To think this won't be any more acceptable for needle phobics

[SEmyarse]

I'm a delivery driver, and part of my route is a large industrial estate so I tend to get to know all the receptionists quite well.

A couple of months ago I found that one of the businesses had changed its name to avaxzipen. That clearly looks like something to do with vaccines, which slightly surprised me because their previous name gave no indication of what they did before.

Obviously vaccines are pretty topical so I just asked the receptionist whether it was anything to do with covid ('cause I'm nosey), but she said no, that they had designed a new method of vaccine delivery. It was to delivery a solid dose of vaccine that was stable without refrigeration (very useful I'm sure) and not rejected by needle phobics.

I went away with some kind of idea that it must be a tablet (solid), but I was a bit curious about the 'pen'. I think I had a mental image of something like one of those pez things that would dispense a tablet to each person.

Still curious I eventually got round to googling it. Well the promotional video has a cartoon of the pen being put to the arm (like a syringe) and delivering a cassette (their word) under the skin. I do not understand how this can possibly work. You'd still need to pierce the skin? Can any needle phobics explain why this is preferable to a needle? If you want to google the video I said, be reassured that it is just a cartoon, but I imagine some people might not even want to watch that.

It wouldn’t help me, although visualising it doesn’t set off the cringy body shudders like visualising a needle. It’s still going to be an invasive sensation.

Sounds more portable than some vaccines, but it would still be an almighty struggle to get me into that room and sit on the chair. I would do it, as my sense of self preservation seems to be stronger as I get older.

Usually a needle has to be someone with full training (a medic) but a pen can be managed by anyone with a tiny bit of simple explanation (eg the epi pen that allergy sufferers carry in case of emergency).

With the pen you can't get it wrong, and all you do is tough it to your skin or push a button and it does the rest. You don't have to have any skill to find a vain or anything

*touch it

I totally understand the plus points of being easier to handle, deliver, store etc. They're great. I just don't understand how you get something under the skin without triggering people who have a fundamental fear of having something piercing their skin.

I think you should definitely tell them that their idea won’t work 🙄

I don't mind needles but can see why they make some people shudder (or worse). What you describe seems less bad to me.

I'm not a needle phobe, though like most rational people I don't like them!

After both my births (both sections) I had to be injected with some sort of anti-clotting agent (you can tell I'm not a medical professional, can't you?) for ten days.

After DD1, this was delivered in a pen-type thing, where there was a needle but you never saw it. I managed to do all of those myself no problem.

After DD2, I think there was possibly a shortage of the pens, and I was given a set of syringes (or at least, that's what I'd call then) with a visible needle that I needed to poker into my skin to administer to myself. I just couldn't do it - I got DH to do it for me.

Now I'm obviously not phobic, but for me the difference between a needle and a pen with a hidden needle did cross some sort of line, so it seems possible to me that would be true for some people who are truly phobic, though presumably not all.

Could it be like when they inject lip filler with the force of air? I've seen that before

You won't be able to see a needle, so that's one source of the phobia removed.

Disclaimer: I've not actually looked at it!

But to deliver medication through the skin, doesn't have to break it! Think HRT patches / pain relief patches- it goes through the skin but doesn't break the skin!

Pens then to have smaller needles and lime the pp said they are hidden. It'll work well for some, probably not all phonics, depending on what their phobic about.