Is anyone else still completely unvaccinated?

[Honeyhorse]

I know this will probably cause arguments, but I’m just wondering who else is still completely unvaccinated like myself.
Mine is due to extreme anxiety and a needle phobia.
I’m not anti vaccination and I don’t think it’s a conspiracy theory or microchip etc.
I want to talk to my GP about how I’m feeling but I can’t get an appointment
Now everyone is getting boosters and I haven’t even had one, I feel embarrassed and ashamed, but I can’t do it, it’s like I need to be knocked unconscious before I’ll have it. I’ve even walked into the vaccination centre but ended up leaving after a few minutes as I had a panic attack.

I don’t know what to do.

@Saucery

All I can say is Keep Wrestling. Not because of vaccinations for Covid, but because everyone deserves not to be at the beck and call of their phobias, especially if that limits where they go, what they do, how freely they live

Agreed!

[quote JanisMoplin]Needle-free covid vaccines are being trialled, adminstered through a puff of air! Amazing. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-59642182[/quote]
That is great news. Almost Star Trek stuff

A lot of the anxiety with needle phobia (not everyone, and I am not speaking for them) is the control issue. It is still someone approaching you with a medical device.

That needle free stuff is bloody exciting.

I wonder if people could self-administer.

I remember reading about Elizabeth Holmes working on needle free blood tests for Theranos, before she messed up everything. At the time I didn't quite see the pressing need. Now I do.

OP, ask your GP for a few Diazapam so you are relaxed and calm before your jab.

@Phyllis321

OP, ask your GP for a few Diazapam so you are relaxed and calm before your jab.

Who can get through to a GP now? They have been told to prioritise boosters and emergencies.

If you are phobic, it is not just about the appointment. It is the booking of it, the sleepless nights leading up to it.

All I have managed is to look at the booking screen. That is all I have been able to do so far, and that has been months in the making. It is all well and good saying take some medication on the day (and the meds do not work for everyone, neither are they allowed for everyone too). Thinking about an appointment can still freak some of us out.

I'm completely unvaxantated and will not be receiving non either.

My situation is that I currently have an appointment booked but it's not until mid-January. I cried down the phone to the lovely lady on the appointment helpline saying that I could not face going to a mass centre. Dh had to take over the conversation for me and I'm now booked at my GP practice - they offer vaccinations one day per week only for people with mobility or other issues which prevent them getting to a centre. I was happy with this until the government stepped up teh booster message and said we all had to be done by end December. DH and other family members were telling me I needed to get done sooner and I'm also running into problems at work about this (we have to register our vaccination dates and I'm constantly getting messaged telling me that I need to move it forward).

Drop-ins have just opened in my area for the over 40s so I'm aiming to go tomorrow morning with DH. I haven't wanted to actually reschedule my booked appointment because I can't bring it forward at the GP practice and I worry that if I reschedule to the mass centre and end up unable to go through with it, I'll have lost my booking and possibly be unable to get back into the GP list. So keeping that appointment but trying a walk-in at the mass centre with no pressure to stay if it all goes pear-shaped seems like a good option.

The fear has properly kicked in though. Didn't sleep at all last night and expect tonight to be worse. I've already thrown up and am constantly on edge. I got up at 2am and composed a message to the centre - knowing I can't contact the vaccination team directly but thinking I could email the venue to explain my situation and ask for reassurance that despite being busy, I'll still be able to get the support I require. Spend ages, crying while composing it and then discovered that the venue does not accept DMs on any social media channels and the only contact option is a quotation request form for booking corporate events on their website. So I feel pushed back to square one after trying to take some control to help myself through the situation.

I've got a major thing happening at work today which is already stressful and I'm a complete mess because all I can think about is vaccination.

@Notimmaturejustscared you've done so well to book your appointment, that's a huge achievement. I'd decided that if there was a queue I could stand there for 15 minutes and after that I would either try another 15 minutes or I would leave. I don't know how it would have worked in practice though as I was fast tracked as soon as they knew I had a needle phobia.

Oh and I know what you mean about work, I hardly did anything on Tuesday as I was so distracted.

@shabbadababa

I'm completely unvaxantated and will not be receiving non either.

What was the point of posting this in the context of an OP who wants to be vaccinated but is coping with anxiety and needle phobia whilst wanting to do the right thing and get the jab? Do you want support or are you proud of your stance?

@PinkSparklyPussyCat -that's exactly my plan. 15 minutes and then see how I feel, but probably running away by that point. I'm hoping beyond hope though that someone nice spots my panic and fast-tracks me. DH though is being a bit of a knob. Happy to advocate for me and get me support but only when it is "our turn". Doesn't feel comfortable queue jumping. I just want to get done and know they only way is if it is fast. I cannot wait with that feeling of impending doom.

Notimmaturejustscared you’ve done so well to even book it, that’s an amazing step forward. I would suggest speaking to one of the staff at the door and explain that you have a severe needle phobia - or even write them a note and hand it to them explaining your fear and asking if you can be fast tracked. Several people were fast tracked when I was waiting and no-one that I could see said a word about it, most people were too busy on their phones or tablets to pay much attention.
When I got to my vaccinator I explained my fear (I also had it written down) and she was absolutely brilliant - very patient and took the time to go and speak to the Dr on duty to make absolutely sure I was ok to have it. They’ve been like that the 3 times I’ve been there. Then they took me over to the waiting area where someone looked after me.

If you have headphones I would really recommend listening to this brilliant guided meditation before you get to the centre and while you’re waiting - I used it for my last dental appointment where I had an injection and filling and it got me through it (normally I’m in tears in the waiting room)

Good luck, to even get to where you are is something to be very proud of

Thanks all. Everyone keeps mentioning "the door" though. My worry is that I need to queue for hours before I even get near the door to be able to speak to anyone and explain my issue. I don't want to just march up straight past the queue of people and risk getting shouted at, which will make my anxiety worse.

@Notimmaturejustscared

Thanks all. Everyone keeps mentioning "the door" though. My worry is that I need to queue for hours before I even get near the door to be able to speak to anyone and explain my issue. I don't want to just march up straight past the queue of people and risk getting shouted at, which will make my anxiety worse.

I can understand that. You've taken such a big step already, I really hope it works out for you.

Strikes me we aren't doing enough to support people who have to overcome phobias to access vaccination.

Apparently, in many Canadian provinces, there are specific clinics run on a semi-regular basis which are geared towards those who are anxious, phobic or have other sensory issues preventing them from getting the vaccination. On these specific dates, the centres ensure all medical equipment is hidden from view, the staff are ready to support and give extra time to those who need it and the centres are as quiet as possible. I would sign up to this sort of thing like a shot (no pun intended). I just wish there was more recognition and help available here to those of us who are really struggling.

@Notimmaturejustscared

Apparently, in many Canadian provinces, there are specific clinics run on a semi-regular basis which are geared towards those who are anxious, phobic or have other sensory issues preventing them from getting the vaccination. On these specific dates, the centres ensure all medical equipment is hidden from view, the staff are ready to support and give extra time to those who need it and the centres are as quiet as possible. I would sign up to this sort of thing like a shot (no pun intended). I just wish there was more recognition and help available here to those of us who are really struggling.

That sounds brilliant.

@Notimmaturejustscared

Thanks all. Everyone keeps mentioning "the door" though. My worry is that I need to queue for hours before I even get near the door to be able to speak to anyone and explain my issue. I don't want to just march up straight past the queue of people and risk getting shouted at, which will make my anxiety worse.

When I say "the door" I mean the entrance. I don't know what your place is like, but we have people at the entrance to the car park, through the car park, on the approach to the actual building, and then in the building itself. Honestly, don't worry about going past everyone, there was so much coming and going at our place no-one batted an eyelid and people were just focused on their phones or tablets. If you're worried then perhaps your DH could go and find someone while you wait in the car or further back in the queue? You could also wear headphones to cover any noise if you're worried about hearing something.

Based on the last time we went there, there was literally nobody until we were in the building, other than the guy directing cars who took one look at my sobbing my heart out as I got out the car and told me to "cheer up, it might never happen". Then the guy on the front desk ignored me when I said, still crying, that I needed extra help and there was no way I could walk into the main hall where everything was happening. It was only when I then started having a proper panic attack, flailing arms, hyperventilating etc that I was taken seriously - a lovely man came and ushered me into a side room and talked me through breathing exercises to bring me back down and then things were ok (very difficult but ok) from there.

I don't want to have to go to that point before help is made available. But it's ok. By keeping my Jan appointment in an easier setting, I'm not putting the pressure on myself tomorrow. It might happen, it might not. If there's no help available, if I cannot stand in a queue then I'll go home and try again another day and if that doesn't work I've still got the other appointment in place.

I know I keep repeating the same point but a huge part of this is fear of the unknown, whipped up by the media frenzy about massive queues and stressed vaccinators. I'd be so much more reassured if there were a couple of lined on the website for each site saying what to expect - i.e. Once you leave the carpark you will be met by a queue marshall/you will have a join a queue to take you to a checking in station/whatever it is. It would be so helpful to know where there are contact points and therefore potential opportunities for support.

I completely understand OP.

I have extreme emetophobia and whilst not scared of needles at all, I was petrified of the potential side effects of the jab.

I had put it off for such a long time it was embarrassing but last week I finally plucked up the courage to have my first dose.

I called the walk-in place beforehand and asked loads of questions and explained my fears and they couldn't have been better with me.

I cried, had a panic attack, felt so utterly rubbish when I was there but I did it and the nurse who gave it to me was so lovely. She asked me if I'd like to see one of the paramedics to ask questions and offered me a curtained-off space to sit so I had some privacy. I said no (I just wanted it over and done with by that point) but it was a lovely offer.

I think it's a good idea to have little steps and remind yourself that you can back out at any point.

• find a walk-in centre you feel comfortable getting to and from

• call the walk-in centre and explain your situation and see what they say

• ask if there's generally a better time to come in

• call your GP to see if they can prescribe something to ease the anxiety for that day

• then go for it if you feel you possibly can

I am so glad I did it. I didn't have any side effects other than a really sore arm either!

@JanisMoplin

I wonder if people could self-administer.

I remember reading about Elizabeth Holmes working on needle free blood tests for Theranos, before she messed up everything. At the time I didn't quite see the pressing need. Now I do.

I have tried to coach a person with needle phobia to do this but he insisted on trying to self inject his deltoid and it’s just not really possible. It would need to be a thigh injection. Such a faff. Still, a faff of an injection is worse than none isn’t it.

Despite getting a full-on attack of the Mards this morning I am now boosted and pleased to be so. Follow phonics, we GOT this!

Phobics, autocorrect, you knobhead.

Yayyyy, well done @Saucery!

The support on here has been great (deliberately ignoring those who stick the boot in) and it really helped me get mine so thank you to everyone

I got a really sincere “thank you so much for having your booster, we know how difficult it is for some people to walk through the door” from the Nurse. So if anyone has the added worry of past HCPs being exasperated or dismissive of needle anxiety/phobia (I have) then this vaccination programme is completely different.

Well done @Saucery!