Every other week I have to take a shot of Humira, which is doing wonders for my psoriasis. When I started using it the dermatologist made me administer the second shot after giving me the first.
Unfortunately for me, I have a severe needle phobia, such that if I don’t sit down when someone gives me a shot or draws blood I fall down. That second shot was truly one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do, simple as it may seem to some of you. Since that first day Robin has done it. Alas, she isn’t here this weekend.
So, now I have to man up, as it were. This sucks as much as anything has ever sucked. Quitting smoking and getting sober were in some ways easier than this.
None of this changes the fact that I have to do it, of course. But dammit, I don’t want to. And without someone forcing me to do it I don’t know if I can.
OK, rant over. Time to suck it up. I think. Maybe.
That would suck for me too. I’m not as bad but it would be hard for me to use my normal coping mechanisms if I had to actually look and do it to myself.
At least you have professional experience embracing suck.
Beveled, short needles helped me when I had to take an injectable med for a couple of years. Had to have my Dr specifically prescribe them and my insurance didn’t cover them, but it was worth it to me. Ymmv
Is the Sprog gone too?
Good thing about that pen is it is an autoinjector. Could be worse, the wife was getting Lovenox for years–no autoinjector, big assed gauge needle, and it stung.
I SO wanted to have Psyco music playing every night when I got to stab her…
Yes, he’s gone too. And I wouldn’t put him through that, no way.
If it were NOT an autoinjector-type I wouldn’t be taking it at all. I’d rather suffer for the rest of my days than stick a Goddamn needle into myself. If I ever become diabetic the only injection I’ll ever take is one out of the end of a shotgun.
Of course, I say that because when it comes to needles I am completely irrational. The reality is that I do what I have to do, as it is here. 5 minutes from now the injector will be ready to go. Fortunately for cowards such as myself it’s good for 14 days at room temperature, so I could conceivably wait until Sunday. I guess now is as good a time as any to face my fears head-on, though. If I can.
Totally understandable. I wouldn’t say that I have a needle phobia, but I doubt I could jab one of those harpoons into my own flesh. How do people do that?
Just imagine being that (Russian?) doctor at the South Pole who had to remove his own appendix. I’d have to use a bazooka.
At least I didn’t pass out. But I determined that I would do it, committed to it, and did it. And nearly ripped part of the chair I was reclining in off in the meantime. The needle is objectively tiny. To me it looked like a shiny, glistening telephone pole. Some of the medication dripped from the end when I took the cap off, as if to taunt me that I had to go through with it or waste very expensive medication because I’m a pussy.
Then, when it was done, I touched the injection site. Thank God nobody else was here.
How you people who have to do this every day with a real Goddamn needle don’t go on shooting rampages I’ll never know. I’m still dizzy 10 minutes later, and all I had to do was push a button.
There simply must be a better way than this. Whoever comes up with one will be praised for all eternity.
I’m diabetic, and have to inject myself with two types of insulin, three times a day. With real needles. There are times when I literally don’t feel a thing, because the fine needle goes between the nerves. But there are other times . . . .
The only thing I hate more than the injections is the cost of the insulin. It varies, and is sometimes over $1000/month. And that’s just my copay.
Diabetes and MS here. I get to inject myself with Rebif 3 times a week and insulin 2 to 5 times a day.
The Rebif is actually pretty easy because it’s an autoinjector, but the medicine itself stings.
It’s funny but I have an easier time injecting myself than watching someone else get injected. Watching the training video when I first started doing MS injections gave me the willies
I had to give myself monthly B-12 shots. I did NOT enjoy it. Not with an injector pen either. Eventually, the doctor switched me to daily raspberry flavoured melt under my tongue tables right after a meal.
I feel your pain. I had to give myself blood thinner injections in the stomach every day while I was pregnant. The needle was tiny. It didn’t really hurt. (Well, sometimes it did. But mostly it didn’t.) But I had to psych myself up for ages before I could jab myself. Every time.
It got even harder as the weeks passed and I was trying to find a non-bruised bit of a belly that was growing ever larger. The need to do this daily throughout the entirety of any future pregnancies is seriously making me consider whether I want more children.
Do you have an end date, when you can stop doing the injections? I found that helped a lot, knowing that I was going to be able to stop at some point.
No end date. Barring a cure, a change of medication, a loss of insurance, or some other reason, I have to take a shot twice a month for the remainder of my life.
I’m sorry you have to go through this Airman Doors. I’d probably react much like you do, and I don’t even have a needle phobia.
Reading everyone’s posts who have to do this gives me a business idea. A person could get a bit of “needle stick” training and then set up as an injection assistant. For a monthly fee, they could make the rounds in their neighborhood doing injections for people.
The best day of my life, ( and I’ve had an objectively good life) is when I got to give up copaxone, ( daily injections), and go to a daily capsule of gilenya.
I despise needles, I cried before each injection for three years.
That was a massive improvement for me, I used to have to be held down.
When stuff had to be done to my children?
I stared at the wall and tried to go to my happy place.
My youngest is phobic too, but compared to me, she’s a warrior.
I’ve been there, done that. I have a needle phobia that rivals any in this thread, and I did become diabetic. The first few days of injections, I made my husband do it. I sat on a chair with my eyes closed and it was horrible.
However, when the alternative is death, it’s amazing what one can figure out how to do.
Nowadays, I’m on a pump, so no needles, thank God. But I did 'em for 6 months by convincing myself that insulin syringes weren’t REALLY needles. It wasn’t fun, and I still don’t like them, but… dude… it ain’t worth blowing your brains out.
'I dunno if this will help, but here’s advice I once heard from a student nurse:
Practice, practice practice-----
And do your practicing on…an orange. That’s what the student nurses did.
Apparently, stabbing a needle into an orange takes about the same force as a human arm.
And after a hundred repeats, it may help you get over your phobia.
Good luck
