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.

My DH is the same. I'm going to take him and tell him he has to have it. He knows he has to but is scared. He isn't getting a choice.

@RuthW

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

I do wonder how the vaccinators would deal with me. My needle phobia is very severe.. I wish I was a fainter but my fight or flight comes out instead. I had to have vaccinations as part of my ODP training... had end of day appointments that were an hour long. Since then, I have been restrained and injected (was sectioned) and have very bad keloid scarring on my upper arms where injections are usually done.

Needle phobia is really unpleasant, my DH has it too.
Rescue remedy helps. Straight onto the tongue. But our vaccination centre was very accommodating for any needs - they don’t want a fainter on their hands 😁

I really worry about this my diabetic cousin is refusing to go until they have a jet vaccine.

She is so terrified that she has a jet injector for her isulin. Also terrified of hospitals. Guess she will have to stay shielding.

I'd never heard of a jet injector before. I just looked it up. They look even more scary than a syringe!

well, I'm not being harsh, but if he is actually able to have pre holiday vaccinations, then he isn't severely phobic. (see Xenobitch's post about severe phobia)
He will just do the same as he does with your holiday vaccines, shake, feel sick and then have the vaccine and then afterwards be fine.

Honestly I am not trying to be mean, but the world won't end if he feels rough/anxious for a few minutes.
A friend of mine was having anxiety when driving, she got help with it, and one of the things her therapist said was acknowledge that you will feel crap, and then do it anyway. So, she knows that she will feel anxious, (she is safe to drive by the way). Acknowledge that your heart may race a bit, you might have sweaty palms and then decide that you can do it with these symptoms, unstead of thinking that you have to be able to do it with no symptoms.
It was a bit of a revelation.

I suggested he ask if the GP could do it as he could lay down

GP surgeries don't have the vaccine unless they also happen to be a Covid vaccination centre. But, as PPs have said, vaccination centres will let him lie down.

Please don't tell him it won't hurt though. It's a matter of luck with any injection as to how much it hurts (depends if it hits microscopic nerve endings, which is a matter of chance). Just because some PPs found it painless, doesn't mean your DH will, and it is really unhelpful to give him false reassurance - it will make him worse, next time around. You can say it won't be worse than holiday vaccines, but don't say it will be pain-free.

If he is anything like most needle phobics I have met, it's not a fear of the pain anyway - it's more complicated than that.

I'm like your DH. I get so scared, physically shake. I had the vaccine a couple of weeks ago and honestly I didn't feel a thing; I actually said to the nurse oh is it done!
I know no matter what anyone says to your DH will help (I'm the same).
I had mine at the hospital and it wasn't like the big vaccine centres they had small cubicles

Try hypnotherapy?

GP surgeries don't have the vaccine unless they also happen to be a Covid vaccination centre.

All the GP surgeries here are vaccinating too.

@extentioncord

GP surgeries don't have the vaccine unless they also happen to be a Covid vaccination centre.

All the GP surgeries here are vaccinating too.

I don't know where you are but, in England anyway, there is only 1 vaccination centre per primary care network- typically comprising 4-5 practices. Every GP practice is offering patients the vaccine, but most practices have to send their patients to the designated PCN site to get it.

Until recently I have been extremely needle phobic... Couldn't even look at a picture of one (constant exposure due to ivf has recently put paid to that).

My advice tell them when you arrive. If they don't let you in/let him have a quieter room he can lie down (this may be more likely if he has it done at his gp rather than a big centre) take some headphones and put a video of something on his phone to distract him. They are really used to dealing with it and won't be insulted

I am an ex-needlephobe too. All the 'telling him it won't hurt' isn't going to help, as you no doubt know!

In the short term, for getting this jab, agree with the advice you've been given. In the longer term, hypnotherapy might help. I had it and went from being severely needlephobic (total avoidance, not going on family holidays where I'd need jabs, didn't go to dentist in case I needed treatment, never had flu jab) to being able to manage it, though still feeling panicky and faint on occasion. Like previous poster, a couple of rounds of IVF have got me to the stage where I can take injections in my stride and take my kids for their jabs. (I am still shaky at the dentist, but I can do it.)

Good luck to both of you. It will be worth it.

As Nacreous said, I saw a bay with a fully prepped bed in when I had my jab at the local leisure centre last week

If you contact your Health Board and explain I am sure you will be able to arrange an appointment that deals with your DH's needs

The staff were so lovely too

Get the diazepam, that's how I was able to start adult dental treatment after bullying by a dentist as a child

Good luck, your DH won't know it's happening hopefully, it's just a little prick and soon over

I don't know where you are but, in England anyway,

Scotland.

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow

I suggested he ask if the GP could do it as he could lay down

GP surgeries don't have the vaccine unless they also happen to be a Covid vaccination centre. But, as PPs have said, vaccination centres will let him lie down.

Please don't tell him it won't hurt though. It's a matter of luck with any injection as to how much it hurts (depends if it hits microscopic nerve endings, which is a matter of chance). Just because some PPs found it painless, doesn't mean your DH will, and it is really unhelpful to give him false reassurance - it will make him worse, next time around. You can say it won't be worse than holiday vaccines, but don't say it will be pain-free.

If he is anything like most needle phobics I have met, it's not a fear of the pain anyway - it's more complicated than that.

I agree with this. I had mine yesterday. I am really a bit weirded out by injections, so told the nurse I would not be watching! She said 'ok, I'll just get on with it and not give you warning, then'. I breathed deeply and tried to stay relaxed, but I'm not going to lie - it did sting and took longer than I expected. So many people had been saying 'it was so quick and painless!' I felt a bit cheated! And today my arm feels as though it has been hit by a hammer.

But I am beyond grateful to have had the jab, so it is worth going through it all for that.

I have a needle phobia. I haven't fainted (yet) but I think that's because I've always been allowed to lie down. It's good to hear I might be able to have DH with me, he'll have to take me anyway as I won't be safe to drive. I have to say there's no way on earth I'd ever travel anywhere that needed injections before I went!

Oh and it's not the fear of it hurting, it's the completely irrational, paralyzing fear of the process. I would have put up with the pain from gallstones rather than have my gallbladder out if DH hadn't pretty much made me do it (I was told I could die but even then I had second thoughts)

Definitely have a look into CBT/hypnosis, needle-phobes. I have had several patients with needle or blood phobias who have been completely cured - it's amazing!

I have a phobia myself (luckily not of needles, which would be a bit inconvenient for a doctor ) so I totally get where you are coming from, and that it's not a question of being able to 'man/woman up'. It's so empowering if you find techniques that help. I haven't totally cured mine, but it is much, much better through using self-hypnosis.

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow Thank you for understanding it's not a case of man/woman up. When I mentioned it to my otherwise lovely GP he laughed and called me a baby!

I have had hypnosis for needle phobia. I wouldn't say I'm completely cured but I can at least go to the surgery on my own and get through the injection, albeit lying down. Which is far more than I could have managed before I had the hynosis sessions.

My DD is needle-phobic and due her HPV and Men ACWY vaccine. We spoke to vaccines team and were able to arrange for me to accompany her to GP surgery rather than have it done in a clinic and for the GP to prescribe a mild sedative and EMLA cream. I'll let you know if it works....