How to deal with a needle phobia? Need answer fast!

In My Humble Opinion
21

I’m like Heart of Dorkness in that I enjoy watching the blood come out and find it all very interesting. So when I needed to get two toenails removed and the doctor said he would freeze my feet with needles, I actually said to him “oh, I’m not afraid of needles, do your worst!”.

Well…

I didn’t realize that having a needle stuck in your arm to get blood, or stuck in your mouth for freezing is NOT the same as having needles stuck UNDER your toenails. Holy bloody hell. I’ve had my hand broken from a dog attack, had the same hand broken when a giant rock landed on it and various other painful injuries. Nothing can ever come close to the pain of having needles stuck under your toenails.

22

Another redhead checking in.

I told this story here when it happened, but in brief: in order to get the nasal spray flu vaccine, I had to go to a flu shot clinic. I tried not to look at the people getting shots around me, but anxiety rose. When they brought out the Flu Mist, the delivery packet looked so much like a needle that I got a panic attack. I told the pharmacist I needed to go splash some water on my face, stood up, and woke up surrounded by paramedics, lying on my back in a pool of blood. Vaguely remember the ambulance ride to the emergency room. I’m just really lucky I didn’t hit my head on a shelf corner on my way down.

After that I read about needle phobias. They apparently work differently from other phobias in some key ways. First, instead of making blood pressure rise, in a lot of cases they cause a vasovagal response. It’s vaguely similar to going into shock. Second, they’re much less responsive to psychotherapy than other phobias are. Third, they seem to have a strong genetic component.

One theory is that they’re a hyper version of a healthy body response: when you are attacked by a venomous creature or when you suffer a serious wound, your body will go into shock and all systems will slow way down, as a way of delaying death. Folks with this version of needle phobia have a similar reaction to needle sticks.

It really helped me to read a breakdown of the phobia. I am not afraid of needle sticks. I can cause myself much worse pain without flinching. Someone can punch me, and it’ll hurt much worse, and I don’t pass out. What I’m so goddamn anxious about is my reaction to needles: I know what that vasovagal response feels like, and it’s absolutely awful. If you’ve never had it, you’ll have to trust me on this.

But some good news. I recently got an IV (in order to get my wisdom teeth out), and despite all my regular anxiety about it, I did perfectly well, not freaking out, not vomiting, not fainting, not curling up in a ball and moaning uncontrollably. But I only know that I did okay from second-hand reports: I don’t remember one freakin’ minute of the experience.

My surgeon prescribed me two 0.25 mg pills of Halcion, a sleeping drug that also lowers anxiety and has a possible side effect of short-term amnesia. I took one the night before the surgery, and one an hour beforehand.

Ah, sweet sweet short-term amnesia, how I love you so!

I know I’ll have to get needle-sticks again in my life. I plan on making a major pest of myself to doctors until they prescribe me these pills. I really, really hate that fucking vasovagal response, and if this is what it takes to avoid it, it’s a tremendously huge deal in my life.

Edit:

Heh. After the first two minutes of the movie, it occurred to me that a single hit of heroin would probably be a sure-fire cure for my needle-phobia. The rest of the movie confirmed that I’d rather have the phobia.

23

I have faced down my phobias. Often, this has taught me that I am not just phobic, I know my actual limitations. Other times, this has taught me that i will survive things I hate. (I should not drive mountain hairpin roads; I can get the spider out of the bathtub.)

Okay, I have no phobia about needles (or blood), and i do have phobias. Needles hurts me like this, too. Well, not the headaches - that’s odd.

You survive. Suck it up and deal - remember, I have phobias; this is not a basic ‘Yech’ response, I know that. I also know, from experience, that you can do it, and it’s not as bad as fearing it - it’s bad, but not that bad.

So, this mole? Don’t be an idiot! Get it removed! They will not biopsy it, test it, and then tell you to come back; they will remove it, and then test it, and then schedule you for regular check ups if necessary. In fact, tell them you want it removed.

Pain medicine is advancing; tell them you have a low pain tolerance. Tell them you want a topical before the needle, that you will need at least fifteen minutes for the topical to work before they give you the local, wear an eye mask, and tell them to move the mirrors so you cannot watch.

Yes, when you get a mole extracted, they have mirrors set up, so you can watch, if you want. I blinked, and only saw the plug of skin and adipose tissue being put in the vial. It was kinda cool.

24

I am totally going to get it removed. I won’t let myself die of something curable because of a needle phobia. I will, however, make sure I am 9 different kinds of fucked up before they stick me with that needle.

25

I’ve had to give intramuscular injections of medication to a relative, and to test my technique, I injected myself in the thigh with a few ccs of sterile saline (the nurse said that was OK). There was a definite psychological hurdle to overcome, holding a big needle over oneself and anticipating the stick. I false-started several times, but finally I just let the hammer fall. There was a small pinch, and that was it.

Obviously, you can’t do that with a biopsy needle, but if you wanted to be kind of hardcore about dealing with the phobia more generally, you could ask the nurse to let you take a swing at injecting yourself with saline like I did.

26

I wonder if starting smaller, like with the sort of thing that people use to test their blood if they’re diabetic, might help. It’s obviously not a syringe but it’s a spring-loaded needle that will give a sharp little jab. Testing on the thigh or on a fingertip might help with the “this will hurt and I can deal” issue.

27

My problem is that I have small veins, so getting the needle into one to draw blood can be quite painful and take more than one stick. I am really not into pain, tymv.

I always warn them before sticking that I have small veins (they also roll). Then, they take their time and generally, they get it in one. If I Do Not warn them, then hell is a comin’.

I also chat the whole time and hells no I can’t watch. Blood makes me nauseated, so I avoid it by looking away.

hang in there pbbth.

28

I would recommend telling your doctor, and don’t let them brush you off. Once they get the idea that this is more than the normal anxiety over a stick, and that it might interfere with treatment, they can prescribe something that will help.

It varies, of course, and it seems to be getting better, but doctors are a lot more blasé about pain than perhaps they could be. Yes, I know that a lot of what you do hurts. That is not an excuse for doing nothing when you can do something.

Regards,
Shodan

29

Don’t you hate when you get the PITA phlebotomist who believes you are exaggerating, and they are they tech who is so damned talented that they won’t have any trouble??

Me: “Warning: my veins are deep, small, and very prone to rolling”
Asshat phlebotomist: “Oh, don’t worry; I’m just gonna take a quick look”
(Three sticks later). . .
AP: “Wow, you’ve got tough veins; not only are they deep and small, but they tend to roll. . .”
Me: Grabs needle out of his/her hand to stab him/her in the eye with. . .

30

I know it’s scary. I am not afraid of needles anymore but I was as a kid. I need bloodwork every 4 months and I got over it by not looking at them do it and asking for a baby needle. It is much smaller then a regular one and they use it on infants and people like me with deep, hard to find, veins.

I found that the more I have bloodwork the less it bothers me. A trick is to not look at the needle at all. Look at a picture or the wall and distract yourself. Drink 16 ounces of water a couple of hours before the procedure. Water plumps up the veins and makes them stick out more. . A phlebotomist told me to do this.

Another trick that works is to turn it around. Make a deal with yourself that if you get this mole taken care of you get to pick something you love to treat yourself. A nice meal, clothes or something you have been wanting. Afterwards reward yourself. Good luck.

31

The thought of purposefully injecting myself with anything makes me want to barf.

:::SHIVER:::

I can’t take this thread anymore!

32

Well, I just got home from a double bypass, and I have to admit that the blood draws were probably the worst thing about it. I’ve had a bad needle phobia for many years, and I haven’t found a really good solution. I tried hypnosis, and I think that helped, and might have been much better if I went for several sessions.

I find that lying down helps a lot. I also never look (who would?). It’s definitely a psychological issue, because the pain is pretty insignificant.

For some people, saying a Mantra helps.

33

OP–I have a needle phobia too.

Vaccines/injections don’t bother me–I just look away and I’m fine.

I really, really hate getting blood drawn, though. I think it’s all the prep time. The alcohol wipe and the rubber band are the absolute worst. My hands are sweating as I type this.

34

I’m another redhead, and I’m with you on the pain. Maybe it’s just a little prick for most people, but I can feel it the entire time. I used to get allergy shots, and I felt all but about 2 of them, out of hundreds. The poor nurses would apologize for making me flinch every time.

A Novocaine shot shouldn’t bruise like a blood draw. If you’re concerned about it, take some gauze and apply a **lot **of pressure when they’re done, for about 10 minutes. Another fun part of being a redhead is that bruises show easier. The last time I had a mole removed (3 and counting) they didn’t even use a needle, just froze it off.

You say that the lack of control is part of the issue. Would it help to to tell yourself you’re in control of the situation? You are paying them to do this. :slight_smile: Definitely tell them about your issues. And for the love of whatever you find holy, don’t look at the needle. Once you have the slightest idea that a needle is in the vicinity, close your eyes and turn away.

Good luck, and make sure you reward yourself.

35

I think that might help - you have complete control over the sharp, pointy object - you can take it at your own speed, and work out those psychological responses that are tripping you up.

I have a spider phobia, and I’m getting closer and closer to them. I also notice that it’s related to size - a tiny spider doesn’t bug me. The thought of putting a spider on my skin on purpose though - not there yet. I know what you mean by “visceral reaction” - GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF would be how I feel about a spider on me. If you had to put a spider on my leg to cure me of cancer - I think I’d need the ativan, too.

36

|===[’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’]>------- ^(O_o)^

Does that bother anyone? :smiley:

37

When I was 7 it took my mother, a nurse, and my family doctor to hold me down to draw blood. It didn’t hurt beyond a light prick. Haven’t had a problem since. I have learned to follow directions when getting shots. It matters greatly if the muscles are tensed up.

I suppose I learned to rate the pain ahead of time (rationally) and deal with it. If you have an irrational fear then by default, it’s not rational. If you’re having blood drawn then don’t look at it and have someone squeeze your arm really hard to block any pain or create a pain that you can rationalize and deal with. Digging a thumb into any arm muscle will divert your attention from a little pin prick. Of course you’ll then have a fear of thumbs but that can be worked on with a good massage.

38

Shodan’s exactly right here. Previously I’ve felt bad about my phobia, so I’d tell the doctor (say), or the nurse, and trust that they’d get the word out. Then I’d get the shot or blood draw from someone I hadn’t talked to, and they’d be completely stunned by my reaction.

When I went in for a consult on my wisdom teeth, I wrote “profound needle phobia” about three or four different places on the intake form they gave me, everywhere I thought there was even the slightest chance that it’d be relevant (under things like “other psychological issues,” “other issues we should know about,” etc.). I talked to two different nurses about it, and I made both of them sit through accounts of my emergency room trip and other awful needle experiences. When I finally met the surgeon, I told him the same stories.

I apologized for being repetitious, but explained that this was NOT the normal dislike of needles that everyone has, and that I’d previously had medical personnel not take it seriously, and that I really needed for them to understand that this was a major medical issue for me.

I don’t know whether they were just really good folk, or whether my obnoxious persistence paid off. In any case, I got the treatment I needed, for the first time in a long time.

I don’t know if other folks with severe needle phobia have the same embarrassment about it that I had. If so, you gotta get over it. You’re not doing medical personnel any favors by downplaying its severity; on the contrary, if they know fully well what to expect from you, they can provide you with proper treatment, and they won’t end up feeling ambushed by it.

39

It never occurred to me to write it on the forms they make you fill out, but that is an excellent idea! There is no reason I shouldn’t write something this serious down on their medical forms. I’ve started making calls and I haven’t found a doctor yet but once I do I will make sure they understand my phobia and try to get an appointment set up here in about 2 1/2 or 3 weeks (my wedding is on 8/7 so I’d like to wait until that is done before going through all of this.)

40

I have a similar problem. When I had to have an injection before having my wrist bone put back into place, I put a towel over my head with one end of it in my mouth to stiffle my screams.