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Hi new here

everyone says the insulin pen hurts less than the finger prick. have you seen the pen?
once or twice a day? I think it may be twice by what I've read here on the forum
 
I still hate needles of any sort but had good technique shown to me a while ago that really helps with any uncomfortable situation, like the repeated canulas I had to have in hospital and numerous blood tests gone bad. It's called 7-11 breathing.

Concentrate on a spot on the wall/ceiling intently. Breathe in through your nose for a fast count of 7, then blow it out your mouth with a little force for count of 11, til your lungs are completely empty.

It will stop you hyperventilating and and hopefully keep the ratio of oxygen/ carbon dioxide nice and good in your blood which can reduce fainting.

It also distracts you nicely. Give it a go !

I also use it when I'm stressed about anything, just keep staring at that spot I can produce a feeling of overwhelming calm in just a few minutes

Hope this helps, phobias are never taken Seriously but they should be, they can be really rotten.
 
jack412 said:
everyone says the insulin pen hurts less than the finger prick. have you seen the pen?
Click to expand...
Yes, and the needles, but that doesn't make it any easier to overcome the fear. It is like telling an annoying fly to go away - it is meaningless. The problem is not just the phobia of the needle it is the whole process of injecting - pushing a needle in through the skin, actually holding it in and injecting the insulin, then withdrawing the needle. The instinctive reaction is to pull the pen away by reflex action. Unlike finger prick where the pen automatically stabs on pressing the button and only the courage to press the button is required - cringe.
 
yes that's true, an irrational fear is irrational
can you con yourself? make out the pen doesn't have a needle on it, make out it's something else because the pen doesn't look like a hypodermic needle

how is your finger pricks going?
 
jack412 said:
everyone says the insulin pen hurts less than the finger prick. have you seen the pen?
once or twice a day? I think it may be twice by what I've read here on the forum
Click to expand...
AS I SAID ABOVE ONCE DAILY with breakfast - there is still a risk of a Hypo during the night as I sleep soundly without the need to get up/wake for typically 8-10 hours. Nocturnal hypos were quite common when I started on tablets. I was informed that I may need to progress to bd dosing eventually.

Like many things in medicine the assumption is that one size fits all. The same applied to the needle of the dosing pen "feeling" less painful than the lancet pen. That might well be the case but it doesn't get beyond the fact that I do not believe it to be so. The needle still has to be held in against the natural reflex to remove it as fast as possible and to push it in in the first place.

I still do not do BG tests as there is no point in doing them while still on tablets. I realised that years ago the only time to test was when the symptoms of a hypo occurred, the rest of the time the levels were at 5-9 and if they were at 9 nothing could be done to adjust them.

Insulin injections obviously will present a different circumstance due to the much greater risk of a hypo. So testing at about 2hr after dosing will become the norm for a while.
 
I know what you mean about it being hard to "stab" yourself, I was on insulin when I was pregnant, I had to get my mum to do it for me at first (big baby I am lol)

Treatment of any phobia is gradual desensitization. Obviously you are being thrown in at the deep end somewhat!

But you can take active steps to help yourself. Try making a list numbered 1-10, at 10 put injecting yourself with insulin. That is your worst case scenario. Now think of some steps you could add in from 1 -easy to 10 - hard. These could be things like thinking about injecting, looking at a photo or video of injecting, holding the pen to your skin without injecting. The idea is to practice the easier steps over and over until they make you feel less "yuck". Then go up to the next step.

Use the breathing technique I mentioned before while u start a new step if you are finding it difficult.

I have confidence you can overcome this

Fear is irrational but don't let it claim you. I once watched a programme of a guy terrified of baked beans!
 
Emla cream - I think that's how it's spelt. My partner gas a needle phobia. I think the past 20 odd years with me has helped to desensitise him but he still does not like them. I really feel for you.
I did find myself getting queasy with my first few injections but I found doing it in a place I couldn't actually see helped- my ****! Never used my stomach.

Good luck
Mrs Vimes xxx


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That's the name of the cream
 
I have a needle phobia, injections were hard for me twice a day a few weeks after diagnosis the news I was dreading happened I had to change to 4+ injections a day I'm very slim with no fat to inject into, and I then had to start using 8mm needles instead of 6mm which is crazy when I have no fat,
I got used to the injections now on a pump I struggle with cannulas and it's proving a problem. I hope one day I can get past it, it should get easier but I seem to be going backwards and struggle even more each time i have blood tests change my cannula or try to return to injections
Emla cream works but it's not a quick numbing process,
Today I used a frozen gel pack and held it on my skin a few minutes and managed to put my cannula in no messing about everyone finds a way that suits them, it's just a case of taking time and getting used to it


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