How to get a needle into a needlephobe??

[Rowenasemolina]

Any suggestions? My brother has been called for the vaccine twice, and badly wants it, but had to leave without it last time.

He survived cancer 30 years ago, and no one has ever got a needle into him for anything since.

We are going to try half a bottle of wine before the next appointment, but really not sure if this is a terrible idea.

Any other suggestions?

There are some helpful suggestions here. Thank you.

There are also some people who simply don’t have any idea how debilitating a phobia can be.

@RosesAndLemonade you hugely underestimate his level of phobia.

‘Someone going with him’ ‘being adult’ ‘it’s his choice’ ‘needs to deal with it’

All such quotes show a total lack of awareness. It isn’t his choice, he can’t deal with it, he has just gone.

I’m not having a go at you. I’m just saying this to clarify. He desperately wants it. He has wanted other treatment related to needles in the past too. He will go, he will sit Or lie down, he will hold his arm out. As the HCP approaches, He will scream, flail around, sweat buckets, vomit.

He is not able to allow anyone to put a needle in his body.

It isn’t ‘mind over matter’ And no he can’t. I’ve been with him in the past when he has needed urgent medical intervention, and it has taken 3 or 4 hours for the HCPs to give up.

He’s a highly intelligent successful professional. If it was a matter of making a decision, or logic, I wouldn’t be here to see if anyone has any suggestions

@sashh

Agree with a sedative from the GP, actually if he can get it metaxalone. Metaxalone will make him not care what is happening and it has a side effect of short term memory loss so he won't remember the actual jab.

I have a friend who is needle phobic, I have been with her when a phlebotomist has said, "I won't hurt you" and then her BP crashes, she faints and then they realise it isn't just a bit of fear but a real phobia.

Thank you for i you our input. The suggestion is helpful, and you also clearly understand the problem that some people just hugely underestimate what ‘phobia’ Can actually mean

@Covidcorvid

I know someone who is needle phobic and had to have a blood test. We did a square breathing technique (google it), she was still sobbing but she managed to cope. She said the square breathing helped so much and she’s since had further blood tests where she’s coped a lot better.

Something else to look up, thank you

@RosesAndLemonade

To be honest I don't think there's much time to start mucking about with hypnotherapy. I am sympathetic to phobias I'm not just being callous here. He's a grown man, he's been offered a vaccine that people are absolutely desperate for. If you really must, ask the GP for some diazepam but I don't know that they'd really do that.

I'm afraid whilst I'm sure I will get shouted down because .. phobias are real..I get that though, but he just needs to go. Someone needs to go with him and he needs to be as adult about this as possible. We are in a pandemic that we are all sodding fed up with and has been going on for nearly a year. The only thing that's going to get us out of this is vaccinating people who can and need to be vaccinated. I assume if your brother has been called he is vulnerable.

I've been called to have it - I can't, I have very severe allergies. There are others like me, there are CEV children by the bucket load who can't be vaccinated as it isn't for children - and they, and all the adults who can't have it , rely on everyone else having it for their protection.

It's your brothers choice whether he has it or not, and my above point I've only made because you said he does want it. If he wants it I'm afraid he is going to need to walk in there and let someone stick a two seconds needle that isn't going to hurt, into his arm.

I'm sorry for being blunt, but he wants it, and the more people who have it, the less the risk of serious illness and hospitalisations is, and this ends quicker.

I'm not going to call him silly for having a phobia, but unfortunately my only answer is just go and get it done.

Seriously?

The person has a PHOBIA

Reminds me of that time Richard Madeley asked an anorexia sufferer 'why don't you just eat something?'

Also this person isn't stopping someone else getting it, they haven't allocated him a specific vial that is sat on a shelf.

You can have a look at some self help ideas and speak with your brother to check what he thinks.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/all-patients/overcoming-your-fear-of-needles.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwipjIbJ5sXuAhUHCsAKHfHaDrUQFjAKegQIIRAB&usg=AOvVaw3KKLezgf2vgFplaGjO4WKO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/all-patients/overcoming-your-fear-of-needles.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwipjIbJ5sXuAhUHCsAKHfHaDrUQFjAKegQIIRAB&usg=AOvVaw3KKLezgf2vgFplaGjO4WKO

@Rowenasemolina

There are some helpful suggestions here. Thank you.

There are also some people who simply don’t have any idea how debilitating a phobia can be.

@RosesAndLemonade you hugely underestimate his level of phobia.

‘Someone going with him’ ‘being adult’ ‘it’s his choice’ ‘needs to deal with it’

All such quotes show a total lack of awareness. It isn’t his choice, he can’t deal with it, he has just gone.

I’m not having a go at you. I’m just saying this to clarify. He desperately wants it. He has wanted other treatment related to needles in the past too. He will go, he will sit Or lie down, he will hold his arm out. As the HCP approaches, He will scream, flail around, sweat buckets, vomit.

He is not able to allow anyone to put a needle in his body.

It isn’t ‘mind over matter’ And no he can’t. I’ve been with him in the past when he has needed urgent medical intervention, and it has taken 3 or 4 hours for the HCPs to give up.

He’s a highly intelligent successful professional. If it was a matter of making a decision, or logic, I wouldn’t be here to see if anyone has any suggestions

I'm not hugely underestimating it, and I've made that clear. I don't know if you've read what I wrote bur I am currently in the hospital that I gave birth to my stillborn baby in and have ptsd. I'm not underestimating at all how difficult things can be when you are truly traumatised

I know someone who is doing therapy for people with needle phobias. I don't know if she is charging anything for it but might be worth considering for anyone who is too frightened to have their jab:

vandavarga.co.uk/

She is based near Southampton but I suspect you can work with her via video call.

I imagine there are other practitioners providing similar services.

Beta blockers from the doctors. Really works.

@RosesAndLemonade train did read your posts! I’m sorry for your situation, but it’s not relevant to my question. And you talk about just doing it , and making a choice, and being an adult, etc, so I don’t think you do understand what a severe phobia is like! Best wishes

[quote Rowenasemolina]@RosesAndLemonade train did read your posts! I’m sorry for your situation, but it’s not relevant to my question. And you talk about just doing it , and making a choice, and being an adult, etc, so I don’t think you do understand what a severe phobia is like! Best wishes[/quote]
Well, no I do actually. As I've had one and been treated for it over several years. And yes this situation is relevant. I am very traumatised by what's happened, I get very similar responses to your brother when I have to come into this hospital but then I have no choice , I need to be here.

So, I do actually understand and have had diagnosed phobias as well. However the reason I've said what I have is, that this is a very unusual situation, I think. Because we are in a pandemic, that isn't something that (thankfully!!!) Usually happens. And you're brother really wants the vaccination - understandably. And I mean, the sooner it's done then the sooner he is protected. So whilst people are suggesting therapy, which obviously would help , because it's quite unlikely that you'd get through the rest of your life needing no medical intervention, so yes sure that would be a very worthwhile thing to do.
But we are in a kind of - immediate situation, the sooner that he has the vaccine the better, so that's why I've sort of said what I have. I'm honestly not being cruel or insensitive. I genuinely have been treated for a phobia (although not needles hence why I didn't mention it ) so I do get it. I've run out of rooms screaming hysterically and throwing up due to the terror of what was in there and completely unable to go back in even if the thing was gone. I mean, I do understand. (and ptsd genuinely does bring similar reactions. For example and it does involve needles, I had to go back to the exact bay that mh child was confirmed dead, for a post partum blood test. I have no issues with blood tests usually but I could not even walk through the door of the ward, they managed to finally get me to step through the door but I just fell to the floor crying , shaking, threw up, couldn't move any further, and just had to leave, leave the hospital and I had to book the blood test elsewhere (which delayed it it was very important) .so I get it.
But my entire point is that this situation is different - it could potentially make a massive difference to have it so, I do think even if it completely fails and your brother cant, (which would be understandable for sure and there would be absolutely no shame in it at all ) it is worth trying sooner rather than later.

Hey, previous needle phobic here.
I used to be so phobic, I'd just flat out faint if I saw blood, or needles. I worked in a hospital in an admin role, and if I had to go into a ward and saw the empty blood sample bottles, not even with needles attached, I'd almost faint or actually faint if I couldn't sit down in time. It was ridiculous, and there were many times that I had blood tests or vaccines, and I wouldn't appear scared - I acted cool. But then I'd have a shock reaction.
Then I got blood cancer and all of a sudden I was having blood tests daily. And injections, and I had to inject myself 3 times a day for months at one point. And I had surgery on my neck while I was awake 4 times.
I did a lot of research into self help stuff about fear, how to overcome it. I spent hours learning how to meditate, learning breathing exercises, etc. Eventually I stopped fainting or feeling like I'd faint. But it really did take a lot of self help/mindset training/whatever you want to call it. I'm absolutely fine with needles now - thankfully. All these pictures and videos in the media of people getting vaccinated would have me a nervous wreck otherwise!

What helped me in the early days was holding my breath before a needle, and not looking at any needle related stuff. Also repeating phrases like "the only way to get through fear is to do the thing you're scared of" over and over in my head.

I hope he finds a way, phobias (proper ones like this) are nothing you can do a ‘mind over matter’ to solve. Good luck.
Two things 1) I read in a news article on my news feed the other day you shouldn’t drink alcohol and take the vaccine (including the evening after ideally) as it might reduce the efficiency. So check it. 2) as well as all the other suggestions like diazepam, breathing, cream etc would the nurse be willing to let him be behind a curtain and just stick his arm through so he can’t see her preparing/see it coming etc? Anticipation is often the worst stage

I wonder if he may simply be unable to get a vaccine at this point with no intervention, I'm sorry. Unless he starts to address the phobia first via GP - whether this is meds or therapy - it's unlikely things will change otherwise.

What about asking his GP to prescribe a beta blocker to take before his appointment? It takes alway the physical feelings of stress / anxiety, and so can really help.

^away

But you're still very much in control of everything - you can still drive etc.

I have a family member who's like this and he went back about 4x to get his jabs. Had to literally hold onto the chair. Literally 'white knuckled' his way through to. He's dreading this vaccine! He also tried a numbing spray and numbing cream, but found them such a weird sensation and added to the build up so did it without in the end

Can GP prescribe mild sedative?

@RosesAndLemonade

To be honest I don't think there's much time to start mucking about with hypnotherapy. I am sympathetic to phobias I'm not just being callous here. He's a grown man, he's been offered a vaccine that people are absolutely desperate for. If you really must, ask the GP for some diazepam but I don't know that they'd really do that.

I'm afraid whilst I'm sure I will get shouted down because .. phobias are real..I get that though, but he just needs to go. Someone needs to go with him and he needs to be as adult about this as possible. We are in a pandemic that we are all sodding fed up with and has been going on for nearly a year. The only thing that's going to get us out of this is vaccinating people who can and need to be vaccinated. I assume if your brother has been called he is vulnerable.

I've been called to have it - I can't, I have very severe allergies. There are others like me, there are CEV children by the bucket load who can't be vaccinated as it isn't for children - and they, and all the adults who can't have it , rely on everyone else having it for their protection.

It's your brothers choice whether he has it or not, and my above point I've only made because you said he does want it. If he wants it I'm afraid he is going to need to walk in there and let someone stick a two seconds needle that isn't going to hurt, into his arm.

I'm sorry for being blunt, but he wants it, and the more people who have it, the less the risk of serious illness and hospitalisations is, and this ends quicker.

I'm not going to call him silly for having a phobia, but unfortunately my only answer is just go and get it done.

If it was that simple he would get it done.

Seconding everyone who suggests a small dose of a sedative from a GP who is aware of the medical history and needle phobia.

@Rowenasemolina

Any suggestions? My brother has been called for the vaccine twice, and badly wants it, but had to leave without it last time.

He survived cancer 30 years ago, and no one has ever got a needle into him for anything since.

We are going to try half a bottle of wine before the next appointment, but really not sure if this is a terrible idea.

Any other suggestions?

The only way I get through it is I have to tell them absolutely in no way must they show me the needle. They have to tell me when it's going in and I have to basically zone myself out. I am terrified of them. I know mine relates to having a parent who was a heroin addict. I used to see my mum and friends inject themselves. It's not the pain I'm scared of it's obviously a psychological thing.

I had to have hypnotherapy and sedatives for my phobia initially (not needle phobia but similar) , I think the hypnotherapy worked longer term though as I no longer need sedatives

Get him to speak to his GP.

Im assuming that you can't take someone with you to the appointment? This would definitely make it more difficult for him.

If he speaks to his doctor, they may offer a solution. I'm sure he's not a unique case.

Distract him, surely?

@jimmyhill

Show him an intubation video and see which procedure he's more phobic of

Thats not how it works