Needle Phobia

anaglereads

Is anyone else entering this journey with a needle phobia? I've been working on getting better at dealing with it, but still kind of scared for my lab draw on Monday.

Ecat504

You’ve got this!! I can handle tattoos all day but I pass out or throw up every time I get blood work done. No advice, just solidarity. 

anaglereads

Thank you! I appreciate the support! I have 2 tattoos and a few piercings, but for some reason blood draw still freaks me out a bit. 

potofgolden

@anaglereads they freak me out too. I just look away and try to concentrate on an object to keep from freaking out that I’ll pass out.

anaglereads

Thanks, @potofgolden! I for sure look away. Last time I had to have it done, another nurse offered to let me squeeze her hand, which helped distract me better I think.

kitkatz1990

Girl me too!! My husband still makes fun of me, because a week before our wedding I had to get a TB test done for work and afterwards I was sitting in a chair and passed the hell out and smashed my face into a bookshelf! I looked so busted, lol! Luckily I had a good make up artist for the wedding 😂😂 I always have to warn them that I am prone to fainting and they will usually take extra precautions and make me lie down for a while afterwards to make sure I’m ok. The biggest thing for me is to make sure that I’ve eaten something. I seriously HATE needles!! 

surlyjaneausten

I deal with this and was so scared of the bloodwork during my first pregnancy. You can ask to lay down for the blood draw, chat with the tech, make sure you’ve eaten beforehand and have a snack and water on hand afterwards. Last time I even browsed through Facebook and the lady didn’t say anything 🤷🏼‍♀️. I think taking your mind off of it is key. I still don’t love it but I find blood draws a lot less scary than injections now. 

dshannah

@kitkatz1990 oh my goodness! What terrible timing!!!!

dshannah

I do think it gets better: you have so many blood draws during pregnancy that You can’t help but get used to it. Exposure therapy, right?

kitkatz1990

@dshannah worst timing ever!! I agree with you, I do think it gets better. I managed not to faint with any of the blood draws or IVs during both pregnancies. That said I still feel like getting the IV was the worst part of both births lol! 

surlyjaneausten

@kitkatz1990 I thought the IV was the scariest part of my c section!

karacc18

I will say that going through infertility has made me less needle phobic, but i still don't "like" having to get it done. And it's not until you are pregnant do you realize how many times you have to have your blood drawn! I have always found that looking away and just trusting that the phlebotomist knows what he/she is doing and it will be over in a second always helps me. And breathe!

anaglereads

@kitkatz1990 thanks for sharing!

anaglereads

@surlyjaneausten thanks for sharing! Asking to be reclined or laying down is part of my coping plan - hopefully works as well as it did last time!

anaglereads

@dshannah Exposure therapy is what I'm counting on! Hoping by the time delivery gets here I'll be much better at dealing with it.

anaglereads

@karacc18 Thank you!

here_we_are_baby_4

Here! I have a needle phobia & I'm pregnant with my 4th child. My phobia is so bad that I almost pass out, seeing black everywhere. 
You would think I had it under control by now but NOPE, I don't think I ever will. 
Sucks! The doctors & nurses really just throw attitude when you're worried about that because their comment is "haven't you done this before" or "you do know what comes at 40 weeks" ... yea, I do know! Does it make my fear go away, no! Lol! 

anaglereads

@here_we_are_baby_4 Kudos to you for sticking it out and pregnant with your 4th! Thanks for sharing!

BabyL52716

I have a freaking terrible experience with my first (c-section)and IVs. Stuck over and over again because of infiltrating and what not. 
Month after she was born I ended up in the ER at the time I thought I had some kind of infection but years later realized my PPD got the best of me. Ended up with several more IV sticks because I was so dehydrated and my veins hide. 
Ugh gives me chills just thinking about it. 

anaglereads

@BabyL52716 Yikes!

antsangel1118

I used to be terrified of needles, but I'm not too bad anymore. My first time getting blood drawn was my first pregnancy with DD 8 years ago. I was crying before they even got near me, and afterwards laughed at myself because it really wasn't that bad. This is baby number 5, and I still always tell them just to go and not to count, cause the counting makes it worse for me. And my veins like to hide, so I also always suggest looking the last spot they had success. I've had blood drawn from some pretty strange spots. Lol almost behind my elbow, practically next to my armpit, etc... 

scatteringashes

I used to hate it when I was younger, but I found that as long as I don't watch the initial needle-into-skin part, it's not that bad. (I actually kinda like watching the actual blood draw part??)

I have weird veins though, that look real prominent but that some pepole have trouble getting into, so I've also gotten very used to getting stabbed many times during pregnancy. When I was in labor with my son, it took then 7 tries to get the IV into me, and on the 7th try it was the anesthesiologist. After that, it was like, "Well. If that's the worst thing that happens to me today, we're doing alright."

anaglereads

@antsangel1118 Thanks for sharing! Glad you've gotten better at handling it. I think I will, too, the more times I have it done. Today went pretty well.

anaglereads

@scatteringashes Thanks for sharing!