plnnr, there’s no way they could do that to me without sedating me to the point of unawareness.
Not easily, they can’t. I remember from a psychology class I took that one theory of emotions was essentially that they’re just our conscious awareness of certain physical bodily reactions - that is, that the facial expressions and muscular reactions precede the sensation of the emotion. It’s certainly true that a sort of overawareness of the body is involved in panic attacks; it may not be a distinction that one can usefully make.
Not to freak you out LHD, but does your state require periodic TB tests for teachers? You can get x-ray checks but I’ve only seen people who tested positive with the needle tests first go for those. If it helps, I’ve gone from feeling a bit queesy the first time I was tested, to absolutely no sweat these days.
I didn’t have as severe a hatred of needles as the OP, but mine was pretty bad.
About 5 years ago, I was accepted as a human guinea pig for a new arthritis medication. I had to learn how to inject myself in my thigh. The first time, I was really freaking out until I actually made the jab. It didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as a shot in the shoulder or the butt.
Now I still don’t like other folks giving me shots but I don’t freak out over them like I used to.
Ashes, I checked–there’s no TB requirement, thank god.
Daniel
Hoo boy! Let me tell you about my phobia!
My fear of needles extends to the point that I allowed myself to go through almost an entire pregnancy without a blood draw. Yes, I know how horrible this is. I was in denial about the problems this could have led to and I’m quite ashamed of myself.
The only time I had blood drawn was while in active labor, and this was because there was a complication and I was so hysterical I didn’t even notice the IV tray until it was too late. Two family members and a nurse had to hold me still for the epidural even though I was already on some sort of drip that should have relaxed me somewhat.
The next day they came in to draw blood and I refused. This really pissed off one doctor (they came in groups it seemed)and she claimed I wouldn’t be discharged without blood work but the OB in charge just made me stick out my tongue to make sure I wasn’t anemic and let me go.
I have several bad teeth that need to either be extracted or filled, but it ain’t happenin’. I can’t even go to the dentist. Too many sharp objects. I barely made it to the doctor for my OB exams. It’s not just needles either; I have a problem with most sharp objects. I don’t mind knives (I can’t wash dishes if there’s a chance one is lurking in the bubbles, but I can use one as long as the end is rounded). I was once using a pencil and got freaked a bit and threw the damned thing across the room. After that I mostly used pens and mechanical pencils, but I think I’ve outgrown that one.
A few weeks ago I took my baby to the doc for her first shots and I had a full-on panic attack. Daddy will have to go next time, and this also shames me.
What’s worse is my bad influence has affected my 15 year old. She’s absolutely terrified of getting her immunizations and had to be held down when she was younger. She hasn’t gotten her last MMR because she’s now bigger than me. I’ve tried everything from force to bribery but she won’t budge. I’m really worried because I know she’ll need these shots before college-I’m at a loss as to what to do.
I tried seeing a therapist a few years ago but she insisted I get a full physical before she treats me. This includes…yep…a blood draw.
I have no idea what caused this. My mother was sick when I was a kid; I remember seeing her deal with needles. I had all my immunizations as a child…I don’t remember freaking out back then. Around the age of fifteen I had a medical procedure and I remember getting nervous about the needles, but I don’t think I got too hysterical. It’s sorta steadily crept up and gotten worse over the years and I have no idea how to make it go away now.
Rushgeekgirl: why are you not in therapy? It’s one thing to be scared of needles, but you have a pathology so strong it’s affecting your health. And your family. It’s got to be tough, and you have my sympathy, but you have a serious condition that needs to be dealt with because it won’t go away on its own and it’s going to end up costing you your health. Trying to see one therapist and quitting because you would have needed a physical means you didn’t go to a lot of effort - did you explain to the therapist why that condition of treatment wasn’t possible? How many others did you try (because I’ve never been told to get a physical prior to getting therapy)? Did they all set the same condition?
Seriously, that’s not the kind of thing you can just let go. You’ve already passed it onto one child so severely that she is missing vaccinations. That means you’ve let this endanger one of your children’s health. Don’t let your fear pass to your other child. By not getting treatment, and actively working to get over it, you’re going to lose a lot of years of your own life (bad teeth can and do lead to life-threatening problems sometimes) and you’re sentencing your kids to the same. You need to get treated. You can’t just let yourself feel helpless and let it continue - you can recover with therapy, and you should start as soon as possible. I wish you luck with it.
I didn’t run into any such requirement when I started seeing a psychiatrist for depression and anxiety. I would have had trouble with it for the same reason you did if they had required that. Look for another therapist if your insurance will let you.
You have heard of sedation dentistry, right? You should Google for it if you haven’t.
My apologies – I missed this when it was posted.
We’ve both taken the Minions to the doctor for shots. My wife usually just focuses on the child (as do I, actually), but otherwise she’s cool with it.
The last time the Tiniest Minion (who is three) got a shot, he didn’t even react. Just laid there quietly while the nurse stuck his thigh. The nurse was more than a bit surprised by that.
The one thing I absolutely HATE when I have blood drawn for my cholesterol tests: They actually test more than my cholesterol. There’s a whole range of stuff they test. Which means they need different samples of blood. Six vials full, in fact.
I can handle getting stuck, and I can even watch the blood go into the test tube. What I absolutely cannot stand is watching when they change out the tube. I don’t know why, exactly; I’ve never been hurt when they do this. But I keep thinking, “If she loses her grip while she’s putting the new tube on the needle, she’ll shove that needle all the way into my arm.” Bruh. I’m getting shiver-y just thinking about it.
I am not fond of needles, but can tolerate them to give blood. (Tattoos don’t count - I never actually see a needle.) However, after my first visit to my dentist he prescribes Valium for me - a dose the night before and one an hour before the appointment. He told me he didn’t like the way my blood pressure went up when I was in the chair and that he didn’t want me to have a heart attack in his office. I love this man! When I told him I was afraid of dentists, he replied “That’s ok - I am too.”