[LittleForgetMeNot]

Needles. Yes, lovely things aren't they? 2008 was the first year I got a shot since I had broken my finger when I was about four years old and I don't rememeber feeling it when I broke my finger. I remember crying my eyes out, screaming my head off, flailing, but I don't remember the shot. That was what all my booster shots and needle appointments were like as a child. I was wrestled, held by either both my parents or my mother and another doctor while another gave me the shot. Screaming, crying, flailing, the whole shebang.

In 2008 I was too old for crying and screaming and too big to be wrestled still. I took my shots calmly without saying anything, sure that my childish phobias were gone (where ever they came from I have no idea). I was nervous, but no where near on the verge of tears. I had the shot without a fuss, the doctor threw it out, and wrote down the information.

Then I started feeling weird. My body felt hot and cold at the same time, black spots started showing up around my eyes. I felt light headed and nasuous. My Dad seen something was wrong, noted how I was going pale, and the doctor didn't know what was happening. My Dad made me get up, but I felt weak and could hardly feel my legs. He told me to follow him, but by then I couldn't see at all. I was literally blind. He told me to follow his voice while he ran to the bathroom to get me a glass of water, but I was now crying because his voice seemed so far away. I couldn't feel my legs, see the floor and could barely hear a thing when my Dad grabbed my arm, tilted back my head and forced me to drink the ice cold water. When he did suddenly I could hear again, my vision returned and I was alright; a little shaken, but alright.

About a year later the same thing happened again, but I was ready for it, and got to the foutain before my vision went out completely.

When I go to the doctors and I warn them about this, they stare at me like they haven't a clue what was wrong. My Dad used to suspect I had worked myself up too much, but I would say I hadn't. I felt calm, calm as one could be, and it only started happening about a minute after the shot. He now suspects my body goes into something like "shock" afterwards, but I haven't a clue and neither do any of the doctors I've spoken to at random check ups.

I'm asking now, wondering if anybody has gone through the same thing, because in the next two weeks I have to get caught up on my shots before I can go back to school. I'm afraid this is going to happen again. It's scary, scarier than getting a virus pumped into your blood, and would like to know a way to prevent it all together, intead of stopping it in the middle.

Hello, LittleForgetMeNot. I had some needle anxiety but nothing like that.

[LittleForgetMeNot]

Yeah, no one seems to know what happens, not even the doctors!

[ruffy]

(((Littleforgetmenot))) Well you definately want to warn the Dr. before you receive the shots, and be seated in a chair with a glass of coldwater near by. Ive felt the same way when Im having a panic attack.

[taytaybatt]

Almost the exact same thing has happened to me before (actually it was both times i got a flu shot)

The differences for me are that nothing happened until about 2-3 minutes after the shot, instead of not being able to see everything got very abnormally bright and colorful, and lastly the effects only went away after laying down for about an hour. (the doctors tried food and water but neither worked)

[lonegael]

You are having a blood pressure crash. That happens to my husband also. He has hereditary injection/blood/injury "phobia", which is not a real phobia but a type of shock response. He has lost consciousness and injured himself by falling and smashing his head when he has seen others injured and bleeding.

He can also hop in and act to care for injured people and even preform simple proceedures, look right at people with horrible injuries, and manage it fine until he gets to a safe plac, and then the syptomes hit. Theses are the blindness, throwing up, shaking, collapse, etc that you describe.

I suggest you let the doctors know ahead of time, have water on hand in the room and make sure that you DO NOT GET UP, let your dad or the doctor give you the water lying down pr nearly so until you feel your head clear. Think of this as a head rush, it's kind of the same mechanism. Do whatever makes you feel calm and reasonably relaxed before you go in: this isn't going to be dangerous. Do not let yourself be hurried, and keep things around you as calm as possible. HUGGGGSSSSS!

[LittleForgetMeNot]

Thank you! I have thought of it as an inexplainable head rush, but I'm glad to know what exactly happens!