Pressing through extreme fear of hypodermic needles

[Colleen in NS]

Has anyone here ever "gotten over" an extreme fear of hypodermic needles, as in, IVs/bloodwork/vaccinations? Or at least gotten to the point where you can willingly submit yourself to the needle for necessary medical work? Or has your child dealt with this, and come around eventually? If so, I'd like to hear your story. Thank you.

 

(when I say extreme, I mean to the point where no reward works, no Emla patches work, no distraction techniques work, no reasoning works, no explanation of possible consequences works, no pointing out "successful" past encounters with needles - just a thick wall of fear that can't be pushed past without force on another person's part)

[swellmomma]

The only thing that ever worked for my kids to get them past it was to use Emla. Once they got a vax or blood work done without the pain it was easier and easier each time to get them to submit to it without the hysteria.

 

I know you said Emla didn't work for you but that is all that I could think of. Unfortunately needles need to happen sometimes and prior to me learning about emla I had to hold them down regardless of fear which I felt horrible about.

[LaissezFaire]

I used to be deathly afraid. For me it took my DD being diagnosed with diabetes. When you watch an 8 year old give themselves a shot 5 times a day without batting an eye...you feel kind of dumb for being afraid of needles. LOL

[tex-mex]

DS was very (anxiety) fearful of needles and shots. He could only have butterfly needles and did not like the cream to numb. Distractions did not help. He'd pretty much become hysterical. Hubby would have to hold him down.

 

Unfortunately, it took having him in a coma at 8 yrs and dx'ed with a rare liver disease to have him get weekly, then monthly, and now to the point where he doesn't flinch with needles anymore. Early in the first months of dx, it was painful to see him get worked up the night before KNOWING he had to go to the hospital for bloodwork. But to be honest, telling him in advance was the right thing. (I could not surprise him -- he'd have a meltdown and it would be impossible to get any labwork done. DS also has OCD/Anxiety/Asperger's with sensory integration issues.)

 

After a long time of working with his fear and having trained staff who work with children (we used to ask for one nurse whose technique was QUICK and efficient) did the trick. DS at 15 yrs now looks back on what he went thru and tells little kids how to handle the shots. He has a LOT of sympathy and is so kind with the little ones as a result. He still travels 200+ miles every month to see his liver specialist to get bloodwork. Hospitals are a real PITA, but my ds is so mature with a kind heart for all he has put up with his health issues. You can do this. HTH

Edited November 16, 2010 by tex-mex

[VA6336]

I'm probably not much help, but I sort of grew out of it. I was terrified of needles as a child (nothing worked except holding me down while I screamed) and that lasted well until adulthood. I couldn't even take an intentional finger prick. In college I finally developed the self control to hold (mostly) still, but would cry uncontrollably (and make the person giving the injection very, very nervous). Multiple medical experiences later that involved many needles and with a few more years of maturity under my belt (:D) I can now hold still and not cry (but I have a really hard time relaxing my muscles!). I still warn them: I know it doesn't "hurt", I know this is necessary but I do not like this! So for me, it took time, exposure and maturity.

[Kathy in Richmond]

My daughter had a deathly fear of the needle for years. When she was nine years old, it took two rather large nurses and Mom to hold her down long enough for a needed vaccination. No amount of talking to her, bribing her, anything, worked to get her through it. I even blame my one and only my-fault car accident on her fear of the needle: after a horrible scene at the doctor's office, I was so rattled that I rear-ended a car at a traffic light on the way home:tongue_smilie:

 

Anyway, just to encourage you, Colleen, the kid I feared would never come around finally did. It just took a lot of time & maturity. At eighteen and off to college, she voluntarily got a flu shot last week.:) Even so, she said she had to really screw up her courage and only went through with it because the line was so short that evening that she had no time to really get too scared or turn around and leave.

 

~Kathy

[Colleen in NS]

He'd pretty much become hysterical. Hubby would have to hold him down.

 

After a long time of working with his fear and having trained staff who work with children (we used to ask for one nurse whose technique was QUICK and efficient) did the trick.

 

My daughter had a deathly fear of the needle for years. When she was nine years old, it took two rather large nurses and Mom to hold her down long enough for a needed vaccination. No amount of talking to her, bribing her, anything, worked to get her through it.

 

Both of your posts are VERY helpful, thank you.

 

So, what did you do when these children became, oh, 12-14 years old, stronger, taller, and refused to get into a vehicle to go to a needle-oriented appointment????????? When you have neighbours around who watch you????

 

and tex-mex, what more can you tell me about these sensory issues?

[kalanamak]

I have seen children who have been able to hold still as long as they could scream through the whole thing. I mean screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam through the whoooooooooooooooooooole thing. I mean encouraging them. I mean dad shouting "I can't hear you".

[Kathy in Richmond]

The only shot my dd needed after that scene at age nine came a few years later when she was getting a summer camp physical. The doctor surprised her with a tetanus booster. Since she wasn't expecting it and the nurse was quick, there wasn't a big scene. And she really wanted to go camp. (If I had known it was coming, I would have sent her Dad to the appointment with her!)

 

Other than that, she didn't need another vaccination till this year for college.

 

My older child always just stuck his arm out for shots or blood work. Never flinched. I guess I got my comeuppance for being smug about how good he was!

 

What tex-mex said about sensory issues is interesting to me, too. My daughter has those issues, too (mostly tastes & textures; gag reflex & picky eater).

 

You have my complete sympathy,

~Kathy

[tex-mex]

Both of your posts are VERY helpful, thank you.

 

So, what did you do when these children became, oh, 12-14 years old, stronger, taller, and refused to get into a vehicle to go to a needle-oriented appointment????????? When you have neighbours around who watch you????

 

Funny you ask that. Son now is a gentle giant taller than hubby and I. He is also more mass & muscle than both of us. When son was younger, it was easy for hubby to hold him down for bloodwork. Yes, he'd be crying or yelling for the whole hospital to hear and we'd be cringing in embarrassment. I remember one lab tech got so nervous by ds flipping out that he refused to do the blood labs and we had to come back another day. It happened so many times we eventually didn't care what others thought.

 

I was wiped out just getting him there. The night before, ds was in his usual OCD/Aspie frame of mind and asking me every 20 minutes will the needles hurt? And his tummy hurts -- why is that? We would patiently explain to him why his body (liver) needs to be checked via blood labs. And why it is important for him to go see the doctor. It is okay to worry, but not to allow the fear to take control. Yadda, yadda, yadda. It was always a tough night before the doctor's appointment. Plus, we had to make the 200+ mile drive (nowadays we fly and get it done in 6 hours) the day before and stay in a hotel which added to the stress of seeing the doctor. Poor kid.

 

One funny story has ds at age 10 in the blood lab worrying about the bloodwork. He was not crying -- but he has a naturally LOUD voice -- and boomed out loud for the whole lab to hear as the lab tech had prepped his arm for the needle to be inserted:

 

"WAIT!! I'm not ready." DS said seriously. We all looked at him and he looked calm and determined. The lab tech was getting nervous. Then son said, "I need to pray. Dear Jesus..." DS gave a lovely little prayer from his Aspie heart and soon we heard soft chuckling from other lab techs coming down the hall. I was trying not to crack up out loud. Hubby had to leave the room and bust a gut. Everyone smiled at the little kid as he exited the lab. That was flat out funny. At least he didn't cry or scream in terror.

 

As son grew older and bigger, hubby and I learned that we simply had to dig in our heels and insist he go to the appointment. HE HAS NO CHOICE. We would threaten privileges removed like the beloved video games, TV, or treats. (Or a reward once it is over like a favorite fast food treat or video game rental to look forward to. Bribery really helps, btw. ;)) It is not fun to be the one trying to reason with one who is so riddled with fear they become uncontrollable. But we did it without abuse or ridicule to his esteem. Son now looks back and we can talk reasonably about what his fears were. But during the crisis? Uh nuh. Logic flies out the window and you have a kid who can easily overpower you.

 

and tex-mex, what more can you tell me about these sensory issues?

 

My son has Aspergers and that alone gives him reason to act out -- the lab chemical smells, the rubbery arm band is too tight, the lights are bright, no one is explaining what they are doing, how BIG is the needle, etc -- are thoughts racing thru his SI mind. Mix in some anxiety and you have a stressful event for anyone.

 

If it helps, I'm mildly Aspie myself with some SI and can empathize with my son. My older sister also has Autism and our rare liver disease and when we were kids -- in her non medicated mind without intervention (no one back then knew of SI, Autism or the rare liver disease) -- she'd often freak out over issues like sound, smell, touch, or phobias. One phobia she had of dogs was so extreme. One day we were walking down the street as kids and here came this dog on a leash. Before I could warn my sister to cross the street (she saw the dog before I did) -- she screamed wildly and ran to the nearest house. Its front door was open and sis ran in. I was frozen to the sidewalk watching it all happen not knowing what to do. I made it to the porch and apologized to the elderly couple who had their dinner interrupted by the crazy Mexican teenager who was crying. OMG. :confused: Stuff like that happened all of the time with my sister and once I grew up, I realized what NOT TO DO with those who were Aspie/Autistic. You just have to be patient and trudge thru it. Try to work on the issue with little baby steps. And yes, the person can overcome it. But it takes a long time. You cannot allow the person's behavior to control the family tho'.

Edited November 16, 2010 by tex-mex

[Colleen in NS]

it seems he just made a very conscious decision that he wanted to get over it, and he signed up to donate blood at his office, and did, and has been fine since.

 

Encouraging to hear; thanks!!!!

 

I used to be deathly afraid. For me it took my DD being diagnosed with diabetes. When you watch an 8 year old give themselves a shot 5 times a day without batting an eye...you feel kind of dumb for being afraid of needles. LOL

 

And ditto to this post, too. Thank you. I think this child will feel this way someday - he already does, actually. But it doesn't help right now - he can't get past it.

 

In college I finally developed the self control to hold (mostly) still, but would cry uncontrollably (and make the person giving the injection very, very nervous). Multiple medical experiences later that involved many needles and with a few more years of maturity under my belt (:D) I can now hold still and not cry (but I have a really hard time relaxing my muscles!).

 

This is encouraging, too; thanks!

 

I have seen children who have been able to hold still as long as they could scream through the whole thing. I mean screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam through the whoooooooooooooooooooole thing. I mean encouraging them. I mean dad shouting "I can't hear you".

 

You're a doctor, right? This is SO good to hear!!!! And funny!:lol: We have BTDT with the whole screaming in the doctor's office thing, too, several times. To the point where once, when I finally had a good grip and the arm was ready and the needle was ready, the doc said, "Are you sure you might not want to come back and try another day?" "NO! Do it now!" I firmly said. I knew I'd never win if I gave in then. She was nervous about bruising him, but she did the needle anyway.

 

The only shot my dd needed after that scene at age nine came a few years later when she was getting a summer camp physical. The doctor surprised her with a tetanus booster. Since she wasn't expecting it and the nurse was quick, there wasn't a big scene. And she really wanted to go camp. (If I had known it was coming, I would have sent her Dad to the appointment with her!)

 

Hmm....I'm trying to think how I could "make" this happen - but I can't.

 

Other than that, she didn't need another vaccination till this year for college.

 

My older child always just stuck his arm out for shots or blood work. Never flinched. I guess I got my comeuppance for being smug about how good he was!

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol: I was just reading the thread about parenting strong-willed children - very helpful things there! My younger child is like your older child - she doesn't mind needles - all she wants is to be able to sit on my lap while it's being done - "SURE! No problem, honey!"

 

What tex-mex said about sensory issues is interesting to me, too. My daughter has those issues, too (mostly tastes & textures; gag reflex & picky eater).

 

You have my complete sympathy,

~Kathy

 

Exactly. The one who hates needles is also very sensitive to tastes and textures - cooked spinach makes him gag, for instance. He also articulately describes what he hates about needles - the pinch, the knowing there is a foreign object under his skin, the cold feeling of the fluid going into his skin....

 

Funny you ask that. Son now is a gentle giant taller than hubby and I. He is also more mass & muscle than both of us. When son was younger, it was easy for hubby to hold him down for bloodwork. Yes, he'd be crying or yelling for the whole hospital to hear and we'd be cringing in embarrassment. I remember one lab tech got so nervous by ds flipping out that he refused to do the blood labs and we had to come back another day. It happened so many times we eventually didn't care what others thought.

 

I was wiped out just getting him there. The night before, ds was in his usual OCD/Aspie frame of mind and asking me every 20 minutes will the needles hurt? And his tummy hurts -- why is that? We would patiently explain to him why his body (liver) needs to be checked via blood labs. And why it is important for him to go see the doctor. It is okay to worry, but not to allow the fear to take control. Yadda, yadda, yadda. It was always a tough night before the doctor's appointment. Plus, we had to make the 200+ mile drive (nowadays we fly and get it done in 6 hours) the day before and stay in a hotel which added to the stress of seeing the doctor. Poor kid.

 

One funny story has ds at age 10 in the blood lab worrying about the bloodwork. He was not crying -- but he has a naturally LOUD voice -- and boomed out loud for the whole lab to hear as the lab tech had prepped his arm for the needle to be inserted:

 

"WAIT!! I'm not ready." DS said seriously. We all looked at him and he looked calm and determined. The lab tech was getting nervous. Then son said, "I need to pray. Dear Jesus..." DS gave a lovely little prayer from his Aspie heart and soon we heard soft chuckling from other lab techs coming down the hall. I was trying not to crack up out loud. Hubby had to leave the room and bust a gut. Everyone smiled at the little kid as he exited the lab. That was flat out funny. At least he didn't cry or scream in terror.

 

As son grew older and bigger, hubby and I learned that we simply had to dig in our heels and insist he go to the appointment. HE HAS NO CHOICE. We would threaten privileges removed like the beloved video games, TV, or treats. (Or a reward once it is over like a favorite fast food treat or video game rental to look forward to. Bribery really helps, btw. ;)) It is not fun to be the one trying to reason with one who is so riddled with fear they become uncontrollable. But we did it without abuse or ridicule to his esteem. Son now looks back and we can talk reasonably about what his fears were. But during the crisis? Uh nuh. Logic flies out the window and you have a kid who can easily overpower you.

 

I TOTALLY get everything you wrote here. Totally.

 

My son has Aspergers and that alone gives him reason to act out -- the lab chemical smells, the rubbery arm band is too tight, the lights are bright, no one is explaining what they are doing, how BIG is the needle, etc -- are thoughts racing thru his SI mind. Mix in some anxiety and you have a stressful event for anyone.

 

I don't know if my son has Aspergers, but I totally GET all of this, too.

 

If it helps, I'm mildly Aspie myself with some SI and can empathize with my son. My older sister also has Autism and our rare liver disease and when we were kids -- in her non medicated mind without intervention (no one back then knew of SI, Autism or the rare liver disease) -- she'd often freak out over issues like sound, smell, touch, or phobias. One phobia she had of dogs was so extreme. One day we were walking down the street as kids and here came this dog on a leash. Before I could warn my sister to cross the street (she saw the dog before I did) -- she screamed wildly and ran to the nearest house. Its front door was open and sis ran in. I was frozen to the sidewalk watching it all happen not knowing what to do. I made it to the porch and apologized to the elderly couple who had their dinner interrupted by the crazy Mexican teenager who was crying. OMG. :confused: Stuff like that happened all of the time with my sister and once I grew up, I realized what NOT TO DO with those who were Aspie/Autistic. You just have to be patient and trudge thru it. Try to work on the issue with little baby steps. And yes, the person can overcome it. But it takes a long time. You cannot allow the person's behavior to control the family tho'.

 

.

Edited November 16, 2010 by Colleen in NS

[Colleen in NS]

n/m A night of thinking about it plus sleep helped to put things back into perspective.

Edited November 16, 2010 by Colleen in NS

[goldberry]

I have gotten over my "fear", but I still pass out every single time if I am not laying down (lying?). It is frustrating because I love all things medical and would absolutely have a career in medicine if it wasn't for this issue. I even tried to de-sensitize by watching youtube videos of people getting shots and IV's (they are training videos). It did help SOME, and I still do it on occasion.

 

It is just a matter of self-control I have to exercise when it is time to get a vaccination or bloodwork.

[Nan in Mass]

It is a nightmare. Sigh. Wait until they have to have their wisdom teeth out at 18 or 20. Or have to get vax's for college. Ug. It is horrible, horrible, horrible.