. A new baby will exhaust every mom, and she just won't be as available for some time. The baby could be waking up every 2 hours, so she's not sleeping well either.

Try to get some sleep, and you MUST take care of yourself. The doctor's appointment has to be your priority tomorrow. You need to get your health sorted out first. All the other things will work themselves out after that.

Take care, and let us know how you are doing

 

[gothceltgirl]

I actually canceled the appt. I have Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, so my natural bed time is around 4 am, on a good night and waking around noon to one pm. But I am (for a few years now) been suffering from chronic insomnnia, so it's delayed by several more hours. I can't get to sleep, even with sleep aids, till about 9 or 10 am!!! And then I sleep well past time to be able to do anything. I'm too sick to get to the doc most of the time. But not sick enough to go to ER. My heart rate jumps up when I exert myself the tiniest bit. I was nearly bed-ridden a few mos ago. Could barely get out of bed, couldn't even bathe b/c I was so week I was afraid of standing in the shower & falling down. So in order to make any sort of appt I need to basically stay up all night long, go & do the things I need to do, b/c I won't be able to wake w/an alarm once I'm asleep I'm down for the count. Sometimes my insomnia is can't get to sleep, sometimes it's the can't stay asleep kind. But today since I only had 4 hours, there's no way I'd be able to be up for the appt. not to mention the plethora of other stuff, even if I go to bed now.

I'm sleep deprived many days out of the week. I take tons of stimulants to try and manage my wake time b/c I also have chronic fatigue.

Yes lock her in the bathroom frequently. She doesn't let me sleep. I often have to block my door in such a way that she can't get in. I am not letting her sleep with me any more, not after today. I didn't get to sleep till 10:20 am this morning, this incident happened around 2:38 pm. Needless to say I was livid. She usually just tries to wake me to get food, but this was absolutely insane. I threw her in the bathroom so fast b/c things that make me angry like that I have no control. I didn't want to hurt my furry girl. But I really do regret taking her in some days, most days.

OH & as to her not being in heat the whole time. She's been in heat nearly all the time the last few weeks. She's in heat the majority of the time. I sometimes get a 2 day break, once I think my break was about 5 days & that's it.

I"ve been in NJ since Oct 2015, plenty of time to adjust, but with the pace that I'm able to accomplish stuff with all my heath issues, I'm still living out of boxes. Don't have money for furniture, AC, fridge. My tiny mini-fridge is so small. It's awful And it's the 3rd floor of a house so it's stifling hot in here & I am too sick to go out & about during the hottest time, so Im' just stuck lying down trying to breathe. I moved b/c I was in an awful place. I was formerly homeless & when I got placed in housing it was restrictive and traumatic. A longer story. I got a part-time off the books job, saved, bought bootleg meds from Asia, moved to a regular apt. but there wasn't anything affordable in the least in NYC, not anymore, not unless I wanted to share with like 3 other people. I hate living w/people. After the shelter, I'd had enough sharing living space. Then lost my job 3 mos. after moving, so I've been in dire straits ever since. I'm behind in my rent. Everything is so horrible. I've got some charity options at this point, so I'm sure I'll sort it out, plus my landlord has been super understanding despite having to file an eviction notice which I received the other day.

My best friend actually does attachment parenting. She's not sleep-deprived unless the baby is extra fussy, She just only has one chrome book btwn her & her older son, plus she's super spacy & absent-minded. I have ADHD so I understand, but ADHD makes me very irritable. Even though I know, it still annoys me plus lack of sleep and I'm just a live wire or a raw nerve, just everything gets on my last nerve today. And no the location doesn't matter, it still sucks. I haven't been there to visit her but it sounds absolutely dreadful. Everytime she's moved in the last few years it's been increasinlgly more and more me-unfriendly, which also really bothers me and makes me sad b/c it feels like she's moving farther away from me, not just physically.

I've got to save all my pain meds for the 18th & just deal with having no strength, energy and being out of breath. I have a paradoxical reaction to opioid pain meds, they're a stimulant for me. I can't really function or get out of bed for very long w/o some sort of stimulant. I sometimes take generic sudafed, diet pills, whatever I can get a hold of. And yes, I've tried not taking them to see if it helped me to sleep. It didn't and it doesn't. Then I'm just more tired and still not sleeping. I know I need to sort our my health. I'm really trying. Really hard.

So that's my horrible (shortened as much as possible) and hope I answered everything, story.

 

[foxden]

I'm so sorry. Everything seems stacked against you right now.

With your sleep schedule, you'd do great at a third shift position. Not certain where to look, however. There might be security positions that need people who are alert all night, but not a lot of physical activity. Another option might be a call center or answering service.

Your friend has moved as well? That makes it even more difficult. It would have been nice if she could be your "stable place" where you could go every once in a while.

I've also been diagnosed with ADHD. I get distracted far too easily, then I have trouble restarting what I am supposed to be doing.

I wish I had better advice for you. I've only had one kitty go into heat twice, and those were very long days. She was younger, so it was not as constant as Darragh seems to have.

I hope one of the charity options helps sort out your living arrangements. Summers here are brutal without AC, and being on the 3rd floor is even worse.

Please stay in touch. There is another forum thread in The Cat Lounge forum
http://www.thecatsite.com/f/2/the-cat-lounge
titled "what's on your mind?"

There are a lot of members who struggle with a variety of challenges there. I think people there are willing to "listen" and will have information that could help you.

 

[gothceltgirl]

Thank you Foxden. I just wrote a bunch & it got erased. GRRR!!! What a pain in the ass. I didn't shut off my track pad. That happens a lot, usually hitting "undo" does it, but not this time.

My BFF moved after me, she'd moved from NYC to Virginia Beach back in 2001, then back to NYC, then back to Virginia Beach in 2007 or so, then upstate NY to which I only visited once, but hated, it was the middle of nowhere. I love the city, out of city makes me feel antsy & restless & like I'm going to climb the walls. But she's learned to embrace "not city" for her son so now she loves it. So then in May or so, she moved to Massachusetts to live with her boyfriend outside of the city again. So it's another place, I think maybe suburban, but she doesn't drive. Her boyfriend has to drive her everywhere.

I'm hungry & my stomach is really hurting.

I can't really do anything outside the home at this time, maybe if I can make my health a little more stable & consistent. But I do freelance work. I actually managed to find a client in the summer for a little while and it sure helped, but then of course I declined again, so it's like I"m trying to build my business up from scratch again. Plus I can't afford the marketing & advertising b/c I get disability due to my ongoing chronic illness & it's not enough to pay bills, buy bootleg drugs from Asia, & be able to pay rent. So I've got to let something go, every month

I've been in the lounge, maybe I'll see you around there sometimes soon. I'm famished, so goodnight & thanks for listening.

-gothceltgirl

Layla @The Goth Writer

 

[gothceltgirl]

Darragh was spayed on Tuesday, I am a bit concerned though, I took the e-collar off, it seemed to be doing more harm than good. I got a low-cost spay through a state program, but the e-collar was extra, a total waste of money. Anyway, she's barely eating. She drinks plenty of water, but is hardly eating anything 3 days after surgery. I took a look at her suture site, and so far *knock wood* she's not been bothering it. I keep her in her carrier most days, but let her out for meals & to give her medicine. They gave me some pain meds & a prophylactic liquid antibiotic. I've got to call the animal hospital to make her follow-up appt. today. So anyone have any advice or anything for me?
Thanks, I just want my furry girl to be back to her usual (non-estrus) self.

 

[Primula]

Yes lock her in the bathroom frequently. She doesn't let me sleep. I often have to block my door in such a way that she can't get in. I am not letting her sleep with me any more, not after today. I didn't get to sleep till 10:20 am this morning, this incident happened around 2:38 pm. Needless to say I was livid. She usually just tries to wake me to get food, but this was absolutely insane. I threw her in the bathroom so fast b/c things that make me angry like that I have no control. I didn't want to hurt my furry girl. But I really do regret taking her in some days, most days.