 
 WHAT IF I HATE
NEEDLES?
Dealing
With Stressful Medical Procedures
Do
you fear certain examinations?
Fearing
needles is common, but you don’t have to let it stop you from getting the
best treatment.
Here are
some steps that you can do today to make it easier.
“No
matter how strong the fear, there is always something
you can do to make it easier.”
1. Ask For Information
It
can be very helpful to know (a) what is going to happen and (b) what it’s
going to feel like. It only
takes a minute and your doctor won’t mind being asked.
If you have had bad experiences before, let your doctor or nurse
know.
You
could try questions like:
“What
exactly is going to happen?”
“What
will you do and how will it feel?”
“Will
it hurt much afterwards?”
2. Motivate Yourself
Remind
yourself why it IS worthwhile going through stressful procedures.
For instance, try saying something relevant to your situation, like:
“I
need this test to know how worried I have to be”,
or
“Getting
this over and done with today, means I don’t have to think about it.
I’ll feel good when it’s over”,
or
“I
want to be fixed – a bit of pain is worth it”.
3. Reassure Yourself
Try
saying things like:
“Hundreds of people go through this every day – I guess I’ll
cope too.”
“It
can’t be too bad – after all, I’m in good hands and my doctor
wouldn’t do anything unbearable.”
“If
I use some coping strategies it will be over quickly.”
4. Breathing and Relaxation
Slow,
relaxed breathing is the key to relaxing your body.
And relaxing your body helps in a few ways:
·
Relaxed muscles
reduce pain.
·
Being relaxed
means you can use other strategies like “self-reassurance” and
“distraction”.
·
It just makes
us feel a bit better.
·
It shows
that we can control our own body even under stress, so it gives us a sense
of control and achievement.
Here’s how to do
it:
a)
Focus on your
breathing.
b) Slowly take the
air down into the bottom of your lungs – moving your tummy out as you
breathe in.
c) Slowly let the
air out (count to 3 or 4 slowly as you breathe out).
d)
Let your
shoulders and arms go floppy
and heavy as you breathe
out.
e) Try focusing on
relaxing other body parts as you breathe out (eg. your feet if you are
giving blood).
5. Distraction
During
a painful or distressing procedure, one of the best things to do is keep
your mind busy. Ask someone to
talk to you or hold your hand. If
you are on your own, then try one of these ideas:
a) Focus all your
attention on the toes in one foot. Try
moving the big toe. Can you move
it without moving other toes? What
about your little toe, can you move that?
b)
Shut your eyes
for 5 to 10 seconds and notice every sound in your environment.
c) Count backwards
from 100 in 3’s – 100, 97, 94, and so on.
d) Picture the
front of your apartment building or home.
Try to recall – in your “mind’s eye” – all the details you
can notice: the entrance, any trees or plants,
what the building is made of, what colours are on the building, what
building is next door, what the street looks like.
Every time you get distracted, bring your attention back to this
mental picture.
But
what if I do really faint?
Some people do
faint when exposed to needles or blood. If
this has happened to you before, tell your doctor or the nurse in the
surgery – they will understand and
help you. The best thing to do is to
lie down BEFORE THE PROCEDURE STARTS.
In the meanwhile, start by using some of the strategies above.
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