What if you are needle phobic but want the jab?

[FlatEarthling]

It's not me. It's DH. He tries to be brave when we have holiday jabs but he is close to passing out. I usually prop him up and distract him with talking too much. He visibly shakes.
He's the same if he sees blood.

I'm assuming no one ( me) is going to be allowed in with him at the vaccine centre when it's his turn ( he's just turning 50).
The GP don't have him down as needle phobic. I suggested he ask if the GP could do it as he could lay down.
He doesn't want to think about it yet...I think this is because he won't be able to say the word ' injection' out loud without feeling sick.
He refused his NHS over 40 health check too.

He can't even watch injections or anything medical on tv. He knows it's silly but can't help it.

I have to lie down when I have a jab, in case I pass out. The nurse has always been fine with this.

I am totally needed phobic - I cry and sometimes have to be held down a bit - it's crazy as I know it doesn't hurt it's just really weird! It hasn't gone away either having had 3 children and currently going through cancer. I'm so scared and get anxious about a week before.
I went for my jab and the first thing I told them was I was scared and they were amazing! They probably have met every single type of needle phobic person so that's what gets me through - I think it's just a case of seeing the bigger picture. But I totally understand that that's hard x

I think maybe the GP could give him some diazepam for taking before the jab - just as a one off?

I work in a Vacc centre. If people are needle phobic we let them bring their partner/relative in with them.
Hope this helps.

The pictures I’ve seen of vaccine centres are all upright chairs in school hall type buildings.

I feel so sorry for him as he’s a so good at everything and so practical, he’s not emotional about anything ( dislike this, but that’s another day) but this is his one thing he can’t control.

Maybe take some St. John's Wort beforehand?

@HildegardNightingale . Thanks for this.
And thank you generally for this work!

Online CBT might help.

I got the AZ vaccine on Tuesday and I can honestly say I did not even feel the needle go in

Just to say obvs it’s easy for me to say it’s fine and it doesn’t hurt as I don’t have a needle phobia as others have suggested maybe getting him to lie down and face away when they’re prepping the needle and putting it in
Hope it goes well when he gets called for his

I can only work around my fear of dentistry with the help of valium. Like Majestic said, see if his GP will prescribe a dose. Phobias are horrible.

Does it help if he knows it’s only 0.3ml that will be injected? As it’s such a small amount it’s an extremely fast injection.

Obviously it doesn't fix the phobia but if he looks away and is distracted he might not even notice - they're using really high quality needles to reduce wastage (so you can max out the doses in a bottle) and you really can't feel it at all. I think most of the vacc centres would allow someone in with you if you need help - we allow it for people with hearing difficulties or mobility difficulties etc.

I would say I am like your dh.
I was literally sobbing and getting into a right panic after an injection at the dentist recently.

I told the person who was going to do the injection.
The chair was facing away from where she picked up the injection etc, and she distracted me with chat.
I can honestly say I didn't feel it. I know that sounds unlikely, and like I'm being dismissive, but I'm really not (see above).

Someone was saying on another thread yesterday that is is actually a smaller needle than most, which makes sense.

@FlatEarthling I also work in a vax centre. You can come through with him and we prefer to vaccinate people with a history of fainting after injection in our separate bay, where they can lie down and we have Obs machines etc available with a vaccinator and a nurse present. Just tell the staff when he has his pre screen and they should make sure he’s catered for. It’s more common than you might think.

Our GPS let supporters in for vaccination.

All I felt was the vaccinator wiping my arm with a wipe and I was amazed when she told me it had been done. You don’t feel it.

It's good to know I can go with him. I had visions of someone seeing him and thinking 'no way is that big, hairy thing scared'

To some of the other comments, it makes no difference that he won't feel it or doesn't have to look etc. It's the mere thought of a needle anywhere near him that is enough to make him shake and take all the colour from his face. It's such an extreme reaction.

I had no clue about it until long after we were married and our toddler DS cut his finger. DH fainted! It wasn't even a bad cut, no stitches.

It's tiny. Not as tiny, tiny, tiny as the flu jab, but still tiny.

If he can manage (with your support) the Travel Vaccinations (which are optional, as you don't actually have to go on holiday to places where you need them), he's already proved to himself that he can do it, especially for something so important.

If he can go in with his T shirt already pushed up and make a point of looking away (I'd suggest towards the floor), they can bring it round and administer it without him seeing a thing.

They're also so practised at administering them quickly that he's incredibly unlikely to feel it.

I've always thought that assorted procedures/tests/medications aren't supposed to be fun, but they're a vast improvement upon the sort of things that could need to happen if you don't have them.

I wasn't in there long enough to be offered a seat. Filled the paperwork in at the door - 3 or 4 quick questions confirming I was well and not pregnant. Sleeve rolled up, quick jab and then asked if I was driving - I said no I'd walked and they let me go. Honestly didn't feel a thing. In and out in less than 3 minutes.

Needle phobic DH has his 2 weeks ago - I was able to accompany him, plenty of people had a buddy with them.

The process was so smooth it really helped because there was less time, he was hyperventilating but it was over before he could feel faint. Definitely accompany him and tell the staff when you get there too.

Just tell them when you go in. We would deal with it, no problem

I hate needles, but wouldn't class myself as needle phobic. I was hospitalised with Covid and had multiple needles per day. The jab is just one (well two, bit weeks apart!) I've had the vaccine and it genuinely was painless - to the extent that I wasn't convinced it had happened!

My Dh is needle phobic. He has broken dentist chairs from excessive hand gripping and fainted. But we now use the numbing tattoo cream. It was the fear of pain associated with an injection that caused his issue. He knows that the cream works to numb his skin, and whilst it’s not a cure, he can now manage injections and know they won’t hurt, so long as the hcp gets a move in with the procedure. He asks for the dental numbing gel at dentists.
Maybe this approach would help op?