Help me get over my irrational fear of needles BG!

[BaneTheBrawler]

I'm not sure what to say that might help. I've always been fine with needles as long as someone else is doing the poking, but I have to inject myself once a week and once every other week for my treatments, and that shit takes mental fortitude. I have some sort of mental block that prevents me from just sticking the goddamn needle in. I'm slowly getting better at it, but its still sucks.

Actually... I have a sort of trick that might help. As I'm sure you know, trying not to think of something is counter-productive. If you just sit there thinking "Don't think about X" you're going to think about X even more. To get around this I replace it with something that I enjoy thinking about. Usually I think about the backstories and whatnot of my personas in the various universes I enjoy; for example, in the Star Wars universe, I'm a human who's mutated due to medical experiments and become immortal. Attempts to replicate the mutation ended horribly, and I eventually escaped the facility, putting a stop to it. By focusing on that, I'm not thinking about whatever it is I'm trying to avoid thinking about. Works great for getting rid of unwanted boners, too.

Edit: I think it only works if you really enjoy thinking about it, so try to find something relevant to your interests that you can mull over whenever you need a distraction.

[Silenka]

...or you could think about playing with your bitch's tits in the club

[Ddz]

Skimmed the first page...I can 100% relate. I don't get to the point of passing out, but it's really bad panic-mode for me. Getting blood drawn is the only thing that makes me feel stressed out this bad. I get tachycardia, I cry, and generally just don't feel OK about it. I rationalize it because I think it's the body telling you that blood leaving the body is unnatural. I absolutely refuse to have them stick me in the elbow or wrist - it freaks me out so much (I think it is because the veins are so visible...). I prefer the top of the hand I guess...

Oh god, and I just have to share a story that happened to me a couple of years ago - I was cutting open a box with a box-cutter on a shelf at the place I used to work, and the box started to slip and fall to the floor - I stupidly went to grab it and stuck myself in the hand with the knife like, right into the vein and blood was SQUIRTING out of it like a movie. It was crazy how my automatic instinct was to just cut off the bloodflow with the other hand and hold it above my heart but holy fucking shit I was freaking the fuck out and getting really woozy at the same time. Coworker drove me to the hospital nearby and I had to get stitches AND a fucking tetanis shot. Talk about the worst day ever and being stressed out beyond belief!

[Manako]

Its not the sharp pointy nature of needles that bothers me... its they are hollow tubes that will either take or put stuff from/into my veins... just thinking about it makes me get all squeamy!

I look away, and try not to think about it. I'm better with getting shots than I am with people sucking my blood

[Aksannyi]

I was (and still somewhat am) scared of needles too, having two pregnancies helped with that somewhat though, as they have to take blood like once a month. When I first joined the Army and I had to get six shots before entering Basic Training, I was damn near hyperventilating I was so afraid, they stuck you three times in each arm and I had tears running down my cheeks the whole time. I wasn't afraid of combat or war, but I was terrified of getting shots.

As far as getting blood drawn goes, I always pinch my stomach really hard and look away, and concentrate ONLY on the pain from me pinching myself, it seems to work for me. Telling the tech that you're afraid also helps, they'll usually try to do it as painlessly as possible and give you the chance to do whatever you need to psych yourself up for it.

Oddly enough, I'm not afraid of getting tattoos. I guess it's just different in my mind.

[idklol]

I used to be shit scared of needles all through my school days. Was totally irrational and i have honestly no idea why. Went for a tetanus shot in my last year, went through the same routine of panicing. Just sort of dawned on me that it didn't hurt or do anything to me untoward.

Nowadays i'll quite happily watch them take my blood if they need it. Just need to man up.

Have you ever tried having someone there talking about/showing you something, try take your mind off it.

[BadKarma]

Having the bed helped, the nurse (who was quite good looking) actually started to talk to me about my 4s like she hadnt seen one before, she got the vein on the first shot with perfect aim. So she helped me out too.

[bungiefan]

I've got the phobia of needles (and to a less severe extent, razors) too, to the point where I berserk if one is near me for too long. The fear is mostly visual, and I can't even watch someone else get a shot. If I can't see it, or they gas me with NO2 first, I'm mostly fine except for some heavy breathing. It's not irrational though, I just didn't know the reason until about 2 years ago. I've got a nickel allergy, and surgical and stainless steel are fairly high in nickel. I've always known that needles burn while they are in me, and I get massive rashes (like eczema for about 2 months) if I shave with a bare razor blade instead of a screened electric one. The pain is not "just a prick" to me, it is intense and throbs more with my heart beat. The wound from the needle also lasts for 2-3 weeks and itches like the dickens for that time.

I'm finally getting my doctors and dentist trained to not show me the needle, and not give me warning they are going to use one. Last time I had a physical, the doctor gave me 3 days notice he was going to draw blood, and from the fear I barely slept or ate, and dropped my weight in those 3 days from 115 lbs to 105 lbs. I also left my footprint in my bedroom wall when I did sleep.

If I see one I still don't have much control, even though I now know why I have the fear. I get worked up and end up fighting to run from the needle, or fighting whoever has the needle, but I don't remember actually doing it. Apparently it took 6 orderlies to hold me down last time I snapped and tried to stab the person in the needle in the face with it. If I wake up with an IV in me it gets ripped out immediately with no concern for the damage to myself unless they have sedated me.

On the plus side, I've not been in situations where they've needed to use a needle on me much since high school. It's maybe been a dozen times. But someone just talking about how they get hit with a needle is enough to get my imagination going and my legs week and get me hyperventilating.

I posted before loading page 2. Several of you are jerks for posting those descriptions and pictures. I'm shivering now.

[Waraji]

I anticipate the poke of the needle with the realistic amount of pain that happens for that one instant (which isn't a lot really). Haven't ever had a problem with needles since I was ~10. Look straight at it while its going in, respect the process. The only problem I have, regardless of my lack of fear for it, I will always pass out no matter what. Kinda pisses me off because I've had plenty of opportunities to donate and I haven't because don't want the anyone person to think I'm a puss.

[Grey Jorildyn]

I too get vasovegal responses. I always have to let the blood drawer know I need to be laying down or seated back. Someone else has to talk to me so I don't feel compelled to look at the needle in my arm.

I know exactly what you mean by feels like a vacuum sucking your blood out and that's just how I always describe it when asked why I pass out.

[Denchi]

I probably don't have a fear as bad as you, but I definitely hate needles. What I have to do is just think that really, actually, the pain isn't worse than stubbing my toe, or hitting my hand on something, it's actually way less. The only thing that's making it worse is me. So I look away, and bite my lip, and it's over. And it hurts a little bit, but needles are really SO small now, the pain is severely minimal. It's anxiety anxiety anxiety, then it's over, no big deal.

I still get weary around needles, but I haven't had an episode where they need to hold me down in a long time. Just thinking about the pain helps, the fact that it's minimal, not damaging, and temporary helps me. It could be a lot worse, and if I just look away and take it, it goes quickly.

[Bockage]

I've had an irrational fear of having blood drawn since I was a kid. I feel really sick and break into a cold sweat before having blood drawn. When I was a kid I developed a thyroid disorder and had to get a lot of blood drawn while the doctor tried to get the levels right again with medication. I've had yearly blood tests for the last 20 years to make sure the medication is still working. My irrational fear of needles hasn't completely gone away, but I've learned how to better manage it the more I have blood drawn. One thing I found was that the more I think about having it done, the worse my reaction. So when I was younger one of my parents would surprise me one day with a trip to the hospital to have it done. It's a mind game I have to play with myself to this day, because the longer I have to freak out about it the worse I feel. I also make sure to tell whoever is drawing the blood that I have this problem and ask them if it's cool if I lie down or sit in the waiting room for a few mins after it's over. When it's over, I spend 5 - 10 mins waiting until my stomach calms down before leaving. Then I celebrate not having to go back for another 364 days. Hope my little story helps you out in some way.

[Tonko]

lol, I feel for all of y'all with needle issues, but damn you people make my job more difficult than it should be.

[Brill Weave]

Sparing you the gruesome medical details of my childhood. I was very sickly and had a ton of medical issues when I was little. Had more stays in the hospital than I can count. I hated needles because of the neverending stream of IV's I would need to get. As I got older I cared less and less about it. I'm not a big fan of needles, but they don't bother me anymore at all.

[Kerberoz]

I wonder if giving childhood vaccines with jet injectors would decrease the prevalence of needle phobias... or maybe it'd just increase gun phobias.

[bungiefan]

lol, I feel for all of y'all with needle issues, but damn you people make my job more difficult than it should be.

I probably wouldn't be afraid of them if I wasn't allergic to them, or if there was a type that wasn't made of nickel. I try to warn new doctors what they are getting into, and they just blow me off until I end up attacking them. I feel for the trouble it gives them, and I've learned how I can minimize the problem, but I'm not taken seriously when I try to explain it. Heck, the last doctor I told about it tried to prescribe me a placebo pill to fight the fear, and insisted that my dorm manager accompany me to the hospital for the procedure after taking the pill. Sorry, a 1 mg dosage pill for $1 at the pharmacy is obviously a placebo.

You don't go shoving a claustrophobic in a box after giving him warning you are going to do it, and not expecting increased anxiety. You don't go about showing or telling me the needle before you use it.

[stinkypoo]

exposure therapy, get them to jab you with needles repeatedly until the fear subsides!

Surprised no one posted this!

Spoiler: show

http://images.fanpop.com/images/imag...59_450_254.jpg

http://www.horror-asylum.com/news/pi...-swan-dive.jpg

mod edit: because FUCK YOU

[Nightfyre]

I wonder if giving childhood vaccines with jet injectors would decrease the prevalence of needle phobias... or maybe it'd just increase gun phobias.

Probably both, but less so the latter.

Ugh, even this thread makes me nauseous. Incompetent nurses should not be allowed to stick 4-year-olds. At least I'm only bothered the most when there's an outward flow... injections make me uncomfortable but I don't get the full vasovagal response from them. Can't comfortably watch either one though.

As others have mentioned, not being aware of the needle (especially being able to see it) prior to/during skin contact can help depending on the source of your anxiety. A little anaesthetic can also help. I sliced my hand up pretty bad about 7 years ago, getting it stiched up again could have been a pretty terrible experience but once they numbed my hand enough that I couldn't really feel the needle it was fine.

If you know you're going to have a reaction, tensing up somewhat may actually be helpful, particularly in the legs. It'll help keep some blood in your head. My vision goes wonky afterwards and it's uncomfortable to keep my eyes open, so I usually close my eyes to help try and calm myself again. Nurses don't like this since they think I'm going to pass out (and to be fair I'm almost certainly raising my odds of doing so), but I haven't passed out yet. I keep talking while I have my eyes closed though, which is important. I don't know that we're able to 100% eliminate strong phobias at this point, but if you can manage your encounters with needles then over time it should fade some provide you don't have another really bad experience. I haven't had the best luck with doctors/nurses knowing how to handle needle-phobic patients

@above: fuck you. That really shouldn't even be allowed in this thread.

[bungiefan]

Please spoiler Kerb's at the top of page 2 also. I screamed and woke my roommates up from both of those.

Being aware of the needle nullifies most anesthetic on me in normal doses. When the dentist does novicaine, I usually need about 6-8 injections before it stays numb, unless they gas me first. They give me one, while I am working up while they are doing it, and then when they come back expecting it to be numb, I still flinch from the pain and they have to do it again.

Tensing up makes the pain more intense. I've only had light pain when they give me nitrous. Every other time, it burns the entire time. At least I've never passed out. I bet my doctors would prefer that to my berserking though.

So far the phobia isn't really fading over time. I deal with needles less than once per year and the improvement seems to be with the doctors that haven't changed on me actually taking precautions to keep me from seeing the needle as much as possible. If I see it I still freak out the same way. I just stay away from pharmacies during vaccination season, and from the blood banks at all times. I think it was one of the reasons I didn't see a dentist for 7 years.

[kuronosan]

lol, I feel for all of y'all with needle issues, but damn you people make my job more difficult than it should be.

This. Really annoying trying to get a stick on somebody who's terrified of it. Unless you suck at getting a vein it really doesn't hurt that bad.