needles
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needles
| Mon, 08-15-2005 - 6:05pm |
Hey all, maybe someone has a tip I could use --
I have panic/anxiety but I also have a severe phobia of needles. I went to the doctor last week and he was pretty firm about wanting a blood test....I know that it's important that I get one, I'm a young woman who has had unprotected sex with a couple of men and protected sex with a few more, not to mention that I drink enough to be worried about my liver, and I have general anxieties about the state of my health that I think would be alleviated by getting bloodwork done (or made much worse, depending on the results). I have been moving around for the past 6 months or so between college graduation and trying to find a home, etc, and I'm planning to move again, so this might be my best chance to get bloodwork done with a doctor who knows my background. However, how can I possibly get through it? He said that they can't put me to sleep to do it. He gave me a patch of Novocaine or something to put on my arm to numb it so I can't feel the needle, but that isn't really what scares me, it's just the idea that I don't like. I can walk in any day without an appt and get it done, but I can't eat the night before, and I keep "accidentally" having a late-night snack and telling myself I'll do it the next day. Last time I tried to even get a shot, the nurse refused because she couldn't calm me down enough to make it safe, so I'm terrified of how bloodwork will go. I've heard that it's a bad idea to have a few drinks to calm you down, because it thins your blood. I am extremely terrified of this procedure, but I also know that it's really important to get it done, and it causes me anxiety not to know what's in my body. Someone please give me advice!
I have panic/anxiety but I also have a severe phobia of needles. I went to the doctor last week and he was pretty firm about wanting a blood test....I know that it's important that I get one, I'm a young woman who has had unprotected sex with a couple of men and protected sex with a few more, not to mention that I drink enough to be worried about my liver, and I have general anxieties about the state of my health that I think would be alleviated by getting bloodwork done (or made much worse, depending on the results). I have been moving around for the past 6 months or so between college graduation and trying to find a home, etc, and I'm planning to move again, so this might be my best chance to get bloodwork done with a doctor who knows my background. However, how can I possibly get through it? He said that they can't put me to sleep to do it. He gave me a patch of Novocaine or something to put on my arm to numb it so I can't feel the needle, but that isn't really what scares me, it's just the idea that I don't like. I can walk in any day without an appt and get it done, but I can't eat the night before, and I keep "accidentally" having a late-night snack and telling myself I'll do it the next day. Last time I tried to even get a shot, the nurse refused because she couldn't calm me down enough to make it safe, so I'm terrified of how bloodwork will go. I've heard that it's a bad idea to have a few drinks to calm you down, because it thins your blood. I am extremely terrified of this procedure, but I also know that it's really important to get it done, and it causes me anxiety not to know what's in my body. Someone please give me advice!

Can the dr. prescribe a med for before the injection? My dentist has prescribed sedatives when I required extensive work & I was extra anxious. Drinking alcohol simply isn't a good idea.