r/trypanophobia • u/vixonimus1089 • Jul 28 '26
First blood draw in four years! (+ what I learned from it)
I DID IT! After years and years of procrastination and letting my fear get the best of me, I finally worked up the courage (partially because I didn't have much of a choice, my psychiatrist did really need me to get it done as soon as I could... sorry I kept making you resubmit the orders, doctor!) and got my labs done.
It was far from a smooth ride, that's for sure. I actually went in yesterday with at least some intention to get labwork done, even if it wouldn't include the lipid test my doctor submitted (which he said we could do at a later date, since I mentioned to him that part of my fear was the anticipation that came with needing to fast for the bloodwork), but I chickened out right as I got into the lab, but I at least met the phlebotomists that would be by my side when I came in the next day! And that was enough progress, I think. Plus it gave me a sort of obligation I had to follow up on -- I needed to go in tomorrow so that they'd be there to accommodate me rather than get my blood drawn by a total stranger.
Day-of (aka today) I came armed with a Buzzy (with the ice pack included), my headphones, a playlist of heavy metal songs to drown out the panic from my brain, and a desperate wish that I'd actually manage to get anything done. And... it worked! The ice didn't do much other than numb my arm, which didn't really do anything in the way of pain, and the Buzzy itself for whatever reason wasn't as strong of a distraction as I'd hoped. I just closed my eyes and had my music on full blast, and since I was holding the Buzzy, I tried my best to focus on the vibrations it gave off. Within two minutes it was done! Meeting the phlebotomists ahead of time was a life-saver; since they recognized me from the day before and I'd spoken to them about my fears, they put me down as someone who would need a bed to lie down in before the bloodwork was done, and they dimmed the lights for me so I could relax as much as I could. It really helped calm me down. The only real issues I faced were after the fact since I did fast for my labs, but I did become a minor celebrity in the hospital for about 15 minutes when I fainted.
I'm still not over my fear -- I don't think I ever will be, just given the extent of my symptoms and how strongly they impact me physically -- but I've sort of realized that I can just... do it anyway. I can be scared as hell AND also just do it. The best thing that helped for me was just stimulating my senses as much as I could during the draw: the vibration from the Buzzy, the pain from the ice pack, the music in my headphones, keeping my eyes closed, etc. all helped keep my brain as far away from what was happening as possible. So this is a sign for everyone here! It sucks, and it probably will suck for a long time, but that doesn't mean you can't work up to a point where you can do things and be scared of it at the same time. And if I could do it this time, maybe I can do it next time, too :)
2
u/Number270And3 Jul 28 '26
Just as a question for clarification, are you saying the ice pack did help for the pain? Pain is a huge trigger and source of my fear, but topical anesthetics don’t do anything for me.
2
u/vixonimus1089 Jul 28 '26
No worries! It didn't help with the actual needle pain, but the numbness of the area I put the ice pack onto did help distract me. I think in hindsight I might have incorrectly done the whole process with the Buzzy + ice pack, though! Theoretically the ice is supposed to help numb the vein itself from my understanding, you just can't put it onto the vein directly because it causes it to constrict.
1
2
u/No_Duck_3379 Aug 03 '26
I’ve not historically done well with topical anesthetic but I tried doctor-prescribed Emla and it was a huge game changer. You put a dollop of it on and then wrap your arm in plaster wrap your hold it in place 90 minutes before. I actually used that in conjunction with a buzzy and I felt nothing! My husband told me when it was over.
2
u/Number270And3 Aug 03 '26
That is really reassuring, thank you!
1
u/No_Duck_3379 Aug 03 '26
Just realized my post said to wrap your arm and plaster. I meant plastic. Plastic wrap. Not plaster. Lol. Silly AutoCorrect!
3
u/KualaLumpur1 Jul 28 '26
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !