Is there anything you can do about needle phobia in a 9 year old

[JingleBennysAndJooniper]

DS2 was taken to asthma clinic this week.

I took DH deliberately

When at the end I asked if he could have his flu jab he tried to fight his way out of the room past DH (6"6) and cried and cried (he is 9)

I know think this is because he had several ops and ended up with really painful canulas

but what can I do to help him cope better with this panic?

Did you warn the nurse who was administering the injection in advance? They must have lots of experience of this.

aww, poor thing
did he know he was going to have the jab? we never make promises we can't keep (learned the hard way) and always tell the truth about jabs, leaving it quite late in the day but giving him time to prepare mentally. makes for a hard time beforehand though. I can't say we are the experts in this but we have similar issues with ds1. I talk talk talk. why he needs the jab. why he can't opt out. why it is ok to cry/be frightened. we talk about how he's had lots of injections in the past so that's why he gets more worked up than his brother etc

it's such a shame for them

There is a cream they can use - Emla I think its called. Put it on an hour before the jab and it completely numbs the area - its the only way I can get through them and I'm 36!!!!

What about seeing a hypnotist?

Don;t ever lie to him or tell him not to be silly - I always (and still do) hate that.

See your GP and ask if he can be refered to someone who deals with phobias.

Good luck

My ds had the cream. He thought he was being pinched - they did the injection behind his back and he didn't have a clue.

The cream doesn't make any difference. He knows that it won't hurt much, but freaks and panics in a way that is horrible to watch

If I had told him that he was having the injection I wouldn't have been able to get him to the asthma clinic (and it was the only time they could do the jab for the next few weeks) and do the actual asthma stuff.

I did tell him he would be having it soon.

Last OP he had they put him under using gas, as he was Soooooooooo distressed at the thought of the needle - didn-t help that he had a canular in when he woke up.

The nurse was aware and was fantastic and is lovely, but talking someone down from panic .....

quint - I am not good with needles, and have fainted in the past (not since I was pg with my first, I got over it pretty quickly 19 years ago when they used to take blood out of you every week), so GP it is, then hypno options.

Thanks for all your advice

I love you all

Im a great believer in play therapy with play specialists - i think most hospitals have them now - they can do sessions with children with needle phobia - giving teddy injections etc. Im a childrens nurse and seen it work wonders - children so so needle phobic now holding there hand out watching cannulas being put in but really true! Maybe ask your asthma nurse?

Dd used to do this, but then she had panic attacks over so many things that we were quite used to them. The only thing that seemed to help was for me to stay absolutely calm, restrain her and keep repeating 'no, you are going to have this, I am going to make you do it'. But very calmly. She gradually got better when she saw that panic wasn't achieving anything: it's the suspense of maybe-I-can-get-away that is really scary.

Play sessions putting a needle into teddy may not actually cut it with a 9yo, Rodg , but there may well be something similar for older children.

Surely between the two of you (and such a nice reassuring size to your dh), you could have got him into asthma clinic even if he was fighting? Sometimes, I think it does reassure children to know exactly what is going to happen and that they can't alter it.