[Jason Frederick]

Okay, so this is a bit of a long one. For the past few years I have been scared of many things related to doctors, to the point of panic attacks and I don’t know what to do.

Ever since I was little, I have always hated needles. No reason, I just could not stand them. This escalated when I was 9. When I was 9 years old, I stabbed my hand with a screwdriver in art class. That is when needles turned into some what (this is a self diagnosis) of a phobia.

So I go for a few years, with barely having any doctor appointments, then one day it is time to get some shots. The whole phsyical goes fine then it is time for the vacations. I was told about it, they hand my mom a little pamphlet and go to get the needles. I ask my mom if I can see the pamphlet and she hands it to me. Half way through, Dr. Webber comes back in.

I just wanted a minute of quiet to calm down but that request wasn’t heard. 5 mins of my mom being upset with me, 5 minutes of bribery (which just made me feel worse, as I felt it was expected of me to do this) later and they had enough. Dr. Webber asks my mother if she would like him to get someone to hold me down and she agrees. At this point, in the back of my mind I knew what was going to happen, reality just didn’t set in until about an hour after it happened. I had been held down and given 3 shots.

That was the first time doctors have shown me exactly how little they care about your emotions as a minor and it is the reason why I hate being a teen: when it comes down to it, you might be reasonable enough to say “wait, just give me a minute.” But no one will care.

While I have never been held down again, there have been multiple threats to do that. Each time, I asked for just a minute to get out of “Panic Attack mode” and each time the request was denied. Ever since those threats, I have tried to avoid doctors as much as possible.

I still sometimes have nightmares about going to get my wisdom teeth out, having a panic attack, and being restrained and sedated. Or the same situation but instead I broke my leg then freaked out and was restrained and sedated. I still have these nightmares but thankfully no where near as often as I used to.

The idea of a sedative being inside a needle or IV took what was already bordering a phobia, if not one already, and made to SO much bigger.

This caused me to start working out and made me want to learn how to defend myself.

To this day, my pediatrician office still wants to do a blood test on me. But if they ever try to get my blood without me wanting to give it, I will NOT be the one walking away traumatized for the rest of my life.

I don’t like living in fear of these people and never wanted this in the first place. I have never wanted to hurt anyone, just save myself from something much worse. I know I can’t change the world, so doctors will still be doctors and not care, but I don’t even know how to change myself.

Anything is greatly appreciated, sincerely, Jason Frederick.

[DowdyTheFifth]

Do you think therapy would help you manage for phobia?

[Jason Frederick]

Looking back on this, I realize I talked a lot but didn’t say anything. Is there a way I could edit this/make a new article so that I can shorten and revise this?

[DowdyTheFifth]

You can just make a new article, I think only the moderators can edit and delete posts

[Astrada]

Originally Posted by Jason Frederick

Looking back on this, I realize I talked a lot but didn’t say anything. Is there a way I could edit this/make a new article so that I can shorten and revise this?

Yes, you can edit/delete your posts. Just look for the "edit".

You did say something. You told us of your past trauma. Perhaps you might consider therapy to help you with this.

Take care.

[Jason Frederick]

Do people usually get therapy for this type of stuff? I have only been in talk therapy for a really short amount of time. What types of therapy are there and are some better than others?

[DowdyTheFifth]

I think CBT therapy would be beneficial, it would essentially help to re-wire your brain if that makes any sense. Best of luck to you!

[Gus1234U]

i don't see why everyone recommends therapy, when it's the medical system that's broken. it's good to have power over one's emotions (anxiety management), but let's not forget, there are bears in the woods~!

[Jason Frederick]

Is this true? Is the mental health system really more broken than the pediatric system???

[Unrigged64072835]

Prolonged exposure therapy could help. It would also help to talk about handling fears with your therapist.

I hate needles. I can't stand to look when I'm getting blood drawn or when I need an IV. The lab techs and nurses are good about letting me know when it happens so it isn't a surprise.

[Sunflower123]

I hate needles. I think I mentioned before I pulled the post that I was in the hospital and they were going to do an arterial blood gas test with a long needle and I checked out AMA even though my ox sat was so low and I couldn’t breathe.

I think the things mentioned here could really help you like CBT or exposure therapy or therapy in general.

As I’ve grown older and had more exposure to needles, I’ve gradually gotten a lot better with it. I wish you the very best in managing or overcoming this phobia.