Needles: how creeped out are you by them?

[hedgehog]

It strikes me that I have very little problem donating blood or getting a blood test. Getting an injection on the other hand, gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it. It doesn't matter what it is, immunization or medication. Oddly enough, getting an IV put in doesn't bother me, either. Just injections.

[Mutley]

1. Needles don't bother me.

But then, I had to get allergy shots every six weeks from the time I was 3 until I was 12, so I guess I am used to them.

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. Needles have never bothered me.

.
I decided long ago no self-injections (could probably do the insulin
thing, etc.), but was never bothered by injections, donations, lab
tests, etc.
.
NOW... for several reasons, I have become what's known in phlebotomy
circles as "a VERY hard stick". If I have to stay more than a coupla
days in the hospital (4 or 5 times in the last coupla years), my arms
are all BRUISED up and sore and I cringe EVERY single time a nurse or
med tech walks in the room.
.
A year or so ago, I had three med techs in a row walk in and draw the
necessary blood literally before I realized that they had even started.
I told each and every one of them "I LOVE YOU!!!!" and meant it. They
ALL took it as intended.
.

[LeftyFingerPop]

3. I stick myself 5 times daily...

so they don't bother me. IV needles don't bother me either.

Once you realize that the needle is not going to damage you, the fear leaves.

[Riftaxe]

8. You do get used to it

4 times a day here, still trying to think of something creative to do with the empty syringes though. My dart board is getting full :)

[LeftyFingerPop]

10. Welcome to DU!

Insulin? Can you use the pen? I use Lantis and Novolog...both in pen form. I used to use Lantis with a syringe. :hi:

[Riftaxe]

21. Thanks for the welcome

Yes, synthetic insulins, did enjoy the levemir pens, but who can afford tho$e these days?, so good old syringes and novolin N :P

[Jennicut]

50. I use Lantus and Novolog as well. Both pens. But I may go on a pump.

This injecting myself a million times of day is wearing thin fast. And the blood sugars are still up and down too much.

[TZ]

4. Used to be terrified of them. Now not so much.

Getting chronically ill and having my blood drawn at one point once a week (now once a month) plus having to do once a week self injections cured me of that phobia. Now I can even watch the blood being drawn.

[Mugu]

5. It has never bothered me.

Whether getting a shot or giving blood.

[Crystal Clarity]

6. Injections? My SO tries to give me at least

3 to 5 a week. I'm kind of used to them now :evilgrin:

[Richard Steele]

7. They used to TOTALLY freak me out, but I got over it one day...

At the free clinic a few years back, I had a Newbie nurse
who was more scared of making a mistake than I was scared
of needles.

So I kinda had to talk her through the process of drawing blood,
and I actually WATCHED the blood go into the tube for the first time.
POOF-fear gone!

I do wood carving & metal engraving, and I've accidentally
stabbed myself in the hand about a dozen times with various chisels
that are -MUCH- larger than any medical needle.

Looking at that needle in my arm, I thought, "Wow! Is THIS
what I've been afraid of all this time? That scab in my palm
is a week old, and it still hurts worse than this"
(I had imbedded a 5-line graving tool in the first bone
of my left index finger several days previously)

I don't know why I was afraid of needles in the first place.
Perhaps my first vaccination as an infant was traumatic or something.
:shrug:

[hedgehog]

17. I think early trauma is the key. I still remember the terrible migraine

I got from some immunization back around 1960. Polio? DPT? Not to mention the ucky mess and oozing scab from the smallpox vaccination. :puke:

[hamsterjill]

31. This is absolutely true!

I am a big weenie when it comes to needles. I had one very sympathetic doctor tell me that it normally does stem from a bad childhood experience. In my situation, I believe my fear stems from the fact that my mother was terminal when I was very young, and back then, there weren't necessarily babysitters available, so I got dragged to the hospital all of the time and saw her in various stages of treatment.

When the fear is deep-rooted like that, it's easy to SAY "get over it", but doing it is not that simple.

[sarge43]

41. No doubt.

Rotten teeth from Day One: Early 50's, drills less than gentle - ditto dentist, more than one shot in roof of mouth, painful in the best of conditions, those weren't.

[Walk away]

9. I donate blood and platelets regularly and I often do subcutaneous feedings...

for dogs and cats. I never even think about it.

p.s. When you do platelets they put a needle with a tube in one arm and pump your blood out of you for a half hour. It goes through the platelet harvester and goes back in you body through a tube and needle in your other arm.

It makes you blood cold and if you donate a double you are freezing when it's done.

[rurallib]

33. So that's why I get so cold donating?

Never knew that.
I sure feel beat up for a day or two also.

[Walk away]

39. Don't you think they would make the machine keep the blood at body temp?

It's enough that it goes back in without platelets but chilled too? Pheh!

[mcctatas]

11. I used to be terrified of them...

until I was diagnosed with MS, now I give myself a shot every night, doesn't even make me shudder in the least

[Kali]

12. doesn't bother me in any way for my self or watching somebody else.

I do lots of veterinary injections, sq and im, but oddly the thought of using a needle on myself or another human makes me feel squicky

[mycatfred]

13. I really don't like the feeling

of blood being drawn, but I get it done so often I just learn to get over it. It is the elastic band thingy the wrap on my arm to show my veins that freaks me out to no end.
I have a weird don't-even-look-at-my-wrists-or-I-will-pound-you phobia, and I'm always afraid the will put IVs there, but they never do. I can't even look at other people's wrists.

[hedgehog]

19. I've had a lot of blood draws over the years, and when you look closely

you can see a bunch of small puncture marks on the inside of both elbows. It's weird, because I usually don't scar.

[ZombieHorde]

14. Needles don't bother me in the slightest.

I have given myself many shots and I have two piercings in the head of my penis.

[one_voice]

15. Needles don't bother me at all...

even when I was a kid, they weren't an issue.

[IDemo]

16. Over 50,000 injections so far

Most feel like a mosquito bite or less, so no big deal.

[rasputin1952]

54. When I was a Medic in the Army, we were setting up for a POMCUS...

everyone was lined up for the usual shots, some by pneumatic "gun", some by standard injection. The Bn CDR, decided to have the officers stand w/the enlisted and get their shots along w/everyone else as a show of solidarity. This proved to be his undoing.

When it came to him getting poked, he refused to have a one of the Medic's a Spec 4 give him his injection, he demanded an officer....ooohhh, tough guy! Being the ranking NCO, I went to the BDE Surgeon, A full Colonel and told him of the predicament. His answer, "no problem". he walked up tot he stainless steel table that held syringes we had prepared earlier. While talking to the LtCol, he deftly removed the cap, and began tapping the needle on the table, slowly, quietly, then, just as deftly replaced the cap. His talk w/the Bn Cdr was easy going, explaining that the Medics had done this thousands of times and were quite adept at what they were doing. He then raised the blunted needle, prepped the site of injection, and stuck it into a nice fleshy part of the back of the arm. The particular injection was typhus, so this was going to be one sore little puppy. While injecting the dose, he told him he hadn't given an injection since getting out of medical school, (he was ready to retire in a couple of months), so he was sorry about any problems that might arise, he then withdrew the needle, which had a hooked from the tapping, and it had a little meat on, it. He made sure the LTC saw this, just before he turned sheet white and hit the ground...:D

The BDE Surgeon turned to me and said, "any more of these idiots, just let me know"...:patriot:

[Lucian]

18. I have tattoos on my arms...

and I'm a diabetic.

How do you think I feel about needles? :)

[Dappleganger]

47. Tattoos didn't bother me at all, either.

Only have two, though. Dh is a newer diabetic--he whined once, I told him to shut up it wasn't chemo and to get over it. He's been quiet ever since. ;)

[hedgehog]

20. My worst occasion was the day i took myself and six kids in for flu shots.

After walking the kids through their shots, with 4 stoics, 1 that was squeamish and 1 that was scared, I had to get my shot!

Every year since, I get my shot first!

[bigwillq]

22. Don't bother me at all (nt)

[Forkboy]

23. Not at all.

They can even move the needle about in my vein if need be (and they often do...I have blood like syrup apparently). Moths freak me out, but jab a needle into me and I'm ok. :shrug:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

24. Injections are so much better than they used to be.

When I was a little kid in the early 60s, I remember the bad old days of huge horse needles that had to be reused and sterilized. It took two or three people to hold me down for a shot in the rear, it hurt so badly.

Now the 25 ga needles are practically nothing. Even a 21 ga isn't too bad.

I can give myself allergy shots, IM or subcu, but when they put in an IV or take blood out, I just look the other way, and yell for a second. :D

Never learned to stick people for blood.

I have been in the hospital so many times that I just don't worry about it.
When I go to the doc with a sinus infection, I ask for shots instead of pills so the medicine will get in me faster.

[TreasonousBastard]

25. You haven't had a needle until you've had an injection into your eyeball...

It's not that there's a lot of pain involved, just the idea of it happening. You're prepped in the opthamologist's office and have plenty of time to think about it as they get ready and lay out all this stuff.

Then they cover your face, except for the eye to be treated, and you wait for the quick little stab. The fun part is seeing this big red ball form in your eye, and then split up into lots of little droplets, kind of like a lava lamp, until then they settle on what seems like the top of your eyeball.

It's loads of fun.

[sarge43]

28. Thanks heaps for that visual

Must be a laff riot.

[TreasonousBastard]

29. You're welcome. I laughed hysterically every time I went through it.

[sarge43]

30. I can imagine

I giggle and grin every time my dentist preps the Novocain.

[hedgehog]

36. I'd demand Valium first, and VAlium always makes me sick!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

26. I refuse to watch the needle

Most needles are ok. But the ones used by Red Cross for blood donations, those are like big nails. So I don't watch it when the nurse tries to poke it into a vein.

[Maine-ah]

27. needles don't bother me, but they scare the crap out of my hubby

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

32. Some needles are creepy, in a beautiful way

maybe not creepy, but sometimes spooky, in the right light



http://www.nps.gov/cany/naturescience/needles.htm

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

34. My dear hedgehog...

Needles only bothered me once...

When I was a nursing student, and was learning how to give "shots" or as we call them, Injections.

After I gave my first patient his injection, I was walking on air, and since then I've had no problem!

I do understand where you're coming from...

:hi:

[qb]

35. Getting a 10 gauge Apadravya bothered me some...

but in general I handle needles ok.

[rurallib]

37. I am a platelet donor. My big brother passes out at the sight of a needle.

I didn't know he had such a problem. One day I was talking about donating (the old two arm days) and he turned white and started sweating.

[Walk away]

40. I still donate the 2 arm way. I just googled the new way and I am switching...

blood centers the next time I go.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

43. What is a "two-arm" method of donating?

I've always assumed they could pick one arm, and the blood would be the same as the other arm.

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

48. My dear JustABozoOnThisBus!

When they use the two arm method, one arm is for the blood going out, and the other is where it returns.

Yes, the blood is all the same. Two arm method tends to be quicker, since with the single arm procedure, the drawing alternates with the returning.

The vein has to be really good, to take the stress of draw/return.

And of course, the big advantage to this procedure is that you have the use of your free hand!

(I used to do this for a living, taking care of those donors)

:hi:

[rurallib]

52. and that free arm is SO IMPORTANT just to scratch your nose

Oh my goodness the itches and scratches that come up when you can't do anything.

[crim son]

38. They terrified me until I gave birth to my oldest son.

It was my first (and only) all-natural birth. The morning after he was born, a nurse came in and said I'd never been immunized against measles, and so she gave me a shot right there. Compared to what I'd endured the night before the needle was barely noticeable, and I've never been afraid of them since.

[proteus_lives]

42. I give plasma twice a week.

Needles stopped brothering me years ago.

[Dulcinea]

44. Not a problem, except for 2 things.

I don't like to see the needle go in when I donate blood, & I was never able to watch the needle go in when my kids were immunized, but needles don't bother me aside from that.

[Rhythm]

45. They don't bother me in the slightest...

[Dappleganger]

46. Regular needles: no problem. Lumbar punctures: major problem.

I get the migraine headache w/nausea every single time w/a lumbar so when I see the needle coming can't help but tense up. Same with cortisone needles, ugh. I have to take xanax w/those because it's so bad.

Regular needles for shots, drawing blood, IV fluids, chemo...no problem. Have been stuck so many times the veins run into hiding and we have to coax them out, LOL.

[Jennicut]

49. Used to hate them. Think nothing of it now but I have been a diabetic for 6 years.

Injections before every meal, injections at night, injections to bring the blood sugar down (called "correcting"). Actually, I dislike pricking my finger to test my blood far more then the injections. Now THAT can sting sometimes.

[TZ]

51. Addendum: only one needle has freaked me out in the last few years

And understandingly the doctor tried to hide it from me...The needle they used for a bone marrow aspiration/biopsy.....Just seeing one on TV freaks me out. Thats one BIG bad mother fucker...:scared:

[Taverner]

53. If its filled with black tar street heroin, then YEAH!

However if its from a nurse, and she's giving me Pharmeceutical grade Heroin, then rock on!

[Roon]

55. With my condition

I had to get used to needles FAST!

[struggle4progress]

56. Not at all

[Cant trust em]

57. Only when in the crotch of my arm like when I give blood.

Man it oogs me out.

[ccharles000]

58. I don't care for them

[Deep13]

59. Meh. No big deal. nt