There is nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to having a phobia for needles. In fact, it affects up to 20% of the adult population to such an extent that it causes them to avoid much-needed medical care or health screening. The truth of the matter is that nobody likes having injections, but the hurt is a very important part of health care.
Your brain has conditioned your body to fear needles and some of these sensations felt during blood taking may not even pain. Various individuals describe the sensation as creepy to being a disabling sense of impending doom. Identifying this and understand where your phobia derives from can help you overcome the phobia and help yourself receive adequate health care.
Step 1: Change your thinking about injections. You can list down what you hate about injections in one column and counter your hate with something beneficial about injections in another column. For example, if you feel that “Injections are painful,” change that to “Injections are painful but it helps me to find out what is wrong with my body.” Work through your imagination that leads you to imagine a massive pain deriving from the injection. Doing this will allow your anxiety to rise and calm down after. Over time, as much as the fear still exists, you will better be able to overcome it.
Step 2: Learning relaxation and coping techniques. Take deep slow breaths while closing your eyes, holding on your breath for 4 seconds with each breath. This helps you to relax when you feel anxious during blood taking. Another way to cope with this is to request to lie down while keeping your legs elevated. The position ensures that you are in a relaxing position and it prevents you from feeling light headed during the procedure.
Step 3: Speak to a medical profession. You can take the effort to arrange an appointment where you can discuss your fear with a doctor or a nurse. As mentioned above, there is nothing embarrassing about having a phobia for needle. What is more important is to ensure you are getting the health care you require. By talking about it and even looking at the syringes without the injection will put you one more step closer to overcoming your fear.
For more information on health screening and blood taking, you may contact Integrated Wellness Pte Ltd at 6250 7623 or send an email to appointments@iwell.sg. Our friendly nurses and staff will be glad to assist you in your queries.
Integrated Wellness Services 