My 9 year old son has an insane fear of needles. At a recent doctor visit, the nurse did the finger-prick method of withdrawing blood. My son screamed because it hurt, then after she left the room, he almost fainted, then he threw up. I guessed he'd gone into shock but the doctor was more concerned about him barfing on the floor, so I didn't get to ask!! (Needless to say, I'm in the market for a new doctor.) He'd had blood drawn before, but he was quite a bit younger and had never had a reaction like this.
Then, last night while watching a movie where a character got his finger pricked for a blood test (you didn't see any blood), my son left the room, said he was sick, then fainted on the floor!!! He threw up after he came to. It was so scary! Has anyone experienced a fear this paralyzing? Even thinking about having to go to the doctor again gets him all freaked out!! How do we deal with this and how do I get my son to deal with it?
2006-12-17 04:55:27 · 7 answers · asked by Shelley L 6 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
I'm not coddling him, nor am I going to let him avoid doctor visits because of this. I'm looking for advice on getting him past it.
2006-12-17 05:33:34 · update #1
I do fear needles I hate them but I am not as bad as I used to be when I was younger I used to fight the doctors and nurses when I was 2 years old they had like 3 doctors and 2 nurses trying to hold me down it wouldn't work they had to tie me to the bed and still hold me down and cut my foot open just to get my blood! be glad he's not like that. But when ever he has to get a shot or blood drawn have him look away and think of his favort thing or anything thats Not him getting stuck with a needle have him look at you and talk to you it always works for me. and question has anything bad happened to him where a needle was involed? talk to him ask him why it scares him so bad you might get a few I don't knows but keep talking with him you'll find the reason then maybe you can fix it.
2006-12-17 16:49:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Um....I have a fear of needles, I hate getting my finger pricked. Does he go to the dentist? Fillings? Laughing gas works for me. It will relax him, thats a hard one. I remember when my sister got her belly botton ring done, I wasn't even in the same room, and I wanted to faint. Laughing Gas!
2006-12-17 05:00:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
has something in the past happened to him with a needle? maybe a bully at school? some people just cant look at blood, poor thing, a finger prick is the least of his concern!
2006-12-17 08:06:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell him he's not allowed to react like that anymore. Hes still young, and its amazing what kids will do when theyre not allowed to.
it sounds harsh, but coddling him with this fear only rationalizes it for him. I'd just ignore him when he's reacting to it. And expose him more often to what he's afraid of, and discuss it with him. He will desensitize to it the more he's exposed to it, and the less you react to his reaction.
Its a mental reaction to an irrational fear he's created and allowed to effect him so greatly.
Its a phobia. Phobia's set in and become major issues when the person with the phobia never deals with the fear, and instead is always allowed or encouraged to react to the fear in the manner they have developed.
If it doesnt seem to get better with those things, get him therapy.
2006-12-17 05:02:24 · answer #4 · answered by amosunknown 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋
i used to scream but i would never faint or throw up.
2006-12-17 05:04:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whenever u have to use one tell him u need to pinch him to see his pulse.
2006-12-17 10:30:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
oh my thats odd
tell him its alright and he will be ok
2006-12-17 04:57:37 · answer #7 · answered by Jade 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋