Any tips for blood test phobia?

[poppet31]

Hi there. I am looking for some advice. I am really phobic about needles and always have been since I was a child. Over the years, it's got a little better and I can now cope with injections but am still terrified of having blood taken. I need to have some blood tests on Friday and I'm terrified.

I have had some bad experiences in the past which doesn't help. They usually find it difficult to find a vein so sometimes I have had to have them take it from back of my hand which has been very painful. One time my vein just collapsed half way through and I ended up bruised all the way up my arm. I have also fainted in the past and always feel dizzy. Lying down to have it down does help a little with the fainting.

I know it sounds pathetic and I want to get over this but honestly, even writing this is making me feel nauseous and faint. I can't even think about veins or look at my own veins without feeling funny. Any tips much appreciated. Thanks.

Yes, definitely lie down and make sure you have breakfast/lunch before you go.
Take a bottle of water/squash and something sweet like chocolate to eat after.

I used to be you. Realisitcally simple exposure helped

Make sure you lie down, have a lucozade beforehand. Make sure you are well hydrated on the day and have eaten breakfast. It might be painful but it will be over soon, make sure to keep breathing (this is really important, a lot of people forget to breath!) and just concentrate on breathing

Drink plenty of water a few hours before up to you appointment. It helps with the blood flow. Also try and keep your arms warm so the veins don't hide. I sympathise with you, I used to faint at any needle but pregnancy cured that! Take something to distract yourself like a magazine and try deep breathing and positive thinking.

I am hugely needle phobic.

I always tell the nurse/doctor/pharmacist this and my coping mechanisms eg:

Please don't let me see the needle
Please keep talking to me

I find this works. I haven't had a bad experience so far, and everyone has been fab, really understanding and more than happy to help ease my nerves.

Yes this is me too. I tell the staff that I usually faint (I really do everytime) and make sure they lay me down and I don't ever look at the needle or the blood. If they keep talking to you about something else, that helps too.
I've also found that asking to have it done at the hospital helps. At the Path Lab they take blood all day so are super quick and experienced, unlike some of the GPs/nurses who spend their days doing other stuff with the odd blood test inbetween.

Like previous posters have said, make sure you have eaten and have drank plenty beforehand. Keep warm. Tell the nurse you are nervous and turn your head away so you can’t see what’s going on. Wear something short sleeved under your jumper/cardigan so you don’t have to take your arm out of your clothes.

You can buy local anaesthetic creams like EMLA cream over the counter now, so maybe it would help if you got some of that and put it on before you go. It takes about 45 minutes to work and you need to cover it with some clear sticky dressings which you buy at the same time. One of my children used to have to have very frequent blood tests and I started putting it on before we went. They would do it at the hospital when we got there but then that meant sitting around for ages with him getting worked up about it, whereas when we arrived with it already on we were in and out in no time which really helped.
I know its not just the pain that's the issue, but eliminating that often does help. Otherwise, as others have said, plenty of sugary, non caffeinated drinks beforehand, ask to lie down and to remain lying down after its done, and get up slowly. You could try listening to some music or a relaxation app on your phone too.
Hope it goes smoothly for you.

Thanks so much everyone. Sadly I can't eat beforehand as it's a fasting blood test. I think being distracted will probably help so I'll tell the nurse to keep chatting!

I used to faint or convulse all the time.

Now I literally hardly care anymore.

I make sure I've had a good glass of water and I'm warm enough.
I would tell the nurse the issues you have had recently, tell her you are not good at it, prone to fainting. She will take even more care!

AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, LOOK AT THE NEEDLE.
This is the only thing I need to make sure of these days, it's a piece of piss😂
OH, AND KEEP BREATHING!

I like to ask if it's coming out ok just to calm myself down.

Good luck OP

Oh and have something you love ready for later to reward yourself with (wine, chocolate etc) That definitely helps.

Drink plenty the day before so you are as well hydrated as you can be bearing in mind fasting. Take at least one flight of stairs/ go for a brisk walk beforehand will help get your veins up a bit & make them easier to find, also keep warm per pp.

My daughter who has always had similar problems with blood tests took headphones and played music the last time so she couldn't hear what was going on. She found it really helped.

Can you take a friend to talk to for distraction?
Yes to warm & hydrated.

Lie down. Listen to something that helps you relax, and you can really focus on it.

Maybe this is common knowledge, but I didn't know it...
Clenching and relaxing your fist (sort of pumping it) helps the blood flow on that arm and also I find gives me something physical to focus on during the process.

Emla is your friend! Rub a good amount on and put clingfilm over the top to keep it in place. Put it on about an hour before your appointment. I would put some inside your elbow in case they can get that, and also some on your hand.drink plenty of water if allowed. We use heat pads for difficult patients. You could put gloves on to make sure you are warm. I have a regular fainter. I put his feet up before I start, put a fan on him, give him water before and make sure he has his Emla on. These things together can help. Hope it goes well.

Lots of really good advice above. I used to be very similar to what you've described. IVF with twice daily bloods and a couple of tricky pregnancies has basically cured me, though I did feel really shaky last time I had an injection at the dentist.
In addition to what people have said, distract yourself as much as you can beforehand. If/when you go shaky when you have to walk in the room, steady breathing. Regulate. Try to get a calm voice in your head repeating something calm, eg you're ok (I had hypnotherapy). And when you're sitting or ideally lying down, keep moving your toes and focus as hard as you can on that movement. Sounds weird, but I find it really helps!

Another one that a kind midwife once used on me I think was children gauge needles? More expensive she said which is why I hadn't had them before but literally barely felt it, maybe worth asking?

Well done on getting the appointment,DH is needle phobic and even talking about blood tests makes him feel strange. I have awkward veins too , when I was in hospital the nurses couldn't do it so I went to phlebotomy. If you're having it at your GP chances are the nurse will be very experienced and they can make it almost painless.

Drink plenty of water before you go and keep your arm warm.

I am blood phobic and find blood tests horrendous - I had to have a lot when pregnant and figured out that smelling aromatherapy oils and listening to music on headphones whilst they did it made such a huge difference for me. I always explained beforehand as well and everyone was always very kind.

I've always been scared of blood tests. It's made worse , like pp, by the fact that it's not easy to get blood out of me. I'd had years of two attempts by a nurse, who then gets a doctor in ( almost hyperventilating by this stage, who has two attempts then they decide to send me to the hospital's phlebotomists who have no time and just go for the easy but painful option eg wrists or foot.

One day , when I needed I blood test I told my GP how I felt. He completely understood and said that it would be much easier if a "butterfly" was used instead of a syringe. He said that he'd got a wonderful HCP who only ever used butterflies . They are , apparently more expensive to use but kinder to the patient.
I have visited this HCP ever since, despite the Practice now having its own phlebotomist.

I always drink plenty of water beforehand and , in cold weather, I take a hot water bottle tucked inside my coat to keep my arm against.

Hi, just wanted to come back and say thanks to everyone who gave me good advice. I kept warm, drank lots of water, did a 10 minute power walk round the block before I went in, and they still couldn't find a bloody vein! I guess some people just have crap veins. Anyway, the nurse, who was lovely, managed to get blood out the back of my hand. Which was a bit painful, but the whole thing was over very quickly and I didn't faint! I was still shaking but glad it's over now.