Needle phobia

[Calhay2010]

So one month on from diagnosis and my son as been doing fine. A few ups and downs but generally all ok. Now after a month he's struggling to inject himself. He's been doing this just fine for a month so I'm not sure where this phobia as suddenly appeared from??

 

[azure]

I had a needle phobia before I was diagnosed, and it hasn't gone away but I've learned to deal with it by 'thinking past' the injection/cannula (I have a pump). It might be your son is focussing on the needle too much. Try to get him to think past it to what he's about to eat, wha he's about to do - anything to busy his mind.

 

[noblehead]

That's a shame, wonder if this is something his diabetes care team can assist with, why don't you give them a call @Calhay2010

 

[justadad]

So one month on from diagnosis and my son as been doing fine. A few ups and downs but generally all ok. Now after a month he's struggling to inject himself. He's been doing this just fine for a month so I'm not sure where this phobia as suddenly appeared from??

Has he felt any pain caused by the needles? Which needles are you using? My son occasionally feels some mild pain when using the needles provided by the pharmacy 31g 6mm. Decided to buy the nanopass 34g 4 mm needles. He says they are not painless, but far better than the regular ones.

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Calhay2010 - it could simply be a case of 'over thinking' it, I went through a short period of hating the injections, I just diverted my mind though whilst doing it, so looked at the clock or what I was about to eat to distract myself. If you can make him sing a song while he does it that may help (as daft as it sounds !) but as long as it distracts him, otherwise it's a call to his team for some input perhaps, good luck

 

[Calhay2010]

That's a shame, wonder if this is something his diabetes care team can assist with, why don't you give them a call @Calhay2010

We are going to speak to Them today x

 

[azure]

We are going to speak to Them today x

Is he feeling pain or just not liking the whole needle thing? If it is pain, then ensuring he has the best needles and the appropriate length will help, along with the DSN checking his injection technique.

You're doing the right thing mentioning it early. If it is the start of a phobia then it's easier to,sort at an early stage.

 

[Kimtaj1]

Hi my son has a needle and fear of his veins being touched which caused him to get in such a state at his last yearly review he passed out hes 14 dx at 6 and it has just gotten worst as hes gotten older
He has been referred to see the paediatric diabetic psychologist at his hospital to deal with it ...
so it is definitely worth speaking to your consultant

 

[Calhay2010]

Has he felt any pain caused by the needles? Which needles are you using? My son occasionally feels some mild pain when using the needles provided by the pharmacy 31g 6mm. Decided to buy the nanopass 34g 4 mm needles. He says they are not painless, but far better than the regular ones.

We are using the 4mm but it's the lantus injection in the evening that's caused the fear. Unfortunately he's all skin and bones so not much in the way of fat to inject in to

 

[Calhay2010]

Hello @Calhay2010 - it could simply be a case of 'over thinking' it, I went through a short period of hating the injections, I just diverted my mind though whilst doing it, so looked at the clock or what I was about to eat to distract myself. If you can make him sing a song while he does it that may help (as daft as it sounds !) but as long as it distracts him, otherwise it's a call to his team for some input perhaps, good luck

I think you're right. Held thinking too much about it

 

[azure]

We are using the 4mm but it's the lantus injection in the evening that's caused the fear. Unfortunately he's all skin and bones so not much in the way of fat to inject in to

Where is he injecting it? The bum is a good place for many people (top of bum kind of on knicker line).

Is it stinging as he injects it?

 

[Juicyj]

We are using the 4mm but it's the lantus injection in the evening that's caused the fear. Unfortunately he's all skin and bones so not much in the way of fat to inject in to

Can you try injecting into his bum, lantus can cause a bit of a sting, but this area is normally well padded and ideal for basal injection ?

 

[noblehead]

We are using the 4mm but it's the lantus injection in the evening that's caused the fear. Unfortunately he's all skin and bones so not much in the way of fat to inject in to

As @Juicyj says lantus can cause a sting in some people, but there's other basal insulin's available like levemir so do ask if a change is possible as it may help relieve the boys fear of injecting.

As @azure also says, the bum is a good place to inject basal insulin and more comfortable than using the legs (in my own experience it was anyway).

But do discuss all this with his care team. Good luck.

 

[Calhay2010]

Hello @Calhay2010 - it could simply be a case of 'over thinking' it, I went through a short period of hating the injections, I just diverted my mind though whilst doing it, so looked at the clock or what I was about to eat to distract myself. If you can make him sing a song while he does it that may help (as daft as it sounds !) but as long as it distracts him, otherwise it's a call to his team for some input perhaps, good luck

We sang i know a song that gets on your nerves about 6 times last night but at least he laughed this time

 

[Calhay2010]

As @Juicyj says lantus can cause a sting in some people, but there's other basal insulin's available like levemir so do ask if a change is possible as it may help relieve the boys fear of injecting.

As @azure also says, the bum is a good place to inject basal insulin and more comfortable than using the legs (in my own experience it was anyway).

But do discuss all this with his care team. Good luck.

Spoke to his nurse last night. Hes reluctant to change the lantus as it seems to ve working well for him. I think we've just generally had a bad week coming to trems with things. Hes now saying he cant swim cos he feels too ill. The nurse said all these feelings are perfectly normal in first few weeks

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @Calhay2010 - loved the song choice, made me smile ! Did you try the alternative site too ? I am on a pump now but before with my basal injection I used my bum, best area as good padding there. It will take a while to get used to routine and for it to become second nature. Stuff like swimming is great if you can encourage him as it will take his mind off it, anything that encourages him to be creative/exercise etc will help him relax, I swim with my daughter and always take a small bag to leave at the poolside with testing kit and jelly babies so if I feel hypo then I can hop out. Does he like doing anything else ?

 

[catapillar]

Lantus, rather unhelpfully, is suspended in an acidic solution, so it does sting on injection. Can be more comfortable somewhere more well upholstered (bum or thighs). If it's causing real resistance to injections generally consider an alternative basal insulin.

If he's recently diagnosed the diagnosis is stressful and a kid dealing with those stresses might play out in the sudden development of needle phobia. The diabetic team might be able to refer to a child psychologist.