Suspect I am. Psychological inability to swallow pills or have injections-really?

[madamezouzou]

Is this a real thing?

Have been looking after an adult colleague through the course of my work (I don't work in healthcare or any other caring profession!) who's been a bit ill- necessitating blood tests, numerous pills a day etc.

Bloody nightmare. Breakdowns at sight of needles, pills needing to be crushed up and can't take them even then because they taste bad. Liquid versions not available here (not in UK).

My patience has been tested and I can't help thinking- oh for gods sake, get on with it. Very sympathetic to her face though.

So is this really a genuine psychological condition?

Moreover- is it something that is not culturally specific? I don't imagine children living in poverty in eg an Indian village suffer from this, if they're lucky enough to get the medicine they need...

She sounds unsuited to her situation. I do have sympathy but it's not fair for her to put herself in this situation where she is so reliant on other people.

A relative of mine has a range of phobias and health problems that make her life unbelievably complicated but she knows she has to navigate them herself.

Oh read on further. Well yes I can see why you are annoyed with her. She does sound as if she's rather out of her depth.

Lots of people have replied with their experience of people with genuine phobias/difficulties with injections or taking tablets.

No one has replied with experience of people being phobic of both....

TBH I can't imagine getting a needle into ds3. I have enough trouble getting cream onto him.

Littlemiss - I always get medication in liquid form, or sometimes in a form that kind of melts on my tongue (I forget what it is called) if at all possible. It usually isn't though.

Through a lot of pain and tears and hard work I have managed to get to the point where I can take my nightly medication most nights first time, if with a bit of stamping and hitting (if I stamp my foot or kind of slap my chest or leg it somehow distracts me enough to swallow) and I can just about do injections and blood tests if I am calm to start with.

I had to stay locked up in hospital for an extra three days without the medication I needed because I just physically could not stay still with a needle nearby for a blood test. In the end I had to basically be drugged so they could do it.

My teeth are literally falling apart in my mouth and I can only manage very very short examinations before I jump up. I have a dodgy mole that keeps bleeding but the idea of a doctor even looking at it with all the doctor things around makes me feel physically ill. I did build up the courage once, when I was there about something else, she referred me on but I had to cancel that appontment for an unrelated reason and now I have lost my nerve again.

For some reason I don't mind, even quite like, talking to medical people on my terms, but as soon as they ask me to do anything, roll a sleeve up or whatever I panic.

For me, it is a combination of sensory issues making it very difficult to let people touch me or have anything in my mouth that is unusual (I find it very unpleasant to eat or drink things that are hot or cold, for example) and a kind of post traumatic thing from when I had DD1 and when I have been locked in mental wards. I really need to get it sorted out as it is massively affecting my health, but I don't really know where to start.