needles!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2003
needles!
2
Mon, 06-27-2005 - 11:40pm
Does anyone else have a needle phobia? I am so afraid of needles that I routinely avoid any medical treatments or procedures that involve them. If I get up the courage to ask for a shot that I need, I fight off the nurse until she gives up. I haven't gotten a shot in about five years, but that can't last much longer. The most recent shot that I refused was for tetanus, after I got into an accident about 9 months ago and was just on the verge of needing a new tetanus shot anyway. Plus, I'd like to be tested for all of the STDs. Does anyone have ideas about how to get over this? I'm on Celexa for general anxiety and I've got some Ativan, Trazodone, and Effexor hanging around from old prescriptions but I don't think any of those would help. Thanks in advance for any ideas...
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
In reply to: legendshot
Tue, 06-28-2005 - 9:26pm

Hey kiddo! I didn't forget about you! I am sorry to post so late, but I needed to track down this thread. Please click on this link & check out what another member to our community experienced. There is help. There is hope. Phobias can be overcome by *exposure* therapy or sometimes it's called *desensitization.* Try a google search on your pc. Also, you can check to find qualified therapists near you. Have you considered hypnosis? That can work, too. We have folks on the board presently who used it to overcome other phobias. Suz, our board cl used it for a driving fear. All the best to you, legendshot. If I can do anything else for you, let me know. I care. I want you to feel better as we all do. You are NOT alone. Good luck & GBU! (((hugs))) jan


http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-bhpanic&msg=15498.1



 

 


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2003
In reply to: legendshot
Wed, 06-29-2005 - 2:42am
Thank you so much for finding all that info for me! I read through the other woman's posts and I could really identify with her feelings. The only problem is that I can't identify with any of the listed reasons why needles are scary (pain, medicine, cleanliness, etc). It's just the idea of a needle-like implement going into my skin that upsets me. It doesn't help not to look, and it doesn't matter whether or not it hurts. I know that it's good for me and won't give me a disease. Once I got tested for mono and they finally realized that a blood test was never going to work, so they pricked my finger, and that got the same reaction from me as any other needle. I don't know why it's scary, I just can't deal with it -- watching it on TV, watching someone else receive an injection, it all makes me shake. I know that I have to solve this problem in order to be healthy, but I don't know how I can. I'm a recent college graduate with no permanent home as of yet, and I've lost my therapist from school and have no way of paying another one. What do you think I should do? I'm in desperate need of a solution.....thanks again
Val