I used to be deathly afraid of needles, but in recent years I've had to have blood tests almost every month or have had an IV line put in or have had an injection, and I've kind of gotten used to it. I still flinch a bit, but have never passed out. I've found that some phlebotomists are REALLY good at it - you literally don't feel the needle going in. There are some, on the other hand, who my father used to accuse of using square needles.
Worst I've ever had was a nurse who was totally unable to get an IV started - she got the needle in my hand and couldn't get blood flow, so she started moving it around WHILE IT WAS STILL IN MY VEIN. After what seemed like an hour of torture (but was only a couple of minutes), she finally gave up. They called a nurse up from the ER, and she placed the IV in seconds with absolutely no pain to me. Either she was that good, or my hand had gone numb at that point... |
