Are you afraid of blood tests?
 

I have to go get an annual check up at doctors which will include blood test for cholesterol etc but I'm so afraid of needles... Just the thought of a needle sucking up my blood really scares me plus it does hurt, its a sort of aching, uncomfortable, pinching feeling when the
blood is being sucked out of my veins, it really scares me.

And it DOES hurt, i can FEEL it when they blood is being sucked out of me, it doesn't help if I close my eyes and look away while my blood is being sucked out, I can steel FEEL it, it ACHES. How do I get over it?

I have NEVER had a doctor that misses the vein and has try over and over again, that would be the worst but fact is that I can still feel it while the blood is being drawn. It's not a pleasant feeling.

Just the thought that my blood is being drawn out of my body by a needle and going up a tube just makes me queasy, its scary.

I am fine with needles I am a certified body piercer. But I still HATE having blood took. My mentality is, it's my blood and it's there for a reason lol.

I am fine with having injections going in thought.

I wish this were the most unpleasant thing they've done to me... you are my hero.

i had so many blood tests over the years, they installed a pipe into one of my veins, with a tap on the end of it...now i can draw my own blood.. :)

Should I bring an ipod and listen to music while they do it, I don't know if that would help, I might need my hearing in order to follow their instructions etc...

Before I tried closing my eyes and fantasizing and thinking about something pleasant and deep breathing at the same time but it doesn't help, I still get scared and it hurts, it doesn't hurt a lot like I'm going to die or anything but I do feel it. I don't know how people can say they don't feel anything, you definitely feel a pinch and it lasts for like 15 seconds!! That's a long time when you are feeling uncomfortable. It's like an aching/pressure type of pain thats really uncomfortable.

They always miss mine, I have weird veins. Oddly enough, I insist on watching them stick me.

Doesn't that hurt when they miss??

Yes, it does sting. Obviously you have never had any procedures done that were actually painful. :-)

always miss mine too...i give them two tries then make them let me do it myself:thumbsup

I am lucky and never broke any bones and never had major surgery. I HAVE had minor surgery before, I had my wisdom teeth taken out and it also did hurt when they stuck a needle in my hand (in the vein in my hand) but I was so terrified I don't remember that part as much and they totally knocked me out and the thing is that I didn't even feel pain afterwards, only soreness, like an aching pain from sore muscles, but the aching pain from having blood drawn is different, its like an aching pain where you can feel something being "sucked out", its more traumatizing for some reason and it lasts longer so you can feel the pressure of blood being drawn out.

When I went for oral surgery they put in a needle and then I totally knocked out right away.

i love bausch, reading her craziness always brings a smile to my face.

never mind. msg edited.

I absolutely hate needles. I freak out and cry when they have to draw blood. Even that finger prick thing that they do to check your iron gets me all antsy. Luckily, I've never been sick or had anything wrong so it doesn't happen often.

Im afraid too but I have to go for a check up soon, i havent gone for a long time cause im scared but I might as well cause why pay for health insurance if I don't use it? I want to make sure everything is ok, if my cholesterol is ok, heart is ok, everything... I havent had a check up in awhile.

Stop being a pussy, it's not like you're going to die.

I'm always afraid that whoever's sticking me forgot to use a new needle or something, and now I have AIDS!!!!!! :Oh crap

it's not THAT bad, a bit unpleasant, but not terrible...

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Fact is, she is afraid of her own shadow and she thinks the voices in her head are talking about her.

Drink a 6 pack and take a vicodin and a couple zanax's :)

i'm not afraid of blood work at all. the only procedure i remember having that scared me a lot was a cystoscopy (scope up the pee hole). it was pretty bad, but not as bad as the google image search results led me to believe.

http://www.endoscopy4you.com/assets/...oscope_450.jpg

it's just a little needle, you can handle it.

Bah I have fucked up veins as well. They roll, they collapse, they squeeze around the needle and pretend that someone missed, they are scared over, and they blow easy. Typically I require at least three attempts and often as many as six or more. I also get to go in about every 60 days. When I do go for a stay or whatever I then get a nice long term line put in that they can draw out of or put stuff in.

As for stings I find a butterfly needle stings a lot more than a full size. Though the full size does seem to have more pressure feeling than a butterfly to me. Personally I hate the feeling of them taking it out the most with blood draws. Unless of course my vein blows. All time worst in regards to blood though is them putting it in you, ok correction them going for a back of the arm IV and missing only to thread a nerve is the worst.

I really wonder how many psychological/personality disorders she's officially been diagnosed with. She makes me smile too.

I've been terrified of blood tests since I was quite young, and it took me years to kind of re-condition myself not to react so badly to them. I used to hyperventilate, get faint, and throw up. I couldn't even lay down and pretend to get a blood test without getting sick. Actually, reading the first post in this thread makes me feel ill.

BUT, I decided one day that I'd had enough and needed to reverse all the trouble. I wanted to classically condition myself not to react so badly.

It REALLY helps if you do some jumping jacks, or some fast strenuous exercise a few minutes before hand. It convinces your body that perhaps the big thing you were afraid of has now passed and it burns off all that extra adrenaline. It's the rush of adrenaline that really makes you feel bad.

The whole thing is a head trip. You need to distract your head so that you aren't thinking about how it feels. I've found that it really helps if I clench my opposite hand and even say out loud "I CAN DO IT I CAN DO IT" over and over again. And I say it like I'm super mad.... concentrating really hard on the words. It sounds so retarded now that I'm typing this out, but it works for me.

Or, find something you are REALLY excited about, something you love to talk about, and tell the nurse all about it while she draws your blood.

Also, try laying down and make sure you don't watch.

I dont like them for the reason I have terrible veins. I could never be a junkie lol. I tell them my veins suck use a butterfly on my hand,most listen but now and then I get the oh thats because I never did it. So they then poke me 4 times and then wind using the butterfly.

My hands are shot to boot. Have you tried the deeper but large viens on the back of your forearm? Skin is very thick but ussually a easier stick.

My brother, who's donating a kidney to me, has the same problem as you. They always miss his veins and it looks very painful. I on the other hand never have any kind of problems and they fill 15-20 glasses every month with my blood before the transplant.


Mike.

I have never been afraid of blood tests but the smell of the hospitals makes me puke!

Not afraid but I know that more often that not it isn't going to be fun. My veins are apparently hard to find and they always have to really hunt around for them which hurts. I make a deal of asking them to go in with a butterfly needle straight off the bat but sometimes I come up against a nurse that finds me saying it is hard to get blood for me a challenge and tries to prove me wrong. Then I am left black and blue.

I'm not afraid. It's something I don't enjoy, but since I have easy veins, it's a matter of a couple of mins and I'm out of there. :thumbsup

This thread makes me feel dizzy.

Me its ok for me to take a blood test actually I already donated a 2000 cc of blood that 4 plastic full of blood hehe but of course it is in different situation like during my college I donated 2 bags of blood and when my friend is ask me to donate blood for his sick son and the other one is when my uncle needed it it also lessen my weight. every time they get a blood from me I feel dizzy for about 2 minutes and thats normal lol:):):)

Every stick will hurt less, if the tech takes the time to allow the skin to dry, before doing a draw. I stop them, if they don't.

Most techs have done 1000s of sticks, and should be able to do yours, painfree.
Don't forget to ask for a sticker!

hardly a problem with blood tests, I'm only scared of very serious medical tests like brain MRI where you can be surprised about some unexpected terrible results

i was nervous before a HIV test as well, even though there wasn't much reason to be nervous for me ;)

but blood tests alone, meaning just giving my blood, doesnt really scare me in any way, it doesnt hurt, neither does it contains any risks, so why would anyone be scared of it?

I'm also afraid of some surgery in general anhestesia that I may have in future

compared to that a blood test is really NOTHING to think twice about...

I really don't dig them at all, albeit I realize it's a part-o-life so I suck it up and try not to get myself too stressed.

Somehow i always collapse at blood tests..

No, thats nothing. But stuff like lumbar puncture or root canal treatment really sucks :Hollering

I will take 10 root canals over a spinal tap again any day.

Haha, you are such a wimp.
It's not getting sucked out either, it's just pumping itself out on its own.

No it doesn't bother me. I don't enjoy it but it doesn't phase me at all.

I hate getting blood tests it makes me always want to puke

I never had any problems at all, i just think of something else and it will pass

You pussy...

tip:

here's how to get a free blood test.

- look for a 'donation drive', donate blood, give you data, etc.
- wait some days/week
- get 'thank you, your blood has saved x number of people today' card.

You are free of problems ;-)

* they will test your blood for diseases, etc.

I feel you, used to loose conciousness each time they took blood from me when I was a kid. Still feeling like shit each time I go to the hospital.

I dont mind at all, it needs to be done anyways.