It was her turn and she rolled up her sleeves. She raised her head, saw its length and her vision suddenly became blurry. All the convincing it had taken mattered no more. To her it was a matter of life and death. Her feet gave in and  the floor was rising at a gassed up pace…

Just seeing a doctor or nurse do this and a shudder literally runs down your spine. Your brain jump into action trying to come up with any convincing excuse that might change the doctor’s mind or better still the fate that awaits you. A mere imagination of the length of the needle in your skin is just unbearable. Suddenly you become all informed and actually try  telling the doctor that there must be an alternative.

Is it really that painful or is it that we imagine most of the pain?  Let’s take a moment and remember the olden days when you were younger and had several people tie you down so that the doctor could give you an injection. How many people were required to tie down a 10 year old? The screams were deafening, echoing through the hospital walls. Your tears  would fill seas and may be drown life out of its own existence. You hated hospitals with your life and any human wearing a white coat and happened to work in a building with a certain pungent smell was your sworn enemy. The next time you went to hospital you tried all available techniques; shutting yours eyes really tight, holding onto something like may be a piece of clothing, thinking about something  maybe your favorite meal and even looking away as the needle pricked your skin, to somehow avoid the pain, but did it really help?  Or it actually worsened the situation and maybe even the doctor had to redo it.

Injection is a method of administration of medication directly into the body. It is used when other types of delivery methods aren’t  recommended. This is mainly because some drugs are destroyed by the digestive system if  taken orally.

Fear of injections is common in children and often tends to disappear as one grows. However, this is not always the case and at times this fear creeps into adulthood. Trypanophobia  is recognized as a specific phobia of needles and injections. Phobic levels cause sufferers to avoid inoculations, blood tests and in more severe cases, all medical care. 3.5%-10% of the population suffer from this type of phobia but the figure is actually higher as most cases are never documented due to the tendency of the sufferer to avoid all medical treatment. Trypanophobia  occurs in 4 different types; vasovagal, associative, resistive and hyperalgesic.

1.Vasovagal

This is an inherited reflex in which the involuntary nervous system causes the heart to slow down leading to a decrease in the flow of blood to the brain and consequently fainting.  This reflex  is stimulated by certain triggers and in this case the sight or even the thought of needles or needle like objects. This reflex leads to an initial rise in the heart rate  and blood pressure followed by a sudden plunge and this can actually lead to death. However it can be controlled by progressive exposure to gradually more frightening stimuli.

2. Associative

This type of needle fear is associated with psychological changes. A traumatic event such as a painful medical procedure or witnessing a friend or family member undergo one, such causes one to associate all procedures involving needles with the original negative experience. It is associated with unexplained anxiety, preoccupation with the coming procedure  and even panic attacks.

3. Resistive

This type of needle fear not only revolves around needles and injections but also being controlled and restrained. It comes from repressive upbringing and poor handling of prior needle procedures i.e with forced physical restraint. It is associated with combativeness, violent resistance, avoidance and even flight.

4. Hyperalgesic

This is an inherited hypersensitivity to pain. To such people, pain of an injection is unbearably great and many cannot tolerate such. This can be controlled by administering an anesthesia.

Hate them with all your might but sadly all too often there is no alternative. Most vaccines are administered through injections and without these vaccines one can get infected with deadly diseases. Many other important medical procedures require injections for example administration of insulin to diabetics, blood sugar tests, dental procedures and many more. Actually even anesthesia is administered through injection. So better be braced.

“It’s okay to be a little bit scared. Being just a little scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave.”

It is absolutely normal to be have some anxiety before receiving an injection due to the image of the long needle penetrating through your skin. You can always ask the doctor to go through the procedure of giving an injection if this will make a little more comfortable, they are more than willing to help understand. Express your fears to the doctor or nurse and they will know how to handle you with more care.  However an extreme fear of needles will limit the doctor’s ability to treat you and therefore should be treated.

The next time you go to the hospital for a routine medical check up, surprise your doctor and show absolutely no fear when they offer to give an injection.

“Actually Doc, can I get an injection for this syrup…”