To change Doctors to avoid this nurse? *I am VERY upset*

[Kayano]

It's me again and surprise purprise It is about my needle phobia. The nurse who gave me my phobia is the one who gave my baby her last lot of Jabs yesterday and I am so upset. I just need some perspective (but please be nice) as to if I am being PFB or if this is ok just so I don't get upset in the future. I'll admit here that I have pretty much copy and pasted this from my blog (which I won't link to here because of the guidelines and I am a good girl) because I simply can't bear to type it twice.

Firstly here is my background with how this nurse contributed to my phobia:

This woman should not be allowed to speak IMO. She doesn't think before she says anything and is very careless with her words.

When I was 13 I missed the Meningitis vaccinations at school. Flat out refused them at school due to my fear. My mum made me go to the GP to get the needle off the nurse. My mum came with me, such was my fear. I won't call it a phobia at this point because while I was terrified, I was going to have the needle. We walked in and my Mum explained to the nurse about my fear and how terrified I was.

The nurse called me silly and then prepared the needle. I sat still but had tears rolling down my face. The nurse (we'll call her Cow-Pat) looked at me and said:

 'You can't be so silly, if you move even a cm the needle could snap off and get embedded in your arm.'

Well that was it, I told her I was not having it and off I flounced (OK I may have mentioned breaking her arm if she came any closer with that thing)

Now I did so so well getting therapy and hypnotherapy and had needles when I was pregnant and a couple since but I am still terrified and can feel it getting worse again. DD had her first 2 injections with a different nurse and I was fine. I took my mum and even watched her get her needles and gave the baby cuddles and smiles so she wouldn't get a fear like me.

Yesterday she had her last lot of jabs. My heart sank as I walked in and saw Cow-Pat sitting there. She sat us down and instantly I remembered why this idiot should not be allowed to speak.

Cow Pat: This will have to be quick because I am very busy today. So I see dd hasn't been here for over 5 weeks?


Me: That's not right, she was here exactly 4 weeks ago


Cow Pat: 1, 2, 3... 4 oh right, you're right.


Me: .......


Cow Pat: And this is her second lot of injections (while preparing needles)


Me: No... Its her third 


Cow Pat: Oh... right. I just need to prepare the needles then. It's so easy to pick up and inject the wrong thing! Ha! And I am super rushing as it is really really busy due to the Jubilee last week.


Me: ....<strong>heart in mouth, looking pleadingly at my mum</strong> I don't think I can be here for this one

My Mum: She has a terrible phobia

(which Pat had clearly forgotten, having given me it 17 years before)

Cow-Pat: Oh dd you have got a silly Mummy. You're not going to be silly like your mummy

Seriously I could have punched her in the face (but I didn't, I just sat there feeling distressed and upset). I don't want Sophie to be scared, I don't let her see my fear, I smile at her when she has the injections, I take my mother, I do everything I can to protect her from associating needles with pain and terror and I am still deemed as 'silly'. I think I did a damn good job and Sophie didn't even cry at the first needle! Any medical professional who can describe a phobia sufferer as silly, stupid or any other lowly turn is a complete idiot!

Its now the next day and dd is too hot and have had to give calpol for the first time EVER after a needle and she has only been awake 1.5 hours. I am trying to stay calm and know she needs to rest but that stupid Cow-Pat has now got me wondering 'did she give her the right needles, did she inject her with something she shouldn't?' I checked my red book and surprise surprise the moron hasn't even filled it out! I know its normal for them to be sleepy the next day but This sleepy? I also know deep down that she has probably had the correct needles but she has upset me so much and put this doubt in my mind I have been sitting here stewing all day and sobbing as I look at DD.

So WIBU to change doctors? It isn't even my local one anyway but I'll be damned if i am in a situation where this woman could potentially try and inject me or dd again. I don't even want to accidentally bump into her in the clinic. Is this something I can complain about?

I have a needle phobia too - and a letter from a consultant anaethatist to prove it when necessary. The GPs I have had have been very considerate and my GP does any injections I need herself, with a lot of EMLA cream, distraction and soothing conversation. Our previous GP (we moved ) saw both my sons and gave them their injections at private appointments as the immunisation clinic made me feel very sick and faint. Would your GP do this if asked?

She sounds like an insensitive idiot.

I wouldn't change GPs but if you can, avoid seeing her. There is a cowpat who does smears at my GP surgery and I can't bear her near me. Nothing she does is complainable (your sounds much worse, actually)

Yu have grounds to complain about her not filling in the book. I'd start there and mention the poor bedside manner

I'd go back in with the book to get it filled in and make a complaint about her being rude and tactless. I doubt you are the only one to feel this way about her. She needs reminding to shut her trap. Also make sure to request a different nurse for any other vaccinations if there are other nurses in the practice.
If she does try to say anything make sure to stand up for yourself, don't allow her to put you down calling you silly, she is being very unprofessional.

YABU-who likes getting injections? noone but it is part of life-if you genuinely believe that you have a phobia of them then you must seek more treatment so that you dont pass this fear on to your dc.

I hated getting injections at school and would often cry. Then a few years ago I developed a rare form of cancer and had to have 6 months of chemo-believe me the normal injections you get are nowt compared to what they do when you need chemo!!

Just my luck I have shitty veins too so regularly used to get stuck all over while they tried to find a good vein!

If you like your doc and the surgery is ok apart from nurse ratchitt then just request that you and your dd don't see her. You don't need to give a reason.

As a therapist, I can tell you that its not the needles that bother you - its her. She drags up all those feelings of fear. Not rocket science. Silly nurse could have easily knocked the fear of needles on the head years ago but she made it worse. You will pass this tension onto your dd if you don't do something. Tell the surgery that you'd prefer to see someone else in future. If they press, just say that you have a needle phobia from childhood and she was the nurse at the time, so you make the association when you see her. You don't need to point fingers or blame.

Gosh, some people really don't understand phobias. I have a phobia of heights. I will cry if I am over about 6ft. My brain goes wobbly and I can't think straight. All I can feel is panic.

I'm not mad about injections but they don't have the effect that heights do.

It's not just "not liking" something.

Oo that did sound bossy, didn't it?

I think you need to a) get help with your phobia b) make sure you don't see this particular nurse again.

I am terrifed of the dentist, which I date back to a dreadful dentist when I was ten. However, finding a really good dentist has meant that I do manage to go every six months and have any treatment necessary. My dentist, knowing about my fear always saw the kids without me in the room so that they have not picked up my fear.

"Cowpat"

Why have you gone to the same surgery for 17 years? Just go to a new one.

Just request a different nurse?
I'm fairly sure you can request to not see a particular person, especially given you have that history.

Incidentally I had on my maternity notes that I was needle phobic. They do make me nervous, but the needle phobic comment was from a Dr in the hospital who took loads of attempts to get a vein, after taking 4 test tubes of blood for testing wanted to start again to get a 5th sample out of me. I refused at that point!! (I can hyperventilate and/or faint at injections, but I was really calm that time!)

I agree you need to find ways around or to deal with/reduce your phobia. The last time I had a blood test done I had a really good nurse, so I will ask to see her again next time. When I was pregnant I went to the hospital to get my blood tests done rather than at the surgery or by the midwife so I got someone really good at taking blood. I always take DH with me if possible and I don't take ds for his injections - dh does it!

I would also ask them to book a double appointment so you don't have to rush and/or can calm down afterwards.

I don't have a phobia of needles, but when it comes to insensitivity, your nurse sounds EXACTLY like the nurse at my doctors surgery.
When I ring up and they ask if I'd be ok seeing the nurse, I just say 'No sorry, I'd rather see the doctor'.
I can't be dealing with her rudeness any more!

my husband is over 60 years of age, a 6 feet 4 inch, very heavily built butcher so he doesn't mind blood, has cut himself loads of times BUT mention injections or show them on the TV he changes completely, including looking like he is going to faint. The first time he had an injection at the dentist aged 44 we didn't believe him so the next time the whole family went to witness it as he has had teeth removed without an injection. Our son and I are diabetic but he has never seen us do a blood sugar test or an injection, I don't think he will ever change.