Finally bit the bullet, or, This is gonna be fun (not).

[Shalom]

Signed up for this.

This promises to be a colossal lack of fun. I hope I can get through it without attacking someone.

(Those of you who have followed my past posts in Sickbay know that I have an incapacitating needle phobia. I can and do use them in the hood to prepare IVs without problem; I believe I can administer them to someone else without freaking out; what I can't do is let someone else give them to me. This may be a problem if we have to practise on each other.)

[Aislin]

Shalom, I believe you can do this. I had a needle phobia. How bad was it? I ran 2 miles home from the hospital, bare foot, in winter, in Wyoming, in just my princess briefs, when I was 8 years old. I knocked the front teeth of 3 different nurses on three separate occasions. I scaled an 8 foot wall to avoid a tenus shot. I ripped the head off the "comfort bear" at my school when they lost my shot record. I managed to lock myself in a supply cabinet from the inside at one hospital when they wanted to give me a Demerol shot. I also have bit several people who were rough went I was doing my best not to freak out.

These days I get frequent blood draws, sometimes from interns, because I have chronic unexplained anemia. And I don't freak out.

How did I learn to be calm and get oast my fear? I had to give my dog and my dad insulin injections daily. My dad until he was well enough to give them to himself again, and to my dog because he didn't have thumbs and was bad at measuring his sugar. You will practice, you will learn and you can do this, I believe in you. Practice on a orange or grapefruit and they will likely teach you to inject yourself. I had to practice on myself with saline so I would know how what I did felt on someone else.

[jedimaster91]

Yeah, being on the non-pointy end of a needle isn't so bad. And really, IV starts are far more difficult than giving a vaccine IM. You can do this.

[rose_metal_nz]

How did I learn to be calm and get oast my fear? I had to give my dog and my dad insulin injections daily. My dad until he was well enough to give them to himself again, and to my dog because he didn't have thumbs and was bad at measuring his sugar.

(emphasis mine)

This made me snerk

Shalom I don't have a phobia, just an intense dislike, but I think you're amazing for even considering doing this. *hugs*

[Shalom]

Woo hoo. Go me.



I can't believe I did it. 2 IM and 1 SC injections, given and received, and I didn't even run screaming from the room.

(Although I did flinch whilst watching the video portion.)

I think I even did better than the other pharmacist who stuck me; I bled, she didn't. Wonder if she didn't pull the needle out straight.

Oh, and thank G_d for Valium. 10mg was just right; enough that I didn't freak, but not so much that I couldn't do my part competently, or drive home after.

I did mention my little problem at the beginning of the session. Instructor said that she faints. Every time, and has since she was a little girl. Then she repeated that to the entire class during the session, and said that if a patient tells you she's going to faint, you darn well listen to her, don't say Aw it'll be OK, you'll do fine, and such platitudes. She said she's tired of banging her head on the floor every time she gets a shot, so she lies down first. I said I wish I would faint, it would make life so much easier for me.

Now I just have to get the CPR/BCLS cert, and I'm done. Of course whether I'll be able to vaccinate immunize people without sedation (on my part) I don't know yet...

(pet peeve: "vaccination" technically refers only to smallpox. Everything else is an immunization. This nitpick is on the same level as insisting on referring to sulfonamides as antibacterials rather than antibiotics.)

[Mikkel]

You will probably have to fight yourself the first few times, but having done the injections and found that you are good at it, is half the battle.

[wolfie]

pet peeve: "vaccination" technically refers only to smallpox. Everything else is an immunization

Even the smallpox vaccination is an immunization. The term "vaccination" comes from the latin word for "cow" - the original smallpox vaccine was live cowpox virus. Jenner's stroke of genius was discovering that dairy maids didn't get smallpox - the cowpox virus was closely enough related that somebody who had been infected with cowpox (a nuisance-level disease that was an occupational hazard for anyone working closely with cattle) would be immune to smallpox (deadly disease) as well.

[Seshat]

The teacher was DAMN RIGHT about listening to the patient! I am also sick of phlebotomists who don't listen when I tell them what they need to know about sticking me.

Yes, you (generic phlebotomist you) know your job. I honestly do respect that. But you don't know my specific and unique body as well as I do. I'm not babbling sweet nothings, I'm giving you data that will help you to do your job.

And yes, when I'm done giving you data, I will tell you that I'm going to look away, and going to babble about nothing in particular, and you don't need to listen to me unless I raise my free hand. That's part of me trying to make your job easier, it helps me relax.

<sigh>

Don't get me wrong: many phlebotomists are good at listening. But some think they know better and treat me as an idiot.