Needles !!

Misticles

i have to get my bloods taken cos im run down, but i HATE needles... if i take painkillers will it lessen the pain. anybody any tips at all, anything!! cos last time i got bloods taken i cried!!! i have my tongue pierced and have a tattoo, dunno why i hate these type of needles...
thanks

chamlis

Piercings and tattoos are far worse imo.

drive3331

I used to be like that too Misticles. A stay in hospital a few years back got me over it. Daily blood tests etc
Best advice is not to look at the needle when they are taking the sample.
If the person taking the sample is good they will use a fine needle and be quick doing it.
As for getting piercing and tattoos….. now those do sound painful, not a chance of me going for either!

cormie

I think you'll probably find it's not the actual pain that you don't like, but just the thoughts of it. I'm really bad too, I have to lie down when I'm getting blood taken and I put whatever arm isn't getting worked on, over my head and look the other way and just tell the nurse not to talk about anything she's about to do, just stay quiet and tell me the minute it's over. I always have to have water ready too just in case. One of the last times I went, I said to the nurse it's usually better if I lie down, she said "you'll be fine" 2 minutes later I was being wheeled passed the waiting room in a wheelchair, upstairs in the lift and onto a bed:D

Alter-Ego

Piercings are much much worse.

Just don't look at the needle, make small talk with the doctor/nurse. Its usually over very quickly anyway.

Misticles

dont be telling me things like that cormie lol
ye the nurse suggested i ly down... my tattoo and piercings were a drop in the pan. but its the thought of it i guess... and the pinch etc.. also i was asking my doc about the contraception injection and he came at me with a huge needle... scared the bejaysus out of me... lol

Catari Jaguar

I get the injection and it's no big deal. You can't see it cos they do it above your ass. It doesnt really hurt, makes me laugh cos it hits a nerve like when you bang your funny bone The idea of getting blood taken or a drip in my arm freaks me out, i hate it. But I can deal with getting stuff injected.

The little portacabins that travel around doin health checks analyse blood by taking a lil pin prick from your finger and putting it on a slide. Ask about that maybe?

o1s1n

i was totally freaked out myself till being diagnosed with an illness which has required hundreds of them. the best bit of advice i can give is to eat something before hand. stay hydrated. lucozade sport helps. ive had so many of them, but if i have an empty stomach or not enough water in me i'll faint. not a nice feeling at all.

oh and painkillers would probabaly just thin your blood. making you bleed more

tSubh Dearg

Eating something might not be an option for her, as some blood tests (glucose levels and cholesterol for example) usually have to be taken after fasting for approx 12 hrs.

o1s1n

oooh never thought of that. surely she could stay hydrated with water though? even that would make a huge difference. the last time i fainted was getting a canule in my hand in A & E. silly me forgot to drink

Rb

Any time I've had blood taken I've watched while they did it. Probably just a curiosity to see whats going on.

However, theres many in the same position as yourself OP. The only advice I can give is to look away and try block out thoughts of it. Have a friend with you perhaps and chat to them and concentrate your attention on them as best you can, should be over before ya know it

o1s1n

actually...
one time when i was in hospital, i had an experienced elderly nurse come around and take it every morning. every morning the same time, easy extraction. i didnt feel a thing. didnt even bruise. (she said if its done correctly, it shouldnt)

on the last morning of my hospital visit, she was taking the blood out and i heard her shout "ahhh!" i looked down at my arm and a spurt of blood came out and went all over the bed. she rushed and covered it with some tissue.

"that vein has been used so many times its after collapsing in on itself, in all my career ive never had that happen"

i laughed about it, but she seemed genuinely shaken and worked up.

i know that sounds graphic and scary, but if you think about it, basically, people who take blood are extremely careful and pride themselves in doing it correctly. you shouldnt have anything to fear

Dave!

I get blood tests regularly. The first 2 or 3 times I was scared sh*tless to the point of nearly running out!

But I've since started to handle it quite well, possibly even enjoy it lol. I've started taking to the fact that 99% of the people they hire to take blood are like the nicest people ever Not good looking or anything, but they're always chirpy and happy, so I just revel in that to be honest.
I don't look at the needle as it's going in, that's how I deal with the tiny bit of pain. It's not even sore, but just feels like a little burn to me. I've started getting braver though, and every time I start looking as the blood is coming out It's quite interesting

So yeah, (a) chat to the nice ladies, (b) look away.

cormie

I nearly fainted reading about the vein collapsing... I may still:o

tbh

I was in hospital recently and had to get a drip - I'm diabetic so any fear of needles I had went out the window years ago! anyway, about 5am I woke up to find a guy practically hammering a drip into the back of my right hand - he said "sorry, your veins are really hard to find, I'll have to do a couple to make sure" - so, I had drip pipes in:

1. Back of my right hand
2. Half-way up my right arm
3. in the crook of my right arm
4. In the back of my left hand
5. In the crook of my left arm.

All connected to nothing! and he said "you're lucky it's me doing this, I'm the best in this hospital" :eek: but as far as the needle itself goes - it's just the thoughts of it. Don't let yourself think about it till you are actually in the chair - sure there's nothing you can do about it anyway.

kizzyr

I'm not scared of needles at all and have a slightly morbid fascination with watching the blood being taken however I do hate hate hate the needle being taken back out again. I think this is because I'm a fainter when I dontate blood and I know that once the needle is out then its lights out for me too. I only faint because I have very low blood pressure at the best of times and giving over a pint of my finest doesn't help the situation but for some reason I associate the removal of the needle with my fainting.

Cravez

Alter-Ego wrote:

Just don't look at the needle, make small talk with the doctor/nurse. Its usually over very quickly anyway.

Best advice there, just try not to think about it and most importantly RELAX. speak to the nurse while you have your head turned away it makes it alot more comfortable and you feel alot better instead of all tensed up which is what probably made it sorer the last time, before you know it it will be done. Helped me somewhat in my experiences, not just with bloods but i also had to get 5 local anesthetic injections into each of my toes (total of 10 shots) at various different points. Trust me i hate needles also but its one of those things you get used to. chin up & don't worry about it

Faith

Don't take painkilles beforehand as they can thin your blood and give an inaccurate result.

You'll be fine. Just get it over with.

Misticles

it was ok.... it wasnt painful cos i hyped myself up cos i was thinking it would be worse than it actually was... worst was feeling the blood leave and the needle coming out..

cormie

No wheelchairs so?

Victor

Explain that you are feeling nervous and avoid watching it.

o1s1n wrote:

oooh never thought of that. surely she could stay hydrated with water though? even that would make a huge difference. the last time i fainted was getting a canule in my hand in A & E. silly me forgot to drink

If you are told not to drink, then don't drink!

embee

Hi OP,

I used to have to get bloods taken regularly. I've never been the worlds biggest fan of needles, not by a long shot. I've found thinking about it (and watching it) makes it ten times worse. Last Thursday, I had to get a needle put into my wrist to try to remove a very large ganglion cyst. The needle was a wider bore than normal, and very long. The sight of it (I glimpsed it as the doctor was unwrapping it) made me a bit anxious but I do find that controlled breathing (big long breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth) gave me something else to focus on. The cyst itself was of a rubbery, jelly-ish substance, so the Doctor was working at it with the needle for a good 15 minutes, but controlled breathing really works for me. Also - picking out a spot on the wall (like a picture, a crack, anything) and focusing on it helps. A good nurse/doctor/lab technician won't leave you with bruising and the needle going in should feel like a little prick or a scratch for a second, then you should feel nothing.

biko

This is what I do - take a deep breath and then a long exhale during the prick.
It's harder to stress out and feel pain while you exhale.

idunno78

for again. there is a freezing spray they use i get that some time when i get bloods taken. you still feel it but it sometimes takes the sting away! Also if your really that afriad, you can sometimes get Elma cream! thats great¬¬ i use that, but yo would have to ask for it befoer the procedure! i have been gettin needles in me since i was a baby (21now) and still hate them! I ahve had piercings and tattoos, but its just the thought of it. like you dont mind the pain for the piercing cos at the end of it you will have a piercing!! THats what i thkn anyhow!

LegacyUser

'Fear of needles is common and is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. The fear or sensation of imminent faint often goes with it. Always tell the staff and insist on lying down.

The deep breath tip is a good one.

A good deep cough is also very helpful if you are getting something like an antitetanus jab in the bottom. Unfortunately, this trick cannot be used for taking bloods or putting up IVs or whatever because you will move when you cough !!!

That said the greatest medical joke before sticking a patient with a needle has to be the incantation "just a little scratch coming up". This puts the patient off guard at which point they are ready to be harpooned..........

Seriously though, it does get easier with practice. Easier for the doctor that is........'

FranknFurter

lol.
I've had so many bloods taken they can no longer find veins to take it from lol.
I also HATE needles, for that reason. You get some noob student wanting to prove him / her self determined to get a vein no matter how much they have to stab and tear.

Best thing I find is to not look, and listen to your mp3 player. Tell the nurse to give you about 60 seconds listening an then go without telling you.
Concentrate on the music and you wont feel a thing.

My big thing is I ALWAYS ask if the nurse has been doing this for a while to make sure Im not a guinea pig for a student, leave that to those who aint needle-phobic
You are entitled to ask for somone else until you find somone you are comfortable with.

B