Hi, new here type 1 for 14 years with needle phobia!

TimberYardBen

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
You need to face your phobia head on or you're going to die for lack of treatment. It's as blunt and smile as that. You can't go through life as a type one shunning insulin.
I agree it is as blunt as that and I've actually been trying to do just that this week since my post. Multiple tests per day and making strides with my rapid acting insulin at least once, if not twice a day. However, it is the one thing I have always struggled with and it really isn't as simple as it may seem. Please let me know if you've overcome this yourself, or if you are just stating a fact without having been through it (That's not stand off-ish, just it makes a difference :) ) As a background, I work in a male dominated and "Macho" industry and also have no other fears to speak of, I'm not naturally one to shy away from problems or issues but when I'm attempting to do injections and testing and I simply cannot do it at times its really not that easy. Sweaty hands, feeling dizzy and sick aren't ideal conditions lol. I'm happy with what I've done the last few days though and hope I can continue. I'm currently looking at self funding the Dexcom to see if that can help me :)
 

Fawbs89

Active Member
Messages
42
I agree it is as blunt as that and I've actually been trying to do just that this week since my post. Multiple tests per day and making strides with my rapid acting insulin at least once, if not twice a day. However, it is the one thing I have always struggled with and it really isn't as simple as it may seem. Please let me know if you've overcome this yourself, or if you are just stating a fact without having been through it (That's not stand off-ish, just it makes a difference :) ) As a background, I work in a male dominated and "Macho" industry and also have no other fears to speak of, I'm not naturally one to shy away from problems or issues but when I'm attempting to do injections and testing and I simply cannot do it at times its really not that easy. Sweaty hands, feeling dizzy and sick aren't ideal conditions lol. I'm happy with what I've done the last few days though and hope I can continue. I'm currently looking at self funding the Dexcom to see if that can help me :)
Hey no I don't have a phobia. It may help if you looked at smaller needles? Mine are tiny.

The omnican fine 4mm I hardly feel it go in.

JPEG_20201029_190021_1692206947681652484.jpg
 
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Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,284
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi @TimberYardBen , have you already looked into the i-port? It's a device you need to insert once every 3 days, and then you can inject in the port instead of your skin for the next 3 days. I think it might be very helpful for you, even though I have no experience with it myself. Who knows, it might even be a way for you to get used to regularly taking your insulin and make it easier to do injections 'the old fashioned way' too, after a while.
I'm currently looking at self funding the Dexcom to see if that can help me :)
If you want to self fund a CGM, I agree Dexcom is first choice. On the other hand, the Freestyle Libre is much cheaper, and you can try it as a one off, scanning it with your phone without anything else needed than one sensor.

Good luck!
 

hyponilla

Well-Known Member
Messages
81
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Ben, I feel your pain. I had needle phobia when I was diagnosed to the point where I would pass out from simple blood tests. I watched many dinners go cold because I couldn't bring myself to inject. What helped me was to go fast, like a dart, pinch the skin and inject at 45 degree angle. I just kept going until I stopped being scared at some point. Aversion therapy to the rescue.

You've got this one. Just keep at it.
 
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Hi Guys,
My name is Ben, I'm new here due to trying to improve my control of type 1 and hopefully to be able to help others where possible. I'm far from a "perfect" diabetic, in fact I'm pretty terrible at it!
I'm now 33 and have had type 1 since I was 18. My biggest trouble has always been that as long as I can remember I've been terrified of needles/dentists (and anything medical really) At first I controlled as well as I could, I just found that due to everything taking such a long time (like 30-40 mins to get courage to do an injection and/or sugar test) it completely took over my life and slowly but surely I took to skipping an injection here and there, not testing regularly etc etc. Move on to the last 5 years or so and I'd pretty much cut out both testing and my NovoRapid completely, using only a large dose of Glargine at night time instead! I've spent the past week trying my best to test more and include my RAI but I've still a long way to go yet.

Has anyone else here struggled with the needle side of things? Maybe you've overcome it or found things that really help? I'd love to hear your experience. :)

I was diagnosed in a hospital, when one morning I was told I had to inject myself. A doctor and nurse were with me and they said I had to do it ( I was 270 miles away from home and I had two children to go back to) my heart was racing, my hands were sweating and when I actually did it, a small trickle of blood came out, I felt sick. Nursing runs in my family but stops at me, my mum said ' out of all of us, why did it have to happen to you' and the rest is history, I just had to get on with it.
Your doing your best, it's a start and it's about taking small steps, you'll get there.
Take care and stay safe
 
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hh1

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,355
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi @TimberYardBen, I well recall my very first injection on my own, 35 years ago and it took me half an hour to get round to actually doing it. Unlike you, the time it took thereafter gradually decreased, largely because I kept telling myself how well I was doing to manage it at all, and how much better I was starting to feel getting my T1 under control.

Everything I know and have been told by HCPs and on this forum says you're using needles way too long, particularly if you're slim, which it seems you are from what you say. Forgive me if this is teaching you to suck eggs but this may help: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/how-to-inject-insulin.html 4ml needles are the standard as I understand it, because you're aiming to inject subcutaneously; longer needles if you're slim may well mean you're injecting into muscle which in my experience is a lot more painful.

My husband was truly needle phobic, which meant that in 30 years he never saw me inject. He overcame his phobia through necessity when he developed a condition which meant a lot of needles (true, not self-injecting) or else he'd die. I wish you the best in finding your way through this, because in the end, you only have two choices here.
 
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TimberYardBen

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi @TimberYardBen , have you already looked into the i-port? It's a device you need to insert once every 3 days, and then you can inject in the port instead of your skin for the next 3 days. I think it might be very helpful for you, even though I have no experience with it myself. Who knows, it might even be a way for you to get used to regularly taking your insulin and make it easier to do injections 'the old fashioned way' too, after a while.
If you want to self fund a CGM, I agree Dexcom is first choice. On the other hand, the Freestyle Libre is much cheaper, and you can try it as a one off, scanning it with your phone without anything else needed than one sensor.

Good luck!
I Haven't... I didn't know such a thing existed! I'll take a look, thank you! I was thinking of doing the trial for the Dexcom with the view that at least I should gain a lot of insight in the first month regardless of if I carry on with it, on saying that the Libre does seem more widely available upon prescription although the criteria seems to state a minimum testing of 10x per day and still getting high BG's. My only problem with that is of course managing to do those tests for a significant period of time whilst trying to work and run a business, plus being honest, hating doing it anyway lol.
 
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TimberYardBen

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi @TimberYardBen, I well recall my very first injection on my own, 35 years ago and it took me half an hour to get round to actually doing it. Unlike you, the time it took thereafter gradually decreased, largely because I kept telling myself how well I was doing to manage it at all, and how much better I was starting to feel getting my T1 under control.

Everything I know and have been told by HCPs and on this forum says you're using needles way too long, particularly if you're slim, which it seems you are from what you say. Forgive me if this is teaching you to suck eggs but this may help: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/how-to-inject-insulin.html 4ml needles are the standard as I understand it, because you're aiming to inject subcutaneously; longer needles if you're slim may well mean you're injecting into muscle which in my experience is a lot more painful.

My husband was truly needle phobic, which meant that in 30 years he never saw me inject. He overcame his phobia through necessity when he developed a condition which meant a lot of needles (true, not self-injecting) or else he'd die. I wish you the best in finding your way through this, because in the end, you only have two choices here.
Thank you for that! I'm looking into the I-Port Advance now which I do think will help me a lot (Fingers crossed!) Sometimes, I'm done in seconds and it's painless, other times it is genuinely painful and takes up to an hour back and forth. I think I have bad technique with my jabs also because I can't bring myself to do it quickly, so often I'm doing it very slowly which I know isn't the best. The I-Port suggests between 5mm and 8mm needles and not to go outside of that so I may request some 6mm in case I need to inject without it I can use those. Thank you for your best wishes :)
 
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TimberYardBen

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was diagnosed in a hospital, when one morning I was told I had to inject myself. A doctor and nurse were with me and they said I had to do it ( I was 270 miles away from home and I had two children to go back to) my heart was racing, my hands were sweating and when I actually did it, a small trickle of blood came out, I felt sick. Nursing runs in my family but stops at me, my mum said ' out of all of us, why did it have to happen to you' and the rest is history, I just had to get on with it.
Your doing your best, it's a start and it's about taking small steps, you'll get there.
Take care and stay safe
Very similar to me... They did the usual things after I was on a drip for a week or so the consultant came to tell me to do an injection, I simply couldn't do it but did manage the three required to get home in the end. I'm making the right steps now, I've managed at least one RAI per day and a minimum of two sugar checks which is a huge step forward already. Just coming onto the forum and reading replies here makes me feel funny but I'm trying to keep doing it to overcome it (I think I can, but it takes a lot of time for me and I'm trying to run a business and enjoy my family time also. This will hopefully get easier as time goes on though!) I've noticed a dramatic drop in health over the last couple of years, where I think my previous good health blinkered the effects of the continuous high BG.
 
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TimberYardBen

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Ben, I feel your pain. I had needle phobia when I was diagnosed to the point where I would pass out from simple blood tests. I watched many dinners go cold because I couldn't bring myself to inject. What helped me was to go fast, like a dart, pinch the skin and inject at 45 degree angle. I just kept going until I stopped being scared at some point. Aversion therapy to the rescue.

You've got this one. Just keep at it.
Blood tests are my killer! The last one the nurse was getting pretty annoyed with me lol! I need to get better with the fast injections, I can't bring myself to do it most of the time. Thank you for the encouragement, I will post up now and again any advancements! It does mean a lot to hear the encouragement on here :)
 
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TimberYardBen

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey no I don't have a phobia. It may help if you looked at smaller needles? Mine are tiny.

The omnican fine 4mm I hardly feel it go in.

View attachment 44996
I've decided to get some shorter needles, when the doctors actually answer the phone lol. I've a review on the 9th November anyway. I'm thinking of the I-Port to try out as mentioned here earlier so will have to be 6mm needles for that. Really giving things a good go to get back on track, I'd be happy to be consistently under 10-12 for now and look to improve as time goes on!
 
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