That I did.
Sorry it was so rough 
Your situation (and advice we hear from others in the thread) is something I worry about for my son. He is very needle-phobic. About a year or two ago, we needed to have blood drawn, and it was something he was highly motivated to do (double-checking on some suspected food allergies). He’d been pestering me for weeks to schedule the appointment. But the minute we got to the lab, he panicked and locked himself into the bathroom. This was even after I’d gotten a scrip for EMLA (topical anesthetic) and we’d used it to numb his arm so he wouldn’t feel the needle. Ultimately I had to basically pin him down so the tech could draw the blood.
When he gets older though (he was 13ish at the time), pinning him won’t be practical for legal and, well, size reasons (though I suspect I’ll always outweigh him). We’ll need ways to persuade him to get over the fear. if the bloodwork is genuinely necessary.
For you - if the pain was part of the problem, you can request the numbing stuff beforehand. I had to get a scrip for it, and pick it up at the local pharmacy; the lab didn’t offer it onsite.
I’m sorry to hear about your son.
As for me while I may panick I still manage to get my blood drawn. I don’t think I need tranquilziers or anything.
I panic, too. Not pretty. However, after a couple of pregnancies and all the related blood tests, I’ve developed a routine to get through them. First, I always tell the person drawing the blood that blood draws make me anxious. I prefer to lie down if possible, and I always have them done in my left elbow (I know that location works). In the moments leading up to it and during it, I close my eyes and focus on breathing deeply and slowly and relaxing my muscles. Apricot, I’m sure you do a great job, but I definitely prefer to focus on relaxing than to be distracted by someone else. Actually, now that I think about it, my blood test routine is pretty similar to what I did to handle contractions during labor.
Sorry it didn’t go well, Curtis.
Mama Zappa, my mother held me down to have my knee aspirated when I was 19. Of course, that may have been made possible by the large amount of codeine in my system. 
The lab I go to has reclining seats, and it’s great. I usually have the same tech, and she’s good about reminding me to breathe in through the nose/out through the mouth. They also use the “baby” needle on me, since I seem to have terrible veins for drawing.
I’m fairly calm about giving blood now, but I still make a point of not looking at the pointy parts. If I get nervous, I’ll tell the arm-poker, "This will go more smoothly if you don’t show me the needle." I’ve never had one laugh at me. They get that a lot, and they’re professional about it.
Remember that!
Next time you have to go in, remember that although you didn’t react as well as you might like, you got through it. You won. And each time you win, you take back a little of that part of you that the panic steals. Your higher brain is better than the little part of the lizard-brain that is telling you to panic.
Congrats! You did something tough, and survived it!
I understand where you’re coming from. I’ve always avoided blood tests b/c of my fear. I’ve even run out of labs crying because I was so afraid. It sometimes feels hard to find help. Initially I found help online in these type of message boards so I want to now pay it forward.
I am 34 and just got my first blood test yesterday without medication! Here was my process:
I read Overcoming Medical Phobias by Martin Antony PhD and Mark Watling MD to understand what I was going through a little more. I tried my own exposure therapy but ended up leaving doctor’s offices and labs b/c I wasn’t ready.
My doctor said she could give me valium for a test when I was 32 so I actually did that. I had my husband drive me in and even on valium was really afraid. I laid down, wore a sock over my left hand and lower arm and held my husband’s hand. My doc say me turning green so told me to breath into that hand. I kept asking “is it over?it is over?” They did a quick and great job there. The nurses are really great. When I came home though I was still freaking about the feeling on my arm and when the valium wore off I went into a weird withdrawal time where I was rolling around on the bed. Finally the “arm feeling” subsided and I carried on. I still thought, “how can I ever do that again?” but was proud that I did it once. My fear is always that as I age I will need more of these and I won’t be able to cope. One more thing, a friend gave me EXCELLENT advice and told me to drink lots of water the day before and day of which helps everything go much more smoothly. I highly recommend that.
While taking a Psych class I heard about hypnosis as a means of “exposure therapy” for blood/ injury/injection phobics. I got a livingsocial coupon for one and tried it out. This was my answer I had looked for. I went to 4 sessions, scheduled a doc appt and went alone and without meds to get a blood test. I am so proud of my road to recovery. It’s not a walk in the park but it’s not that way for anyone. With hypnotherapy I felt that I had the tools to make it through. During the sessions we practiced under hypnosis by having the therapist touch my arm (not initially, but after a couple of sessions) and simulate the whole thing from leaving the house to leaving the doc’s office. It’s the only way to get exposure for this type of thing since doctor’s are too busy to help. I highly suggest hypnotherapy!!! My therapist was Anja so if you’re in the LA area I suggest sending her an email at achievegoals123@yahoo.com
Each ‘next time’ will be easier from here on out. I have breathing, visualization and thought techniques (alongside prayers which I always use) to get me through this. This personal achievement is one I’m most proud of even after graduating college and finding a great husband!
Blessings to you all on your journey. Find the way out of the fear. You can do it.
I have a deep phobia of needles, enough so that I hate even seeing needle scenes in movies and on TV. When I have the option and need blood drawn, I visit a dentist friend who lets me sit in the chair and puts me on nitrous oxide before doing the draw.
I’ve had total panic attacks when I’ve had to get a shot. The last time, I was able to cope with it by wearing headphones and listening to music with my eyes closed so I didn’t have to know exactly when it was going to happen.
My mother’s best friend is needle-phobic; she can butcher a cow merrily, she will take charge of a medical emergency no problem, but if she sticks herself while sewing it’s lights out. She lies down before having blood drawn; way back when there were a couple of incidents where she wasn’t allowed to, and I understand one was particularly non-pretty as she upturned a cart full of vials when she fell down (watching the dressing-down the vampire got would have been instructional, I think). Nowadays medical personnel are trained to move to the gurney if the patient warns of needlephobia, or at least those local to me are.
My brother has to lay down too because he knows he’ll pass out.
But me, they can’t even get me in a room with a needle present.
I have a very mild phobia but it’s interesting to hear that it’s genetic because my cousin was wildly phobic.
I have an additional complication though - low blood pressure. So not only do I hate the needles but it takes forever to fill the little vials. I do find that drinking a lot of water before helps and I also do some deep breathing and look away. Oddly during my pregnancies I got used to it and it wasn’t as bad but now that needles are rare in my life again it’s almost as bad as it used to be.
Couple of things that will make all the difference, if you can remember, for next time;
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Take your music player, with some fave tunes, for the wait before. Buy a new mag to look through. Don’t stare around the office, keep your nose in your papers and your earphones turned up loud.
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Flex the muscles in your calves, a couple of times, every few minutes. It will help you keep from feeling faint.
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Ask if you can lie down for it.
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Own up to being unnaturally fearful. Seriously. This is the number one thing you can do to calm yourself. They are professionals, they will not think less of you, I promise. They will be nothing but sympathetic and understanding. If only they knew your feelings, they would go out of their way to accommodate. Speak up. It will change everything, you’ll see.
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Mantra, mine is Buddhist, but yours could be Christian. Short, pithy, something you like. Never take you eyes off the ceiling, and keep repeating the mantra in your head.
Glad to hear that many of you are finding ways to get past the phobia, even if it does involve nitrous or oral sedatives. I’ve been very fortunate to escape true needle-phobia. Part of that, I chalk up to having had allergy shots from a very early age; I distinctly remember screaming and having to be literally pried out of the waiting-room chair and dragged back, at age 4-something. Halfway down the hall, I stopped crying, said “when I’m 5, I won’t cry any more when I get my shot”, and resumed the wailing. And darned if I didn’t keep my word!
Injections therefore don’t bother me. I don’t love blood draws, but they don’t phase me that much either. I have one good vein in one arm, that I point out to every phlebotomist, and so far I have only had two people have trouble with that one. One was a tech at George Washington University hospital, and that was 18-19 years ago, and yep, I still remember his name, because the second time I got stuck with him and he still had trouble,. I made a note so I could refuse to let him near me again. The other one was a tech at the hospital where my daughter was delivered, tried to do a blood draw on me the day I was to be discharged, failed painfully at two different spots, I screamed profanities at him and made him leave the room. The next person they sent had zero trouble.
So, I can put up with the draws just fine (though I can’t watch it, the very thought really squicks me out).
IVs are another story entirely. Every time I need one they have trouble. Before my son’s birth: 3 people and 4 tries. Before my gallbladder, same thing (I finally pointed out my good blood-draw vein to them - as it’s in the crook of my elbow that’s not ideal for IVs). Before my first colonoscopy, that scared me more than the procedure or even the prep! Luckily, the nurse who started it had worked in a NICU - and if she can start an IV on a preemie she would have no trouble doing it on me. The doctor who did it the next time around had a lot more trouble.
Update on my son: He needed another blood draw, about 2 years ago, again for allergy testing. They just brought out the stuff and did it right there in the office - a complete non-event. So, maturation definitely helps if it’s a child.
I used to absolutely hate having blood drawn. These days, I do it every three months, to monitor blood sugar and cholesterol. I lie down before hand, keep a running conversation with the nurse, and drink a small OJ (that I bring with me) immediately afterwards.
About a year ago I learned how much of a difference being properly hydrated makes. I make sure I drink plenty of water before my appointment, and things go so much smoother!
I had my most recent draw yesterday. I was chatting with the nurse about it, and she said I’m much more comfortable now, and probably don’t even need to lie down anymore. I might try that next time, just for fun.
-D/a
I’m happy to report that I took a blood test (first time in years) to-day and I managed to remain calm and collected throughout the test.
Nice! I still don’t like having my blood drawn, and haven’t followed through with my joke up there about not bothering to lie down…but it is something I’ve learned to deal with. Glad you’re doing well with it!
Way to go! Congrats!
Thanks for the support.
I hate blood tests passionately. It’s not about the needle - I have no problem getting flu shots, etc. It’s not about the blood - I have no problem with blood otherwise. I just don’t like the idea of my vital fluids being taken out of me. The sensation of a needle in the crook of my arm just icks me out as well.
I just tell the collector and lie down, stare at the ceiling and focus on my breathing. As long as they know what they’re doing, the vast majority of the time it’s over quickly and it didn’t hurt or anything. The anticipation is always worse than the actual thing. If it’s not a fasting test, I also eat something beforehand and drinks lots of water to hydrate. Hydration really does help!