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Are you afraid of needles?

loriken214

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I used to be deathly afraid of needles and would almost faint every time I had to get a shot at the doctor's office. Now, I have to give myself insulin shots every day and go for blood tests all of the time...I'm rarely feeling them any longer. My veins are drying up due to my SLE Lupus and steroids/meds I'm having to take. I'm trying to find a way to reenergize my poor veins.

I have no idea how somebody can inject drugs into their veins on a regular basis!

Lori
 

canuk-gal

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HI Loriken:

Healing vibes across the miles! :wavey:

cheers--Sharon
 

OreoRosies86

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I am 100% fine with needles anywhere but my hands or wrist. I got an IV in my wrist at the hospital and I didn't pass out but I first saw stars, then couldn't see. It was awful!
 

innerkitten

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Wow Loriken, sorry your going through that :(
Is that your best treatment option?

I'm not really scared of needles but I don't like getting shots. I get an allergy shot every month and always cringe.
 

Circe

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Loriken, I'm sorry. That's a very unpleasant thing to deal with. I very much hope someone can suggest something to ease the process for you.

If they do, I'll be listening closely - I was never afraid of needles, but no one LIKES the danged things. Then I had an unfortunate medical incident, and after that I developed roll-y veins. (I once dated a man who had the same thing, despite being a body builder with veins clear as day ... he'd had an unfortunate medical experience of his own as a little kid, and his veins never cooperated again. I'm assuming it's the body's stress reaction, sort of like, "Oh, HAYLL NO, last time you took too much, it's mine, I NEED it!") So now when I go in, they have to jab me like 6 times before they hit anything resembling blood, which I don't love, though it's still better then when they do that awful thing where they stick the needle in, miss, and then kind of dig around for it ... ugh.

Oh, and I also had to give myself injections twice a day for a year. THAT WAS FUN. In short, I sympathize completely: I know they help me, I'm glad the option is there, and I'm STILL not their biggest fan. I wonder if maybe there's an anti-anxiety med that might help? Or (counter-intuitively enough), something like acupuncture to acclimate you?

P.S. - Elliot, I'm the sad opposite of you! I usually BEG them to take blood from the back of the hand (and they never do). On the one hand, yes, painful ... on the other hand, typically successful on the first try, as opposed to the repeated jab'n'dig. Talk about a catch-22 ....
 

ame

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Newp. I have to do bloodwork every 3mos my entire life, so I'm pretty used to it. I am afraid of bad phlebotomists or nurses though. I've had some pretty terrible draws. I will say this though, I HATE the shots in the mouth at the dentist. Not scared of em, just hate em


If you can drink a lot of fluid that often helps with the draws. It keeps you overall more liquid and your veins will often perk up.
 

Karl_K

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nope
years of monthly blood tests makes ya immune to em.
Once in the er it took them 42 tries to get a good iv started in my arm for a contrast ct to check for more blood clots.
That sucked.
 

WinkHPD

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ame|1391299806|3606042 said:
Newp. I have to do bloodwork every 3mos my entire life, so I'm pretty used to it. I am afraid of bad phlebotomists or nurses though. I've had some pretty terrible draws. I will say this though, I HATE the shots in the mouth at the dentist. Not scared of em, just hate em


If you can drink a lot of fluid that often helps with the draws. It keeps you overall more liquid and your veins will often perk up.

I have to agree with you about bad phlebotomists. When I first went to the hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam they were running a lot of tests to find out what I had. (It turned out to be Malaria but it took them three days to figure it out, I lost over 40 pounds while they were trying.)

I have a nice BIG vein that is easily visible in the hollow of my right elbow and the corpsman insisted on trying to draw blood from my invisible vein in my left elbow. I told him if he missed again after the first miss that I was going to break his face. He missed, I broke, he whined to the Officer in Charge who asked me why I decked his Corpsman. I told him. He took one look at my left arm and then at my right and said, "For crying out loud, the guy asks you to use the freeway and you try to use the dirt track road. I would have decked you too. Take it from his right arm, and please, do NOT miss again."

Combat Marines got away with things back then that would get them in the brig today... People would wind you up, then get all surprised when you went Jack-in-the-Box on them.

I wish I could say he was my worst phlebotomist, but that would not be true. Only one I ever decked though. Mostly I have had pretty good ones, they actually seem to be getting better, at least around here.

Karl_K|1391309864|3606169 said:
nope
years of monthly blood tests makes ya immune to em.
Once in the er it took them 42 tries to get a good iv started in my arm for a contrast ct to check for more blood clots.
That sucked.

Ouch. that really sucks.

Wink
 

packrat

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I don't like them, but deal w/them. I'd rather they be attached to a tattoo machine instead of being used for injections or draws. I'm harder to draw now than I used to be I guess. The last couple times I've had enormous bruises, when I never did before.

London had to have her blood drawn a few weeks ago for the first time and THAT was an experience, holy moly. Hard to reason w/a petrified 10 year old that there are times it's necessary and that there are people who have to have needles on a regular basis.
 

JewelFreak

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Not usually but it depends on where they want to put them.
 

missy

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I'm not afraid of them but I do not like looking at blood so I never watch as blood is being taken from me and in fact have fainted a few times when I have cut myself badly. Needles no problem, blood big problem. But I do have huge veins in my arm so the doctors/nurses never have any difficulty in getting blood from the veins in my arms.

We also had to give our dear kitty insulin shots twice a day for years so giving needles is not a problem either and I have also given my mom injections due to an occasionally severe illness that she is dealing with so it's easy for me to administer needles but not sure how difficult it would be to do to myself.

Like ame, I hate shots in my mouth and unfortunately am too familiar with them but I am not scared of them. Just hate them.

Lori, sending you lots of healing dust and hugs. I'm so sorry for all you have been through and continue to go through.
 

zoebartlett

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I'm sorry you're dealing with so much, Lori.

I don't like needles. I always ask for a butterfly/baby needle when I get blood drawn. My veins are hard to find, which means that I usually get stuck several times before it finally takes. The only thing that makes me queasy is when they move the needle around in my arm. I'm starting to feel weak just typing that out. I almost asked if I could lie down while getting blood drawn the last time. :knockout:
 

Kelinas

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Mar 25, 2013
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used to be.
then I started getting piercings and tattoos and the fear went away a tad bit.
then i needed steroid shots for skin issues, and a little more went away.
now i donate blood every two weeks and im not afraid of it - but I HATE every aspect if it.

To me, this is all a cakewalk until I get that call that I'm a match for bone marrow!
 

dk168

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No, they don't bother me, used to be a blood donor and the needles were 16G in order to get a good flow of blood.

My veins are very deep on my arms and not easy to find, and I had a very bad experience recently when I had to give blood samples for glucose tolerance test.

I fasted the night before as instructed, and did not drink much, which was a big mistake! It took 3 people 5 attempts in 4 locations using 2 different methods in order to get sufficient blood out as a sample!

I know now to drink plenty if I am having a blood test as it does make it easier!

DK :))
 

NOYFB

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Nov 16, 2008
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Tattoo needles? No. Regular needles? Yep. I have to tell them to use a butterfly needle AND I need to lay down for blood to be drawn. Otherwise I will pass out. I get a flu shot and PPD every year at work and I used to be afraid of those, but now those are a piece of cake because they're quick and there's no searching for a vein.
 

Resonance.Of.Life

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I don't like needles. I donate blood (which uses a 16g needle) and platelets (18 g) regularly though ;-)
 

Ally T

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HATE them but very used to them - they were a monthly thing during both pregnancies, plus every 6 months all my adult life. However, I have yet to watch them being inserted or removed. That would me too much & the thought makes my toes curl :(

I do have very juicy veins thankfully, so always an easy take. Did have a very bad nurse once & ended up with a 6 inch long, black / purple bruise that was agony. And a nurse also caught the IV on the inside of my wrist when I was having baby no. 1 & it snagged so much she had to remove it within seconds as blood was leaking everywhere. That one left a blobby scar.

Hope your health improves Lauri :wavey:
 

VRBeauty

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I'm not afraid of them but I don't like them either. I donate blood sorta regularly and fortunately have only had one even remotely bad draw, and that was years ago. Good veins, they tell me. My worst needle experience was with shots I got in my upper palate when some crowns had to be replaced. It's a terrible place to get shots to begin with, and these particular shots got into or near my sinus cavity, and :o :cry: . Not pleasant. That was my old dentist though. My current dentist recently did some work in the same area with absolutely no problem.

Lori - I'm sorry you're going through that.*dust* *dust* *dust*
 

Maisie

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I'm not afraid of the actual needle. 5 kids and Diabetes will get you used to needles! I'm more worried of being injected with something. I had pre-eclampsia with my first child and was starting to fit and they gave me a muscle relaxant injection. Freaked me out!! I hated it and it's made me scared of anything going into my body. You can have my blood anytime though :bigsmile:
 

Amber St. Clare

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Being bipolar and having severe arthritis, I'm pretty much resigned to the monthly blood test to check my liver levels AND injecting myself weekly with arthritis medication. I still turn my head when the needle is inserted, watching my blood fill up the hypodermic makes me dizzy.
 

minousbijoux

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Have been deathly afraid of needles my whole life. So afraid of them, particularly in my mouth, that I refused novocaine whenever I had cavities filled. I ate a lot of candy as a kid, and I had a lot of cavities filled, like 16, without novocaine just to avoid the shots, shudder, shudder.

But then between an ongoing thyroid problem requiring regular blood tests, and breast cancer requiring chemo (talk about evil needles), I guess I got used to it. I mean, when its all the time for years, you just learn to deal with it, you know? Okay, full confession: still don't like shots in my mouth - cannot even think about that, actually... :o

ETA: oh, and no, I don't recommend having cavities filled without novocaine; it really, really hurts.
 

JaneSmith

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loriken214|1391297145|3606008 said:
I used to be deathly afraid of needles and would almost faint every time I had to get a shot at the doctor's office. Now, I have to give myself insulin shots every day and go for blood tests all of the time...I'm rarely feeling them any longer. My veins are drying up due to my SLE Lupus and steroids/meds I'm having to take. I'm trying to find a way to reenergize my poor veins.

I have no idea how somebody can inject drugs into their veins on a regular basis!

Lori
Lori, if your veins are really crappy and you're doing lots of blood draws, you could ask your doctor about a port-a-cath or something similar. It's a little plastic port that is inserted under the skin of your upper chest and goes into your internal jugular vein. It's done under local anaesthetic and once it's healed you're good to go. It's usually done for chemo but is also done for people like you with otherwise bad venous access.



:wavey: High fives for all the blood and bone marrow donors out there, you guys rock! :wavey:


No, I'm not afraid of needles, or blood. :lol:
 

JaneSmith

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minousbijoux|1391386753|3606699 said:
Have been deathly afraid of needles my whole life. So afraid of them, particularly in my mouth, that I refused novocaine whenever I had cavities filled. I ate a lot of candy as a kid, and I had a lot of cavities filled, like 16, without novocaine just to avoid the shots, shudder, shudder.

But then between an ongoing thyroid problem requiring regular blood tests, and breast cancer requiring chemo (talk about evil needles), I guess I got used to it. I mean, when its all the time for years, you just learn to deal with it, you know? Okay, full confession: still don't like shots in my mouth - cannot even think about that, actually... :o

ETA: oh, and no, I don't recommend having cavities filled without novocaine; it really, really hurts.
Bloody hell, how are you?
 

minousbijoux

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JaneSmith|1391398550|3606784 said:
minousbijoux|1391386753|3606699 said:
Have been deathly afraid of needles my whole life. So afraid of them, particularly in my mouth, that I refused novocaine whenever I had cavities filled. I ate a lot of candy as a kid, and I had a lot of cavities filled, like 16, without novocaine just to avoid the shots, shudder, shudder.

But then between an ongoing thyroid problem requiring regular blood tests, and breast cancer requiring chemo (talk about evil needles), I guess I got used to it. I mean, when its all the time for years, you just learn to deal with it, you know? Okay, full confession: still don't like shots in my mouth - cannot even think about that, actually... :o

ETA: oh, and no, I don't recommend having cavities filled without novocaine; it really, really hurts.
Bloody hell, how are you?

Oh sweetie, thanks for asking! I'm fine! A coupla surgeries and a mastectomy, radiation, and a bunch of years of various chemos and I'm good to go! I don't know if anyone else who's been through chemo has noticed this, but it does seem like my immune system never quite bounced back and I get sick more often, but maybe its my imagination? Don't really know and its a small price to pay for being alive. :))
 

JaneSmith

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minousbijoux|1391401767|3606802 said:
JaneSmith|1391398550|3606784 said:
minousbijoux|1391386753|3606699 said:
Have been deathly afraid of needles my whole life. So afraid of them, particularly in my mouth, that I refused novocaine whenever I had cavities filled. I ate a lot of candy as a kid, and I had a lot of cavities filled, like 16, without novocaine just to avoid the shots, shudder, shudder.

But then between an ongoing thyroid problem requiring regular blood tests, and breast cancer requiring chemo (talk about evil needles), I guess I got used to it. I mean, when its all the time for years, you just learn to deal with it, you know? Okay, full confession: still don't like shots in my mouth - cannot even think about that, actually... :o

ETA: oh, and no, I don't recommend having cavities filled without novocaine; it really, really hurts.
Bloody hell, how are you?

Oh sweetie, thanks for asking! I'm fine! A coupla surgeries and a mastectomy, radiation, and a bunch of years of various chemos and I'm good to go! I don't know if anyone else who's been through chemo has noticed this, but it does seem like my immune system never quite bounced back and I get sick more often, but maybe its my imagination? Don't really know and its a small price to pay for being alive. :))
Glad you're still here! :appl: That's a lot to go through, and I don't think anyone is ever quite the same.
 

loriken214

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I've been on chemo infusions several times and it was hell.....they make me very sick and we had to stop them. Poison! We tried them for my SLE Lupus.

Right now, the techs are using butterfly needles to poke me since my veins are very thin and spider like. In the ER, they go for it with the huge needles and dig and jab over and over until I almost pass out. The last time, a nurse blew through a vein and I bled all over the place. It was running down onto the floor. In the ER, they are in a hurry and don't take time to be gentle.

I had a central line in my neck after I passed away in April, 2012. It was sewn in and had 3 IV tubes hanging from it. They put it in while I was on life support. I asked them to leave it in, but they said only RNs and higher could touch it.

We will see what happens this month. I'll go for more lab tests on Feb. 19. I still have a huge bruise where they poked me in Jan.

They have even used the baby warmers to try and plump the veins up...I'm just afraid of them trying other places....used to the hands and arms.

Lori
 

justginger

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I'm petrified of them. I have to do a phlebotomy course as part of my degree, and do draws on a minimum of 200 people this coming year. If that doesn't make me get over it, nothing will!
 

JenPaulson

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Yes, if I see them being inserted in my skin especially those very long ones. I do fine when I don't look. It's like, if I can't see it I don't believe it principle.
 

JaneSmith

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loriken214|1391480289|3607444 said:
I've been on chemo infusions several times and it was hell.....they make me very sick and we had to stop them. Poison! We tried them for my SLE Lupus.

Right now, the techs are using butterfly needles to poke me since my veins are very thin and spider like. In the ER, they go for it with the huge needles and dig and jab over and over until I almost pass out. The last time, a nurse blew through a vein and I bled all over the place. It was running down onto the floor. In the ER, they are in a hurry and don't take time to be gentle.

I had a central line in my neck after I passed away in April, 2012. It was sewn in and had 3 IV tubes hanging from it. They put it in while I was on life support. I asked them to leave it in, but they said only RNs and higher could touch it.

We will see what happens this month. I'll go for more lab tests on Feb. 19. I still have a huge bruise where they poked me in Jan.

They have even used the baby warmers to try and plump the veins up...I'm just afraid of them trying other places....used to the hands and arms.

Lori
A port a cath does not poke out of your skin, it is a little implant. You still get a tiny poke through your skin but venous access is assured.
 

LLJsmom

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Oct 24, 2012
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Lori, I am so sorry you have to endure so much. {{{HUGS}}}

I really hate needles but I suck it up when I think of my kids who have had a ton of shots. Mom can't be a wimp. :)

I especially hate them in the face. I had to get spots removed by some process and they had to numb parts of my face. But I will say the removal hurt more, even with the numbing. Ugh!! I can live with a non-perfect complexion. Wish my mom could.
 
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