Hit Me With Your Best Shot! (How Do You Feel About Getting Shots?)

You gotta do what you gotta do.

I haven't been to the doctor in decades, so the only needles I know are the dentist's needles. They can be endured because drilling and pulling teeth without them is not to be considered. >.<

me also, in have had so many dental shots, i have lost count. had one last week..

Last month, I went to the hospital and had to have a needle stuck into my knee of all places. I've had trypanophobia throughout my life. Sometimes though, you have to face your fears head-on for your own well-being. That's life. 😌

I've mentioned thos before, but it is the topic. I'm afraid of needles. Phobic. As a child I remember getting a shot and screaming and yelling and trying to run out of the room. They held my arm as I pulled way, straining to get out of the door. Somehow they got me to sit back down and let them do it. Crying the whole time.
As we were leaving the lady at the front desk told me how good I did getting the shot. And how she didn't hear a peep from me. I remember thinking something like "what an idiot, I know you heard me, why are you lying?. 😂 But she offered a lollipop for doing well and I took it anyways 😂

My fear of needles leas me to avoid doctors for years. Huge mistake. I developed hypertension. That lead to kidney disease and transplant. That lead to bone death in my hips. And getting mouth cancer. Thyroid problems and more. Countless doctor visits and hospital stays where I've had to have frequent blood draws. And will the rest of my life.
As a result my once great veins have started scarring making them difficult to get needles in. And people generally just have problems tapping into the veins, even when not scarred. Most of the time it takes 2 or 3 sticks. And at times they have to poke my finger like a diabetes test and milk the blood out that way.
I'm still phobic after 100s and 100s of pokes, after roughly 15 years of being stuck.

Naturally I hate the dentist for fear of the poke there as well. So I've always avoided them.

But the worst I've had was in the eyeball. Yes, a shot in the eyeball. 🤢
Wide awake, too.

I was always afraid of needles as a kid too.

As an adult I've had tons. Bloodwork is much easier than injections for me. I went through infertility so I actually had to give myself injections in my stomach. However I could never do it, so had my husband. Luckily he was a phlebotomist so knew what he was doing. When I was in labor I had the epidural in my spine. It was the best feeling. 😆 So needles are on he bottom of my pain pyramid and I really don't mind them anymore.

As far as my kids, I would rather get a hundred shots than watch them go through it. I hold them and tell them don't look. Then give candy afterwards. 🍬 seriously it's traumatic watching your child suffer. I have to hold them so they don't move, but not so tight that their muscles are tense making it worse.

There's a story about how a dad held his kid for their shot and then saw himself in the mirror. There was this moment of realization that sometimes as parents we make decisions that hurt in the present, but help in the future. But all our kid sees is us holding them down and feeling pain. We can explain it to them, but the reality is no child or person cares why they are going through the pain. They only care about the moment.

thank you seoulsearch. btw, you have a lot of interesting posts.

Thank you so much, Karlon!

I honestly feel like it's one of God's callings for me here.

I like helping to create topics that help people share and get to know each other -- fellowship deepens our faith and helps us feel less alone in a today's isolating world.

And, if possible, I like tossing in a few laughs every now and then, too.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share!

yes, a few laughs! phunnneee to me because i was the biggest joker in high school. probably why i almost failed. story on it: in 11th grade, my english teacher called my mom & said if i didn't score at least a 93, i would fail. i studied & scored a 97!

It's amazing what a motivator a call to our mom or dad can be!

Awesome job on the 97!

It's very inspiring that you have such an amazing work ethic and but still maintain your sense of humor.

I am so sorry you had to go through this, and that you suffer from trypanophobia. I'm just very glad that you were able to get the care you needed. I hope you're feeling better!

Those dental shots aren't messing around, that's for sure! Hope you've had a smooth recovery!



I am so sorry you had to go through this, and that you suffer from trypanophobia. I'm just very glad that you were able to get the care you needed. I hope you're feeling better!



Oh my goodness, Sub. I know you've been through A LOT and I'm very sorry you have had to deal with all this... But you definitely had me flinching when you mentioned the shot in the eye.

I had to have surgeries near my eyes when I was a kid and now the thought of anything near my eyeballs gives me the eeber jeebers. NO amount of singing would calm me down if I were literally staring a needle coming at my peepers.

I'm really sorry you've had so many challenges. But I'm really glad you've stayed here on this site and have been able to give so many interesting and touching testimonies about your experiences. ❤️



I liked how "needles are at the bottom of your pain pyramid" now. I always feel inspired by people who have faced something others many of us fear, but they tell us how they overcame it.

I also loved that you told us about holding your kids to calm and comfort them when they were getting shots. I know most parents do this but we can't ever hear enough awesome stories of loving parents taking care of their kids -- thank you!


And, is it just me? But personally, I think they should hand out candy (or at least some kind of treat) to us adults after we get our shots, too. Rewards (especially for good behavior!) shouldn't be just for kids!

When I read the title, I thought you were talking about jello shots, or tequila shots..... I thought "woo hoo!" ..... I mean I thought "that doesn't sound like SS at all..... "

Lol, as much as I love it when people can cut loose a little bit and be themselves, I'm also very thankful that apparently, I haven't amassed a reputation here as a slobbering wino! I can assure you, all the antics I cause here are done completely sober!

I can take a lot of things, but alcohol is not one of them. I've never been officially tested, but I think I'm allergic to it, which immediately eliminates me as the life of any party, as I would just be running to the bathroom. My stomach tends to act like a trampoline with alcohol.

If I have any at all, I prefer it to be in foods, like pasta sauce, ice cream, etc.

I greatly appreciate your vote of confidence, @hornetguy, but alas, I'll have to pass those kinds of shots off to everyone else.

Lol, as much as I love it when people can cut loose a little bit and be themselves, I'm also very thankful that apparently, I haven't amassed a reputation here as a slobbering wino! I can assure you, all the antics I cause here are done completely sober!

So you don’t appreciate Jim Beam???????????????????!!!!

Hmm... Maybe not alcohol, but I know for a fact she often posts under the influence of caffeine.

Doggone it.

The Lynx keeps letting the cat out of the bag.

A couple times a week, I fix a mocha coffee at home with several scoops of cocoa powder (maybe even a few chocolate chips,) real dairy dream, and enough Splenda to make your sweet tooth hit a high note.

That's about as wild as I get.

So you don’t appreciate Jim Beam???????????????????!!!!

Hey Everyone,

It's that time of year again -- I'm about to go in for annual bloodwork.

Like most people, I used to be deathly afraid of needles. As a kid, I contemplated never getting married because at that time, a blood test was required -- and there was no way I was going to willingly subject myself to getting punctured!

But at one of my appointments, an older, wise and very compassionate pediatric nurse changed everything for me. I'm sure she'd dealt with a lot of scared kids before to come up with this "trick." As the doctor was gearing up the syringe and getting ever closer to my arm (I was on the verge of hopping off the table and running,) this nurse gave me a towel, told me to cover my eyes, turn my head away, and sing the ABC's. She even covered her own eyes, turned her head, and sang along with me to demonstrate -- and even though I of course felt the prick of the needle -- suddenly, it didn't seem so bad. And her little tip has stayed with me my entire life.

I no longer have to cover my eyes or turn my head. I can now watch from start to finish -- and actually find it quite fascinating, especially when donating blood (though I haven't in a while, as I nearly passed out the last two times.) But just as that amazing nurse taught me so many years ago, I still sing the ABC song (just silently now, to myself) whenever I'm being turned into a pin cushion.

I don't know if this nurse is still living, but I always think of her and thank God that she made such a huge difference in the life of a once-petrified little child.

How about the rest of you?

* Do you have any tips/routines to ease the fear/pain when facing shots and needles?

* Have you had to help other adult relatives through shots? What did you do?

* What about kids and little ones? Any advice on how to help them through?

It's such a common, relatable fear that I am really interested in hearing how others have learned to cope with it.

Thank you for sharing!

Doggone it.

The Lynx keeps letting the cat out of the bag.

A couple times a week, I fix a mocha coffee at home with several scoops of cocoa powder (maybe even a few chocolate chips,) real dairy dream, and enough Splenda to make your sweet tooth hit a high note.

That's about as wild as I get.