CatherineM Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I've been donating blood since I was 17 because one of my older brothers needed many units to save his life when I was 8 years old. Always tricky because I have obnoxious veins that roll, hide, etc. I would not have made a good IV drug user. I've gotten progressively more unwilling to watch the process on myself because it can be painful, but I don't mind seeing it done to other people. I worked in a morgue in high school, so I got to the point where it was like working on rubber mannequins. I guess it was kind of like aversion therapy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I'm kinda in the same boat. When I have to get bloodwork, I sit through it, then throw up 3-5 times. Then I'm ok. I want to be a doctor as well, so I was talking to a surgeon at the hospital where I volunteer about it. He said he used to be averse to needles and blood and all that, but that you get used to it. He's a rather well known surgeon in the area, so I took his advice to heart. I guess there is hope for us after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie_M Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1767434' date='Jan 30 2009, 11:58 PM']I want to tell my phamily a funny story. Longish one, but funny, so bear with me. It is my dream to become a doctor. I'm a grade twelve student right now, and I've had this dream of mine since about grade six. My goal is ophthalmology, to be specific, but obviously I realize that this might change as time goes on. After all, first I have to do university stuff... Anyway: I've always been interested in medical type stuff. Also I've always been somewhat uncomfortable with needles. Booster shots and immunizations I'm perfectly all right with. It's quick and I don't need to look. When I need to look though, or when it takes a long time, then I get queasy and/or light headed. It was never particularly bad. I never was really forced into a situation that made me uncomfortable. It seemed like a great idea though, to watch my brother have a mole removed from his face a few months back. After all, I'm really interested in medical procedures, especially surgery. So in surgery prep, the plastic surgeon needed to inject A LOT of anesthetic in my brother's upper lip. It was quite gross. The lip expanded to at least four or five times its natural size with all the stuff he injected. Plus he had to wrench the thing around. I guess to get good coverage? Or maybe just to check if he really couldn't feel it. It was a little room; I was just beside the operating table watching. I started to get a bit light headed, but it's always passed fairly easily before, so I was relatively certain that I just needed to wait it out. I realized I was mistaken, when I woke up on the floor with the doctor and two nurses talking to me, and a bit of a bruise on my head and cheekbone. I thought it was hilarious, actually. They probably thought I was hysterical, but I was having quite a good time with all this. It was embarrassing, of course, but I'd never passed out before, and this was a neat experience. They put me out in the hallway on a stretcher with a juicebox and cold cloths. A good laugh was had by all. I've noticed though, that since then my bit of uncomfortableness with needles has gotten worse. I actually felt a bit light headed writing this thread out. I start feeling a bit funny even when I think or talk about needles too much. I have no doubt that I'll have to deal with more passing out if I end up watching more needles in the future that last longer than two seconds. Obviously this is a problem with my life goals. I was told by more than one person that many people faint in med school and get over it eventually. Well I'm impatient. Has anyone here managed to get over a fear of needles in their life? If so, how did you do it? Is it just desensitization? Anyway, if no one has an answer, I at least hope that my lovely story was entertaining.[/quote] Neat, I've also wanted to be a doctor since i was in 2nd grade That is a pretty funny story. What school are you planning on going to? Needles are one of my fears but only looking at them being put into people. I don't think i could ever insert an ivy without freaking out, but I don't get light headed or sick or anything...unless the thing is actually in my arm, then I can't get the image out of my head even looking away. I have heard that this fear passes but only after working with it for a while. Another thing you might want to know that usually nurses handle the all (or most) of the shots, so I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. Good luck! Edited January 31, 2009 by Christie_M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Christie_M' post='1767772' date='Jan 31 2009, 03:05 PM']Neat, I've also wanted to be a doctor since i was in 2nd grade That is a pretty funny story. What school are you planning on going to? Needles are one of my fears but only looking at them being put into people. I don't think i could ever insert an ivy without freaking out, but I don't get light headed or sick or anything...unless the thing is actually in my arm, then I can't get the image out of my head even looking away. I have heard that this fear passes but only after working with it for a while. Another thing you might want to know that usually nurses handle the all (or most) of the shots, so I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. Good luck![/quote] Hey, and we're the same age too, aren't we? I'll be at the University of Calgary, at least for a while. I've been accepted into the BSc program to do a Chemistry major. Right now I'm thinking I'll be in organic chem until I can get into medicine. We'll see how it works out. I'm so glad to hear that other people have/were able to get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyP89 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I used to be horrible about needles and blood until just recently, when I had a thyroid scare and had to go for bloodwork more than once in a short period of time. (Glory to God, I'm fine now, but will be under observation for a year or so.) All I do is turn my head. I'm fine with bleeding, but I don't know how I'd be if I actually watched them take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mari Therese Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I've never really had a fear of needles. They're uncomfortable, but necessary. I do however, have other fears. Hornets, allergic reaction etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommas_boy Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Needles, I'm ok with. But blood ... I go into shock at the sight of blood. My blood pressure drops, and I start to feel dizzy. I went in for blood testing a few years ago ... and I passed out. Bugs the heck out of me, too, because I can't donate blood either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Here are my baby steps on the way to desensitization. [img]http://www.clinicalcorrelations.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/mantoux_tuberculin_skin_test.jpeg[/img] I'm feeling the blood pressure in my head drop too. Luckily the floor is carpeted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommas_boy Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1768351' date='Feb 1 2009, 01:40 AM']Here are my baby steps on the way to desensitization. [img]http://www.clinicalcorrelations.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/mantoux_tuberculin_skin_test.jpeg[/img] I'm feeling the blood pressure in my head drop too. Luckily the floor is carpeted.[/quote] Oh, TB test. Had to have that done like twice for teaching. Once for student teaching, and once for my first job. Both in the space of a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='mommas_boy' post='1768352' date='Feb 1 2009, 12:41 AM']Oh, TB test. Had to have that done like twice for teaching. Once for student teaching, and once for my first job. Both in the space of a year. [/quote] Gross..... Wow, a few months ago that picture really wouldn't have done much to me. Now I'm feeling uncomfortable. It's so weird how it got worse after my incident. Anyone experienced that before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I get those once at year, at the beginning of the summer. I've gotten to where I only have to just sit down for a minute! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie_M Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1767940' date='Jan 31 2009, 05:22 PM']Hey, and we're the same age too, aren't we? I'll be at the University of Calgary, at least for a while. I've been accepted into the BSc program to do a Chemistry major. Right now I'm thinking I'll be in organic chem until I can get into medicine. We'll see how it works out. I'm so glad to hear that other people have/were able to get over it. [/quote] I guess more or less the same age. I know we're the same grade though Hm Chemistry major. That's going to be some work there. Hope it works out for you. I don't think I've heard of Calgary, is it a good school? I'm going to be going to a community college for a few sememsters just to finish what I've already started, from there I hope to transfer to USC or someplace like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommas_boy Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1767940' date='Jan 31 2009, 07:22 PM']Hey, and we're the same age too, aren't we? I'll be at the University of Calgary, at least for a while. I've been accepted into the BSc program to do a Chemistry major. Right now I'm thinking I'll be in organic chem until I can get into medicine. We'll see how it works out. I'm so glad to hear that other people have/were able to get over it. [/quote] Hey. I majored in Chemistry. It is a lot of work, but you can do it. Just don't expect to have much of a social life. I can remember those long, sleepless nights in the dorm lounge working on lab reports ... we had two a week, and they took about 12-15 hours per. One time, I got back in bad at 6AM, and my music major roommate's alarm clock went off right as I was crawling into bed. I looked over at him and told him, "Your turn." We both had a good laugh at that one. So get ready .... You ought to do great at Orgo if you're looking to get into medicine. Biochem, too. Analytical chem and P Chem if you like math (P Chem, at least second semester, is a lot of calc II, diff eq, and quantum mechanics, though). But, being a high school chem teacher, my favorite will always be plain-old general chemistry ... Best o' luck, bro. Let me know if you need anything. I think I still have my P Chem and instrumental analysis texts lying around at my parents' if you're interested. My gen chem book, sorry, but I want to keep it as it's still useful to me in my teaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkerlina Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1768351' date='Feb 1 2009, 02:40 AM']Here are my baby steps on the way to desensitization. [img]http://www.clinicalcorrelations.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/mantoux_tuberculin_skin_test.jpeg[/img] I'm feeling the blood pressure in my head drop too. Luckily the floor is carpeted.[/quote] Is that a PPD test? I used to have to get those at work, they inject a tiny amount of TB under your skin to see if you have been exposed. -Katie EDIT: It is, saw that someone else already answered that. Edited February 1, 2009 by Tinkerlina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Tinkerlina' post='1768638' date='Feb 1 2009, 04:53 PM']Is that a PPD test? I used to have to get those at work, they inject a tiny amount of TB under your skin to see if you have been exposed.[/quote] It's actually Tuberculin, which is an extract of [i]M. Tuberculosis[/i]...but otherwise, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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