Receiving injections can be a terrible experience for anyone, both adults and children. Belonephobia is an extreme fear of needles, and about 10 percent of the population suffers from this phobia. You may know from experience that the thought of receiving the injection is worse than the pain itself. Fortunately, there are ways to take control of your or your child's anxiety and go through this process that is a regular part of health care.
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Method 1 of 3: Preparing for the Injection
Step 1. Do some mental preparation
Take a deep breath and think how quickly time will pass. To generate positive thoughts, promise to reward yourself when you're done, as you would normally do for children. Enjoy a hamburger from your favorite restaurant, even if you're on a diet.
Remind yourself that the injection is beneficial in the long run. Whatever injection you receive, it is for health reasons
Step 2. Ask a friend to accompany you
Think of a trusted friend who can calm you down and not embarrass you with your fears. Ask him to come to the doctor's office with you to help calm you down. He can hold your hand, talk to you to ease your anxiety, or just listen to your worries while you wait.
- Bringing a childhood toy with which you were comfortable, such as a teddy bear, can make this experience that much more bearable. Don't feel ashamed about this. Do whatever it takes to make sure you can complete the injection process.
- You can also listen to music from your phone or iPod to distract yourself while you wait. You can even do this while being injected!
Step 3. Be open with the professional (doctor/nurse) who treats you
Tell him that you really don't like injections. Talking about your fears will make you feel better and will let the injector know that he or she should be more careful with you.
- Ask your doctor to inject you in a way that causes minimal stress. You can ask him to count to three before giving the shot so you know when the shot is coming. Or, you can turn your head away and ask him to do the injection without warning.
- Understanding what the injection will do for you can put your mind at ease. Ask your doctor to tell you how the injection will make your life better. You can also request a brochure with information about the injection.
Step 4. Ask your doctor to prescribe EMLA cream before your injection
This lidocaine cream recipe numbs the skin, so you won't feel the injection. When patients use EMLA cream, their pain and anxiety will be reduced when injected.
- Adults: Apply 2.5 g of cream to about 18-25 cm of skin area on the upper arm/shoulder, where you will have the injection. Cover the skin with a bandage, and let the cream sit on the skin for at least an hour.
- Children: Ask your doctor if you can use EMLA cream for children.
- Side effects of using the cream include pain, swelling, burning sensation, redness, blanching of the skin, and changes in skin sensation.
Method 2 of 3: Calming Yourself During the Injection
Step 1. Divert attention by thinking positive things during the injection
Think of something that always makes you laugh, or recall the happiest memory. One recent study even showed that thinking about butterflies, flowers, fish, and smiling faces made people feel relaxed during injections.
Step 2. Don't look at the needle
Seeing needles can make your anxiety worse, especially at the time of injection or during the injection process itself. Don't look at the tool tray or table! Just close your eyes and breathe normally.
Step 3. Relax the arm as relaxed as possible before the injection
Practice lowering your shoulders and gently pressing your elbows against your waist. This exercise will relax the Deltoid muscle in the area to be injected. The pain from the injection will decrease, and the arm will feel better faster than if the muscles were tensed during the injection.
- Jumping in the middle of the injection process can cause nerve pain, and will worsen the pain at the injection site.
- In fact, if the body is in a state of tension during the injection process, as a result you can experience pain in other parts of the body.
Step 4. Watch your breathing
Take a deep breath just before the injection, and exhale slowly throughout the process. Breathing slowly and deeply can help relieve pain temporarily by relaxing muscle tension. Likewise if you blow air in and out when injected. Deep breathing can lower blood pressure, balance the body's pH, and help prevent harmful stress hormones.
Step 5. Move hand immediately after injection
By moving the muscle at the injection site immediately, you increase blood flow to the area. This can later speed up the healing process. A few hours or days after the injection, keep moving your arm to speed up the recovery process.
Step 6. Don't take painkillers to relieve pain
Recent research has shown that pain relievers such as Ibuprofen, Advil or Naproxen taken right after the HPV vaccine reduce the effectiveness of the injection. Researchers believe that other vaccines may respond in the same way. Painkillers cause the body to build antibodies that work against the vaccine. To prevent this, just face the pain you feel. You can place an ice pack or cold pack for about 15 minutes at the injection site to relieve pain. You will definitely get through it!
Method 3 of 3: Helping the Child Receive the Injection
Step 1. Show empathy to the child
Even for adults, imagining themselves being stabbed with needles can be frightening. Children, with their vast imaginations, tend to feel more fearful. About 2-8% of children actually have a phobia of injections, but all children need love and care to deal with injections.
Step 2. If the child who needs to be injected is still a baby, try to breastfeed him during the injection process
Recent studies examining ways to help babies who are in pain show that breastfeeding can reduce the pain. The familiar, soothing action helps to relax the baby while he or she has the injection. The baby's heart rate will remain stable, and the baby will not strain or cry. If you can't breastfeed, try one of the following for baby:
- Give a pacifier to suck
- Give a soothing interskin touch
- Wrap baby with a swaddle
- Give a drop of glucose water along with a pacifier
- Place the hanging toy about 20-25 cm above the baby
Step 3. Talk calmly to older children about receiving injections
Children learn from their parents, so don't cram negative ideas about injections into their heads. Talk to them about what will happen in the doctor's office, but act like it's a normal part of life, not a big deal to worry about. The more relaxed you are about the injection problem, the more relaxed your child will be when it's time for him to receive the injection.
Step 4. Use less scary words for injections
Young children (under 7 years of age) may associate the word “injection” with needles and serious injury. To prevent unnecessary worry, use other, more positive words for the injection. The word “vaccination” gives the impression of the word injection as something that will make them healthy, not hurt them.
Step 5. Read a book about injections with your child
There are many children's educational books on the market that can calm the child's mind. One of the scariest things about receiving an injection is not knowing what's going to happen. These books provide information about the injection process and can make children feel safer.
Step 6. Discuss with the doctor/nurse about ways to simplify the injection process in children
The person giving the injection can make a big difference in a child's experience receiving the injection. One successful strategy for calming a child is asking the doctor to give the child a choice about how many injections they want. When it's time for your child to receive an injection, ask the doctor to ask "Would you like a vaccination or two today?" If your child has to receive two injections, ask "Would you like two or three?" Children almost always choose the smaller number, and in doing so, they feel they have the right to decide. If the doctor gives them a choice in this regard, the children will feel relaxed and feel in control of the situation.
Step 7. Talk to a doctor about EMLA cream to dull the taste
As mentioned in the previous section, EMLA is a numbing cream that can reduce pain if applied a few hours before the injection. These creams are available by prescription, so talk to your pediatrician ahead of time if he or she recommends using EMLA in children.
Step 8. Distract the child during the injection
Before the injection, talk to the child about what he or she will hold, see, or do during the injection process to distract. Some children may want to sing, while others prefer to cuddle with their favorite teddy bear or blanket. Children sometimes feel calm by being quiet and looking their parents in the eye for comfort. Talking about what you're going to do ahead of time will help your child feel calm when the time comes.
You can distract your child by reading a book, playing music, or playing an educational game with him or her during the injection
Step 9. Be the best cheerleader for the child during the injection
When the time for the injection comes, show a positive and cheerful attitude. If you express anxiety about your child's reaction, it is more likely that the anxiety will spread to your child. Instead, be a good coach. Tell him they're doing well, and you've never seen anyone so nice in the doctor's office before. Comfort them: “You can do it! You're great!"
Step 10. Promise to give a reward after the child receives the injection
As you prepare your child for vaccinations, tell him that there is a reward after visiting the doctor. The reward could be something as simple as a popsicle or ice cream, or you could do something bigger like going to the zoo.
Don't tell your child that a reward will be given depending on whether he cries or not. Crying during the injection process is not a problem. He just needed to finish his visit to the doctor to get the prize
Step 11. Be careful with painkillers
Doctors do not recommend giving Tylenol to children before injection. It's actually normal for the body to have a low-grade fever after receiving the injection. Only if the fever reaches above 38 °C should you use Tylenol to bring it down. A little pain or fussiness after receiving the injection is also considered normal. So, do not use painkillers, unless the child complains of severe pain.
Tips
- Try to keep your arm relaxed, and don't stare at the needle. Tense muscles will make the injection more painful. Take a deep breath and let all the tension subside right before you receive the injection.
- Don't think about injections if you're so anxious that you feel nauseous. Belonephobia only affects about 10% of the population. If it's part of that percentage, prepare yourself. The pain and injection only lasts for a few seconds.
- No matter how old you are, there's nothing wrong with holding someone's hand. Having a trusted friend will make it easier for you to relax.
- Don't be afraid to cry. Do whatever is necessary to get through the injection process.
- Ask your doctor to give you an injection in the arm you use for writing. Even if it hurts at first, your arm will recover more quickly if you move your muscles more often.
- Head to the gym before receiving the injection to relieve anxiety. A good workout will reduce some of the adrenaline and relax you.
- While in the waiting room, playing with your iPad or listening to music can take your mind off the needle. Make sure you bring something to keep yourself busy.
- Don't worry about feeling silly if you cry! It doesn't even matter if you're an adult, doctors are used to dealing with this sort of thing.
Warning
- Keep in mind that vaccination shots are often far more unpleasant than protection from a disease that could potentially infect you.
- Don't try to attack the doctor.
- Do not run away from the injection. This action can be dangerous! Besides, you end up having to take the injection anyway.
- Don't push the doctor's hand. You can get hurt.
- If you exercise before receiving the injection, make sure you do so one hour before the injection because exercise can increase blood pressure, and in some people the condition is potentially dangerous.
