I have never been afraid of needles. I remember as a young child liking that anxiety that built up before a shot. Call me strange but after I got the shot, which I did not enjoy, I got to show off my war wound to my friends. All little kids feel getting a shot is a big deal and somehow you've earned bragging rights. The band aid covering the wound proves it.
What do you do if you have a needle phobia and are diagnosed with cancer? I often wondered about this after being stuck with a needle for the 3rd or 4th time in a day. You see I had trouble with my port. That is where they inject the chemo. The nurses could never get blood from it like they are supposed to so I always had to have them take blood from my arm and get stuck in my port for chemotherapy on top of that. Take into consideration days when I had to go to my OB/GYN for blood work and tests I got stuck with needles a whole lot.
I would think to myself during those times it was sure good I didn't have a fear of needles. I do not know how you could do it if you did. I don't mind the needles. Most often it was just a little pinch and once it's in it's not too bad. There were a couple of times it felt my arm was on fire. I have to admit it totally depends on the nurse. I have had bruised arms after needles and then barely any proof I had a needle on other days. It all just depends on the skill of the nurse. I hated IVs. Those are much more painful but really it only hurts getting it in. After it's in, it's not too big of a deal. Still, how could you do it? If you are afraid of needles I don't know how you could make it through something like cancer which involves a whole lot of needles! My port needle was bigger and fatter than a normal needle. It went through the skin each time too. My port was under my skin. This is what the needle that goes into the port looks like:
This is where they stuck it:
So I again ask, if you do have a needle phobia, do you think you could manage getting all those needle sticks?
