this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
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Surely that's the vaccine, not the needle?
Happens for blood draws as well, even small quantities. Happens if someone pokes me with a lidocaine. It's a vasovagal reaction where my body "overreacts to certain triggers". My blood pressure and heartrate plummet (to scary low levels. I've freaked out nurses on a couple of occasions). It causes me to feint in a comically dramatic way because the bloodflow to my brain gets too low. To be even more fun, I sometimes exhibit false "seizure" symptoms when I'm down, tightening up all my muscles at once and stopping breathing. During my first COVID vaccine, my breathing stopped for almost a minute, which is why 2 doctors were overseeing me when I came to. My wife explaining the situation is the only reason I didn't end up in an ambulance. You shoulda seen the nurse, she looked as pale as I did!
In theory, this could kill me, and there are confirmed ultra-rare cases of people dying from vasovagal syncope. In practice, I'm far more likely to die of a car accident on the way home (with my wife driving me because I'm in no state to drive after that). So long as a competent medical professional is watching me, I'm basically completely safe. But absolutely miserable.
Honestly, it makes me feel like I'm some kind of drama queen. But it's entirely made up of unconscious responses in my body.
And the weird thing is that it's not thinking about needles. It's my body's reaction to the feeling of a needle entering it. That sad little "prick" feeling that is maybe a 1 out of 10 on the pain scale? I have no idea if it's "trickable" because I have absolutely no problem digging out a splinter with a knife. I keep wanting to find out if getting a tattoo would trigger that reaction or not. I just want to get a tattoo anyway lol.
Huh, I have never heard of such a thing! Sounds very annoying to say the least
It fucking sucks, more because a lot of providers don't (or didn't. They've been getting better) take seriously. They'd treat you like a baby or a hypochondriac, right up until you scare them half to death by WHAT YOU SAID WOULD HAPPEN happening.
The stopping-breathing thing is super-rare, so even people expecting that "complely calm-seeming patient" pass-out are shocked when that same unconscious patient starts holding their breath and shaking.
Have you tried EMLA?
... genuinely I've never been offered (even had to google EMLA)
But now that you mention it, I've never had this particular issue from novicaine at the dentist. And they always use a topical.
Next time I need a shot/blood, I'll see if they're willing to try that! Since it really does seem to be about the poke itself, something that changes the feeling might be exactly what works.
Just source it yourself, it's over the counter in the UK and unlikely to be difficult elsewhere. Apply thirty mins beforehand with the patch over, make sure you put it where the injection will go of course... remove when ready, wipe the cream away and voila, no feeling. The dentist uses a spray anaesthetic before needles; despite my phobia, I don't really mind gum injections, very weird.
Wow. That sucks. Wishing the best for you.
Honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the medical conditions of some of my family and friends. It sucks, and makes me hate doctors, but it won't kill me.
I mean, I'd take this over diabetes and/or asthma shrug
That sure sounds annoying. I hope being able to plan ahead for the occasional jab makes it not much of a real issue in your life.
Does it happen for accidental/“natural” pokes? You mentioned the splinter thing, but if you had a thorn, cactus needle, or even a piece of glass stuck in your skin and pulled it out, would you do alright?
Basically that. I schedule a day off if I need a jab for any reason, and work from home anyway when I'm miserable the next several days.
All of those are fine. And unlike a lot of people with my issue, blood doesn't bother me in the least. Once in a great while I've gotten a mild version of that from an insect bite, but the feeling is just completely different.
Oddly, I think if a needle hurt more and did some tearing, it wouldn't bother me so much.
But you're asking some really thought-provoking questions. I have a lot of food-related texture issues and while this is COMPLETELY different, I'm suddenly wondering if it's a little more similar than I thought. I do believe there's a psychological component to it; I haven't been able to test, but if I were surprised with a needle jab outside of a medical setting, I have no idea if it would happen to me or not.
What I did discover is that my blood pressure doesn't rise and my heartbeat doesn't go up in "prep". I don't seem to have a stress-rise effect for it to be stress-plummet related. I'm not asking anyone to surprise me with a shot, but I really do wonder what would happen.