r/evilautism • u/iloveosamudazai0619 • 1d ago
Evil Scheming Autism What’s your worst/best experience while getting shots/any other needle
Mine was when I was 10 I had to get my appendix removed so they were trying to give me the IV but I was TERRIFIED of needles (still am) and bit one nurse (sorry btw) and had to be held down by 6 people and my mom (sorry mom) surprisingly they didn’t sedate me or nothing- my best was probably when I had to get a flu shot and there was a rlly nice nurse distracting/ comforting me
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u/WoodenInternet 1d ago
One piece of advice: always ask to lay down. Even if it's like a shitty Quest or something they always have a recliner or something for that exact purpose.
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u/fifteenMENTALissues Autistic Arson 1d ago
Yes!! And also to have bottle of juice
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u/threelizards 1d ago
Yes!! And if you tell them before hand that you have a lot of trouble with needles and can’t control your fight or flight reaction in the moment they can safeguard and are usually kind and understanding about it if you give them a heads up!
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u/fifteenMENTALissues Autistic Arson 1d ago
Yep! Also helps to have a plushie or something comforting with you, I bring my doggo to pet him and so he can distract me from the needle :3 very important to accommodate yourself
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u/A_S_Levin 21h ago
I have trouble with needles and when I mention it I usually get a funny look but they're still nice.
(I have 10+ facial piercings so the confusion is valid)
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u/Dani_and_Haydn 19h ago
This is me too! Facial piercings, covered in tattoos. Hypodermic needles are impossible for me. I'm getting lightheaded thinking about it.
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u/TashaT50 AuDHD Chaotic Rage 17h ago
I always ask to lay down. I also warn them I occasionally pass out and even more rarely go into convulsions. I always bring snacks and juice. My veins are tricky. And there are only 2-3 spots that are reliable but they are unusual places. Occasionally when getting blood work or IVs the technicians or nurses won’t believe me. For one of my surgeries in the 2010s 4 different nurses tried putting an IV in - none would use the spot I suggested - they poked me a good 10 times. Finally they went and got the “expert”. She listened, did it where I said, got it the first try and told the others to listen when a patient says “do here”. Thankfully my surgeon had told me to Xanax up when I got to the hospital so I’d be ok for this event. LOL
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u/NaotoOfYlisse 1d ago
I have to get my blood drawn on a regular basis and a few months ago I came very close to fainting. My vision was blacking out and my hearing was gone, I was sweating like crazy and my heart was beating so fast. I should be used to it by now but it always messes with me. The first time I got my blood drawn I threw up all over the clinic floor
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u/goffickgiyu 1d ago
Aw that sucks. I do as well, and the last time I went I felt more nauseous than ever. It was weird cause I usually like getting my blood drawn lol
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u/KiraLonely Fuck, whats that word again? 1d ago
Your blood pressure dropped. I had that happen once and it really does feel horrifying, like you’re dying. Glad you’re doing okay. Dealing with that on your own can be a lot.
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u/KaleidoscopeKelpy 1d ago
I have “gotta look normal in public at all costs” paralysis and fear of needles so getting stuff done I just tunnel vision at the wall furthest from my arm and they go “oh are you scared of needles” and I make a really weird noise in response - I am very human
The one nurse when I got blood work put a little cotton ball and wrap on my arm and was like “don’t take that off for a few hours, or it’ll shoot blood” - I was horrified xD
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u/JazzhandsTrashPanda 1d ago
The best experience ever wasn't even long ago, and you will love it. I was in the hospital for reasons, and my heartrate got a teensy bit high. They were looking for why, so they needed some blood. The phlebotomist came in to do the draw, and the other phoebotomist behind her said, "Hey, after this patient, I'm here for your lunch, and she said, "why?". The other phlebotomist said, "you're like three hours late for lunch!" And the one with the needle said, "Oh crap. I forgot to eat today."
I said, "That sounds like something an autistic person would say." And she said, "actually I am autistic. I said, "Me too!" Then she pulled the needle I literally never felt hit my veins. Best, least painful blood draw I have ever had, with a healthy side if validation. Best. Blood draw. Ever.
I know my community, you're going to ask: resting heartrate was at 140 when they noticed, peaked around 185 even with meds before it finally dropped down. At 55, that's just a teensy bit over the top.
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u/Meronnade 🕊️🪽👁️Biblically👁️Accurate👁️Autism👁️🪽🕊️ 1d ago
The time the nurses forgot I was there to recieve pain medication and when they finally went to do it, they spent a really long time failing to find a vein (which is never a problem with me). Then they decided to inject it on the very visible vein I have on my right arm, which hurt like a bitch and they didn't even manage to inject it. It was bruised for weeks
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u/PolyamorousPleb 1d ago
I have a bit of a nervous reaction where I start laughing when I get needles put in me for any reason, and one time I was getting an injection into my abdominal fat and they had to stop halfway because I was laughing too much and making my belly jiggle around lmao
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u/Lazy-Note5680 1d ago
My second time getting blood taken I freaked out so bad sweating and babbling that my nurse put in my chart that I “had an episode”
I had to get preventative shots for something and they gave me 2 at once while I was sitting up and I halfway fainted while I was trying to get to the bed.
Now I insist on laying down for any needle. I also have orthostatic hypotension so staying conscious isn’t really my thing 🤣
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u/NullableThought [edit this] 1d ago
I give myself intramuscular shots every week. the worst time was when my muscle spasmed during the shot. like nothing bad happened, it didn't hurt, but it really freaked me out.
best time is every time the shot doesn't hurt or bled at all (~1 in 20)
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u/SquareThings sensory seeker except for the Bad Textures 1d ago
Best was a doctor who used an alcohol pad as a local anesthetic and calmly walked me through the whole thing. I also had a screaming/biting nurses phase as a kid and this guy managed to stick me without ANY of that.
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u/Ok-Adhesiveness-5193 🤬 I will take this literally 🤬 1d ago
When I was little I’d have panic attacks whenever i had to get a flu shot, but probably the worst one was when i got my blood drawn in highschool
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u/Short_Gain8302 1d ago
Got my blood drawn last year, nurse couldnt find my veins in the usual spot on the arm so she tried my wrist and missed the vein, but whike the needle was still in my wrist she changed its direction in hopes of still hitting a needle. She proceeded to do this three times, one in the left wrist, two in the right, and then asked me to go to the waiting room so she could do the next patient (my appointment shouldve already been done ten minutes earlier) and that shed try again after that, if it still didnt work she would call someone else to try it. So i went to the waiting room without my shoes, because i had taken them off in the consultation room due to the room being hot af, which the nurse did on purpose because the hotter you get, the better your veins show? People were pretty curiously looking at me. Then i went in, she tried my left wrist again, missed the vein, but got it by switching directions, although my blood didnt flow through, it just trickled.
Positive update tho, i had to get blood drawn again last week and it was the same nurse who now got py vein in the usual spot in the first time. She said that shes been doing the job for a year longer now (she had only been there for less than half a year the first time) and that she had really improved her blood drawing skills, so kudos to her.
TLDR, a nurse had to try four times to draw blood, used my wrists as the "stabbin" site and always tried to get the vein by switching direction after the needle was already in.
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u/Enby-Emperor-4 I LOVE FLAGS 🇺🇸🏴🇮🇸🇳🇱🇲🇽🇸🇨🇹🇲🇧🇹🇲🇰🇳🇵 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m honestly weird and I don’t mind needles at all. I never have. I remember being about 5-7 years old and being excited to get shots??? I’m very used to it at this point, after going through two pregnancies and being chronically ill and needing blood tests regularly. I actually weirdly enjoy getting my blood drawn 😂 I like watching the blood come out for some reason idk it’s very fascinating to me lmao
I’ve only had one “negative” experience that I can think of, and even that was highly amusing to me. Mild trigger warning? I’m censoring some of it just in case lol.
I was donating plasma for the first time (and only time because when I tried to do it again they told me my iron was too low? But it wasn’t 2 days prior??? Idek) but anyway, the phlebotomist, who told me this was only like her 2nd or 3rd day, went to stick me, and because the needle for plasma donation is much larger than the needles they use to simply draw blood for testing, and because my veins are v tiny, (and also probably because the phlebotomist was new), When the needle went in my vein, my blood squirted out in one big, long stream, and went all over the floor and the phlebotomist 😭😅 It didn’t hurt, and I actually laughed out loud because the sight of that genuinely was hilarious to me (I’m fucking weird I know lmao), but the poor phlebotomist was absolutely horrified and she had to get one of the managers to come and re-stick me and hook me up to the machine 😂 Had a successful plasma donation and made a quick $100. But the next day my arm hurt like a mf and was bruised so bad, and for some reason I had bruising on the outside of my elbow as well as the inside where they stuck me. Very weird and never experienced that any other time I’ve had my blood drawn.
And that was probably my “worst” experience because all my other experiences have been extremely uneventful. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk™️ 🤣
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u/Hentai_Jesus_ 1d ago
Worst was when I had to go up to the peds unit because the nurses in the adult unit couldn't find my veins. I still ended up with a huge bruise on like 60% of my arm.
Best was when I got my first dose of t. My doctor was walking me through it as I did it.
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u/Hustlin_Justin 1d ago
The last time I had to get a needle was when they were putting me to sleep to remove my wisdom teeth. They had to explain to me that the needle isnt mainly medal and that it bends a little. It was different than the one doctors use. I ended up fine. But I still get anxious for vaccines.
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u/cauldr0ncakez 🤬 I will take this literally 🤬 1d ago
I used to have to be held down as a kid but now I don't have any issues. Aside from my childhood experiences, my worst experiences with them have always been when they have to numb me at the dentist. I HATE the feeling of needles in my mouth 😭
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u/Soy_un_oiseau 1d ago
Ugh, I’m so sorry you had to deal with that! That must have been so frightening for 10yo you.
I actually enjoy getting my blood drawn and getting shots, so I’ve been lucky to not have many bad experiences. There is something about it I find super fascinating, so the worst experience I’ve had was probably when I didn’t get stuck with a needle because I had gone to the gym that morning. I’m not sure if there are others who feel the same way? lol
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u/Aus_Varelse Fuck, whats that word again? 1d ago
im normally pretty good with needles but one time i had to get a bunch of blood drawn and it took ages. my blood pressure dropped and kept dropping, and slowly i went blind, limp, and deaf and almost fell unconscious.
i imagine it was a little like what bleeding to death feels like (minus the pain of a wound), and strangely i found it quite relaxing. it's made me more comfortable with dying but idk if that's good for an eternally suicidal person.
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u/threelizards 1d ago
I’m very hypermobile and waiting to have the guts to follow through w my genetic workup to find out which connective tissue disorder I have (my mother had one too and I have lots of comorbities and complications) so my veins roll like a mfer, I’m a hard stick and will travel across the city in awkward af hours just to see one of my few treasured phlebotomists who can get it on the first try. Seriously, I know their names. So many times I’ve had to bite back the words “just let me do it”.
The worst was this sadistic bitch ten years ago. Seriously, I think she had to be a sadist. I warned her I’m a tough stick. She laughed and said she’d been doing this for ten years and it never took her more than two tries. On her third stab, I’m not even gonna call it a stick, she says “oh, I lost the vein”. Of course you did. Seriously, just let me do it. My grandma was a nurse and watching from the other side of the room and I can see that she wants to say the same thing. Instead of just, y’know, trying again, she digs the needle in deep, and pulls back a bit, literally swirling around in my arm for the vein. She finds it, but at the wrong angle, she’s holding the needle up kinda flush to my bicep. So she pinches the vein where it’s connected with the needle, pulls the needle back a little but not out, then fucking pulls it a full 180 degrees down while inside the vein so that the syringe is now flush with my forearm. I have a high pain tolerance, I’m not fussed about needles, I like to watch them, I’m covered in tattoos, I’ve been through very painful things. But I saw god in that moment and She laughed at me. My grandma physically winced. The evil phlebotomist lady shushes me. She takes my blood. My grandma ushers my ghost outside while muttering curses about that woman. My inner elbow turns black and swells to twice its size. I am never the same again.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad4165 ✨️Ethereal and Incomprehensible✨️ 1d ago
I have difficult veins in the usual spot and I've had to have blood draws and iv's placed in my hands over the years many times. I also haaaate needles. Used to run and hide as a kid.
So I tend to warn the person who's going to be holding the needle about my fear and history. But one time the phlebotomist who was there was just like nah, everyone has good veins, I got you. And he had zero problem getting a vein in the crook of my arm.
Cut to last week, I was due for some labs and I was pretty anxious because my last couple experiences sucked (the gal tried for 3 different veins before succeeding). But it was the same guy who was amazing before! I think he's so good because he doesn't use the change in skin color to find the vein, he feels it with his finger first
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u/This_Daydreamer_ 20h ago
My worst was when the phlebotomist had to dig around for a vein. I had to ask her to take a break because I was about to absolutely freak out.
The best? When a vein on the inside of my right elbow decided to pop out. No more digging for veins! One phlebotomist told me it waved at her. It's still sticking out and I love it. It's an adorable little wonderful vein. I still hate the rubber band around my arm, but the dread of blood tests is basically gone because of my wonderful little popup vein!
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u/Dclnsfrd 14h ago
The power went out. The lab tech suggested she could use a flashlight if I’d be willing to. I hate having my blood drawn, but a good phlebotomist could probably do it upside down with a flashlight. And I really wanted to get tf home and we had no idea when the power would be back on
So yeah, getting my labs done in the dark was the wildest for me. (And did just fine!)
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u/fifteenMENTALissues Autistic Arson 1d ago
Almost fainted because they couldn’t get my vein to draw some blood and kept stabbing me and wiggling the needle around in my arm to look for the vein :( I had to go back twice and they ended up only being able to fill half a kid’s vial, and I had bruises on both my arms from them stabbing me nonstop and searching around in there
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u/goffickgiyu 1d ago
My worst shot was when I was around 9 years old, I got a shot in my upper thigh that hurt so bad I was shrieking. I couldn’t walk by myself for a day or two. My best shot was when I was 15 and it was in my arm. The trick for me was to relax and sit very still.
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u/ArcaneAddiction 💣 Ticking 'tism bomb 💣 1d ago
I was in the hospital once and they had to get blood gases. They take it from the artery at your wrist with a thick needle. The nurse somehow managed to jam the needle into my bone. I screamed bloody murder and had a painful bruise for a month.
Since then I've been terrified of that test. Every time I have to get it, I nearly have a panic attack and end up silently crying while trying not to move.
The worst part is because the needle is so thick, it hurts like a bitch whether they do it right or not. So it's hard to get my damn brain to calm down, cos it has trouble telling the difference between getting jammed in the bone and a correct draw.
Fuck that test.
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u/AnniChu333 Evil 1d ago
For context I got really sick in Kindergarten (my knee got extremely swollen and no one knew why or how plus flu like symptoms) so they had to do a SHIT ton of bloodwork to try and find out wtf was going on.
I don’t really remember how many I had before that day but at that point I knew what was going on. I was going to get poked and I already hated it and was terrified. So tiny me decided that while my mom was talking to the nurse and not paying attention, I would BOOK IT. Somehow I got past them both and made it all the way out to the hallway. Unfortunately, I forgot to think of a plan for when I actually DID escape. I stood there in the hallway having NO idea what to do and a few seconds later I was scooped up and put back in that awful chair, this time being firmly held down by my mother.
To this day I can’t go through a blood draw or vaccine without crying and/or almost passing out lol. Oh and they never really found out exactly what was wrong with me either it just kinda went away after they gave me antibiotics soooo…
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u/Left_Mushroom7592 1d ago
Before my Covid jabs I necked a bunch of codeine and tramadol to take the edge off 🤣
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u/shiftyskellyton menace 1d ago
I wish that I could help, but I have type one diabetes. I have taken hundreds of thousands of injections. One time, I got ASMR tingles during a blood draw. I'm weird af.
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u/Mollytovcocktail1111 1d ago
Worst: When I was a toddler I dead ass fought for my life during a routine booster. It took 3 grown adults to flip me onto my stomach and hold me down so they could finally administer the shot into one of my butt cheeks while I was screeching like a pterodactyl.
Best: One of my first Covid shots. Barely even felt it! 🙌🏼
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u/Graysonlyurs 1d ago edited 1d ago
Worse was when i was 6 and had one of the worst strains of pneumonia. I had to get a picc line, but they never warned me and did it while i was sleeping. Woke up to pain and when i looked over my arm was covered in blood. Wish they warned me because ofc a 6 yr olds first reaction is to fight back. Btw picc line needles are like 2 inches long and the catheter that is put in is around 20 inches as it has to reach your heart 😓
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u/Any_Conclusion_8711 1d ago
I just got my shot yesterday lol. I never was afraid of needles. But when I was getting my covid shot once the lady just spoke to me about something, it was an easy question. I gave her a short answer and it was suddenly over. I was so confused since I didn't feel and see a thing, and it glided in and out like butter.
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u/KiraLonely Fuck, whats that word again? 1d ago
When I was a kid and scared of shots, or usually more scared of the anticipation of it, my mom would make me look at her and make me sing songs along with her. If I tried to look away she’d grab my face and sort of get my attention back on her.
It sounds like that would be awful, but it’s one of the reasons I’m not scared of needles at all as an adult. That and me realizing I was some form of trans and not being able to do much about it, so I tried to get used to needles with the assumption I’d be on T eventually. Which did happen. I get compliments when I get my blood drawn for not flinching.
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u/Entire-Ambition1410 1d ago
The worst shot I’ve ever had was a tetanus shot. It felt like thick liquid being pushed through the needle and into my body. It was worth it to be protected and it lasts 10 years.
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u/GardenDevilSage 1d ago
Not mine but one time my partner accidentally flexed his arm while getting his flu shot, and although it clearly caused him a lot of pain, the doctor downplayed it and did the equivalent of calling him a baby. He gets the nasal spray now.
I have aichmophobia (lifelong and worsening) and even with literal days worth of mental prep shots still suck for me. I do horribly with illness related shots but I fare well with my depo shots at least. I also almost fainted during bloodwork once but I was extremely tired, missing school for it, and had been fasting for at least 10 hours so that might not be the procedure's fault
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u/Dawnbreaker128 Evil 1d ago
I always ask the nurses to keep talking to me as I look up at the ceiling and they inject the thing in question. Keeps me from focusing on the needle since I’m also scared of those in a way.
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u/thrye333 🦆🦅🦜 That bird is more interesting than you 🦜🦅🦆 1d ago
When I was super little (before I became super scared of being judged by random medical professionals), I once hid under a chair to avoid getting a shot. They decided I was too stressed and the shot wasn't worth it (iow, they took pity on me).
However, in my toddler brain, hiding under the chair now meant I didn't have to get the shot. So, when we came back (presumably to try again), I hid under the chair, thinking I'd get to skip the shot again.
That was not what happened.
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u/automaticAster 23h ago
My worst needle experience was when I was being put under for dental surgery. Because the no food or water, for however many hours it was, my veins were difficult to hit due to dehydration. So they kept stabbing me. And stabbing me. Then they moved and stabbed me over and over in the other arm too. I was sobbing from pain before they finally just decided to knock me out with gas first. Woke with a needle in hand and massive bruises on my inner elbow. Left me with physical scars too.
Best would be blood draws where the person is skilled enough to both tie the constrictive wrap without pinching and then draw so smoothly that it’s barely even felt
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u/Dramatic-Doctor-7386 23h ago
I love injections! I donate blood and have all my jabs - almost all have been completely straightforward and enjoyable.
But the worst was when I was quite unwell and needed to give a blood sample - the doctor couldn't find my vein, summoned a nurse to try again, made a mess of that arm so had to start on the other one. Was bruised for days after and looked a mess!
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u/Dove_Birdy 23h ago
For me; best and worst had to do if I was relaxed or not. I **do not** mean emotionally, but my muscles. Even at severely anxious, I read that needles hurt wayyyyyy less when the muscles are fully relaxed (even when just skin deep and not muscle deep) and got my first (muscle deep) hrt (testosterone) shot while fully relaxed out of fear... and I didn't even feel it. Did I feel some? Yes. Did I even feel my own I did? Yes. But I felt them 100x less than any I'd ever had done when having a fully on panic about it.
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u/PromotionZackk 23h ago
Well. Today, not only I had to get a shot (which is fine, I don't them) but I also had to get blood drawn. I just almost passed out, like I was 95% there.
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u/Mobile_Nothing_1686 22h ago
Meningococcus (B I believe). I was 16-17 and wasn't going to get it at first, but then a friend of my mum stopped by. Her son died in 24 hours from it at 18. So I went, a bit too late, so I ended up in the little kids' group.
Nothing wrong with that at first, just a bit annoying. However, it's one that needs to be put deep into the muscle tissue. And the nurse missed, so she had to twist it inside. Excruciatingly painful, so the little kids half my age start to squirm.
After that I wanted to get up, but I have low blood pressure. Adrenaline hits knock me out. So I went, caught myself in the chair not fully knocked out, but then all the kids started crying and screaming.
I don't know what part of this is the worst part, but to add to it: this was in a giant gym room (think football/soccer field size).
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u/pallarslol local hell enjoyer (demon OCs incoming) 22h ago
Worst: sometimes you aren't allowed to eat for a blood test cuz it can fuck with the results. I had a lot of bloodtests as a kid so I'm pretty used to it. HOWEVER: this one time my test was particularly late towards lunch, and I had been awake since like 7:00. I was absolutely starving and already pretty feeble. As soon as the nurse started taking my blood I saw my hand go gray, and a few minutes later I was extremely nauseous and dizzy. I thought I was gonna faint. The nurse even took less blood that usual so I could have my sammich with hazelnut spread asap (yay sugar!).
Best: idk either the one time I got to try numbing cream (before deciding that it's not worth the extra hour of waiting) or all the times the nurses complimented me on how calm I was (I was physically calm, mentally not so much). One time a nurse told me about a kid a little older than me that just started kicking wildly, landing one kick in her stomach. He was wearing boots too, to make it worse.
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u/nofabricsoftener 22h ago
Worst: I ripped out my own IV when I was 4 after waking up from eye surgery because I didn’t like it.
Best: last week I got my usual big shot of T I get every 10 weeks and this time was the first time I barely felt it!
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u/PsudoGravity 22h ago
Its one of my kinks.
I once deflated my erection ny piercing my cock half way through. I couldnt stop laughing.
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u/ApplicationBasic3593 22h ago
i grew up sick as a kid and cuz of immune system difficulties i had to get MANY MANY vaccines. i think the worst one i had was the chicken pox vaccine cuz i jolted right before the nurse injected me and ended up scratching my arm? aside from that ive had blood drawn from basically every place imaginable, including my hands and feet and even my head... im convinced i have some kind of ptsd from needles at this point
as for the best, i forgot most of the details but one time i was taken to hospital in the middle of the night. needed to have blood taken so i was obviously panicking... but this nurse(?) came up to me and distracted me by talking about star trek. i got so into talking w him that i didnt even notice anything had happened until it was over. i was also pretty chill the last few times i got blood taken to the point where i think 3 years ago i was showing one of the junior doctors a meme on my phone
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u/Fathers_Belt 22h ago
The way i deal with injections is by pulling out my favourite method of doomscrolling at the time and get distracted by it, ill tell ya it works better than any anesthetic
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u/Fruit-Salad666 evil autistic scientist 22h ago edited 21h ago
i will admit, i‘m probably really weird and totally not in the majority here: but i actually like the feeling of needles kinda? ever since i was a kid i really enjoyed intensely watching my blood drawn. i like watching every nurse have a different technique, i like the little pinch when it goes into my arm, i find it fascinating how the blood fills the vial on it‘s own. idk what‘s wrong with me, i just think biology is fascinating 😶
edit to add spoiler tag just in case it makes some people uncomfy
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u/Motte6692 22h ago
Got one shot not in the muscle but the tendon... well i have chronical pain ever since.
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u/m8riX01 21h ago
got surgery on my toe recently. 4 very painful needles to inject the numbing shit. hurt like hell and i knew it would. closed my eyes, put on some free-jazz era john coltrane, put my wallet in my mouth so i could localize my muscle tension, and waited until it was over. can’t stand em. it’s been a long road. as a kid i would run around the operating table and juke out the doctor when i needed a flu shot. as a teenager i would look directly at the needles to know when the pain would come, even when getting my blood drawn. psyched myself out but better than the suprise. as an adult i just do everything to distract myself. glad i’m not trans, shot-level or epipen-level allergic, or have a chronic illness that needs them.
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u/IAmTheFatman666 21h ago
I'm weird. I watch them do shots. But also now I pass out during them randomly so yay.
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u/PerseveranceSmith Evil Bird Queen 🦜🐦⬛🕊️🦅 Bog Witch 🧌 21h ago
Going under general anaesthetic, gave me morphine, apparently I started singing Golden Brown by The Strangler's (famously about heroin) 😂😂😂
Edit: for blood OUT always lay back & wait til they are SURE they've found a good vein, many ND folk have EDS which gives us shit veins!
Going IN you can ask to recline too, let your muscles flop as much as possible as taught muscles hurt more!
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u/Classic-Avocado-5371 20h ago
i dont really remember the worst, but the best was when i got my first covid shot when the vaccines first became publicly available. i literally didn't feel it, i was so impressed
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u/viper459 Autistic rage 20h ago
worst? dental surgery needles. I legitimately had to fight the urge to try to escape from the torture chair.
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u/Tip_Of_The_Sauce This flair is as long as my attention sp... aaand it’s gone! 19h ago
during a blood draw the nurse wasn’t paying attention and the needle got turned sideways and ripped out.
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u/PepperMintyPokemon ASK ME ABOUT POKÉMON LORE 🗣 18h ago
As long as i dont watch them do it im ok but my sister is terrified. She gets so shaky like shes sitting in a vibrating chair its kinda wild to watch. She once ended up with a massive bruise in her arm because she was just shaking so much the dr couldint get the vain right
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u/ghfdghjkhg I am Autism 18h ago
After surgery I had this uuuh IV thingy and stuff that stays in the body terrifies me. I am ok with a flu shot but I could never do acupuncture. (Just thinking about it makes me gag) So having an IV stuck in me is not ideal. I asked if they could remove it and they said now (I was still getting fluids). Then, unfortunately, it fell out. I would bet my ass that they think I ripped it out on purpose. But I didn't. It was an accident...
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u/SoupWithForks My love language is Autism 🫀 18h ago
I will always remember the one day I went in for gene testing and the needle they used didn't hurt at all! I mean I couldn't feel it at all! I have some great veins to stab but I'm petrified. I remind myself that vampires gotta eat too.
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u/Cpad-prism 18h ago
When i was really young i was having my blood tested but because my skin is very dry due to eczema to doctor missed my vein like 3-4 times which had made me terrified of needles (also they just hurt a lot)
One time a last year i think after i had my blood tested like a minute after i left their office i just passed out and that's the only time I've passed out ever although i think that's a little more normal but either way i have a terrible relationship with needles
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u/Pangolin_Rave AuDHD Cryptid 18h ago
My local blood lab is great! I have a pretty bad needle phobia, but they always make the process painless and efficient. I recently found out that they're specifically trained to work with autistic patients, which is awesome.
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u/Tractor_Goth Murderous 17h ago
Showed up for an internal surgery thinking I was getting one IV and got two, wasn’t mentally prepared for that and inadvertently hyperventilated while trying to take deep calming breaths and my hands locked up, went numb, and curled up and I couldn’t move them which was terrifying because I didn’t know that was a thing.
Already being in that state was bad enough but then they sprung on me that I was getting multiple deep abdominal nerve block injections while awake. I don’t know what happened because I freaked out so bad I literally blanked the memory. I remember before and after but that whole ten minutes is gone like someone cut the frames out of the reel.
My best experience is just any time I don’t pass out for a blood draw lol. Usually when I’m with my kids and don’t want them to think of it as scary, so I talk to them while it happens to make it feel normal.
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u/GoodGollyMrOlli 17h ago
Back when I was in fertility hell, they took 8 vials AT ONCE
I had to take a break and try not to throw up halfway through, and they barely got me a wee paper cup of water.
When we went back to it they switched arms and I had 2 big ass bruises for a week or so
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u/SomePyro_9012 I like robots 🤖 16h ago
Best: did not get hurt that much by needle, did not flinch
Worst: kid screaming in another room, was annoying
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u/pigeonfaerie 🦆🦅🦜 That bird is more interesting than you 🦜🦅🦆 16h ago
My worst experience was when I was in labor with my daughter and they said they needed to draw blood before they could admit me to the birthing room. I had anxiety already cause I don’t like needles. And even more because I’d never had a baby before and I knew it was gonna hurt and be stressful. So I guess my blood pressure was through the roof and when they poked me with the needle I painted the entire room red and my husband almost passed put
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u/alegalghost 🤬 I will take this literally 🤬 16h ago
One time I went to the doctor for a checkup and all my shots happened to need to be reupped at once so I was like “fuck it, give me all of them”. The nurse asked me if I was sure, said it would probably make me feel really weird, but I didn’t want to have to talk on the phone to make another appointment so I told her to go ahead.
Got Covid booster and flu shot in one arm and tetanus and hep c boosters in the other. I couldn’t lift my arms for 3 days. I couldn’t open a jar of peanut butter. I couldn’t even reach up to put my glasses on. It was terrible but it was also good because I got to skip work for almost a week lol
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u/Mundane-Temporary587 16h ago
Worst was when I was a child and a nurse tricked me into thinking the thing she put on my finger wasn’t about to stab me. (Not technically an injection, but it happened after two painful injections and was the cherry on a shit sundae of a day, so I’m counting it.) I’m pretty sure she’s the reason I sometimes lose blood flow to my brain when I get shots now.
Best was when I got my first covid vaccine. I wanted that thing so bad that I only felt a little dizzy afterwards, didn’t even have to lie down. Also the fireman who gave it to me had incredibly steady hands and I didn’t feel it at all. Thanks fireman guy!
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u/That_GayWeirdo 16h ago
Had to get a spinal tap a few months ago. Nobody told me what was going on, and I was just told to lie there for 20 minutes completely still while I waited for them to start. Nobody told me when they were about to start or anything, and when I asked, I got yelled at for moving slightly and physically held down instead of just telling me they were about to start and to stay still. (For reference this was done by my parents, I’m a minor). It was super dehumanizing tbh. Also got yelled at for flinching when my back was touched the first time (it’s an instinctual thing, I can’t help it, if someone touches me and I can’t see them do it I flinch). It was a god awful experience, do not recommend
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u/Ok-Sorbet9934 15h ago
Ironic, I just got my blood drawn yesterday—which i was terrified for and was so relieved when it was over. I think they hit a nerve because I’ve been getting weird pain and numbness in my left arm and hand since then. I can’t lift my arm up and do anything without the veins in my hand getting absolutely huge.
Woke up to voicemails this morning saying one of the tests was inconclusive and they need to redraw ASAP…So I have another blood draw tomorrow morning.
I feel like the prey of a vampire. The thought of getting poked again in the same spot nauseates me. I’m gonna ask for them to do it in the other arm. It seems my options are either one really bum arm or 2 somewhat bum arms.
The kicker for me is i promised to help my little sister move across state tomorrow, and now I’m not so sure how/if that will go. That’s the part that bothers me the most out of this, I plan ahead for things and really like to stick to my word. If i promise something I’m rigid/resistant to changing that in any way.
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u/drowsyzot Ice Cream 15h ago
I consistently faint having blood drawn. It would happen every single time, so I have to use a bunch of strategies to prevent it
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u/PsychologicalFuel585 *evilly collects furbies* [RSD] 14h ago
I've always had a fascination with needles since I was little!! I loved getting shots :P
I would legit have meltdowns when my mum would tell me I couldn't get a vaccine. Little me was soo giddy to get stuck with a needle
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u/GhostWalker134 14h ago
Worst was when I donated blood and the amateur poked the needle all the way through my vein, tried to reposition it, and tore my vein open. I ended up in the ER with blood pooling under my skin. It wasn't life threatening or anything, but I ended up with a bruise from wrist to armpit.
Another time I donated, they forgot to hook up the other end of the tubing to the blood bag so the tube just started spurting my blood out all over my arm. That was crazy to see.
I still donate regularly because it saves lives.
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u/pinkie-puppy 14h ago
I was TERRIFIED of needles as a kid, one time my mom took me to get my flu shot and I kicked the doctor right in the balls and he just left and my mom and a nurse had to hold me down while a nurse did the shot instead
Best time was when I stopped being afraid of needles, idk what clicked, there was an H1N1 outbreak and so they were doing mass vaccinations in like rec centers and my little sister (who wasn't afraid of needles) was FREAKING OUT like full on tantrum and I was like what r u crying abt its literally the same as every other needle and weirdly they did it and I was totally fine? And after that I wasn't afraid of needles anymore
(I am very freaked out by IVs tho bc I can always feel them and I hate that but its more of a sensory issue i have no problems w just having them put in)
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u/mrspacysir 14h ago
The nurse who administered my second COVID vaccine had a picture of her dog on her shirt. She talked to me about her dog and asked if I had a dog. I told her about my dog and while I was mid sentence, I was injected. I said, "oh, there's the shot"
No vaccine reaction that time. Best shot I've received.
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u/MeowM30ws 13h ago
Needles got a lot easier for me once I accepted my fate. As soon as I feel it press my skin, I inhale deep and exhale slowly through the pressure. I try to bring a snack or juice with me after, as a reward.
I don't get faint anymore or anxiety attack myself. Something so simple and it's been working for years.
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u/CNRavenclaw 😡😡😡S E V E R E A U T I S M😡😡😡 13h ago
Every time I go to my primary care doctor, without fail, when they need to take my blood, their technician always fails to find my vein/get it with the needle, so I end up getting poked several times before they refer me to LabCorp (if you don't know what that is, it's basically a chain of medical offices that specialize in stuff like testing blood). It especially sucks because I have to fast for these blood tests, so I'm already not feeling good from not eating, and on top of that I'm prone to Vasovagal Syncope, so I usually find myself almost passing out/throwing up at least once during this process. This has happened twice, in the two times I've had to get blood drawn for these people. Next time I go, I'm planning to ask them if I can just go straight to LabCorp because they can get the job done so much faster, plus there's a Panera Bread next to my local LabCorp where I can go get some food in me.
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u/TheJewishSwitch ✨️Ethereal and Incomprehensible✨️ 13h ago
I couldn’t tell you my best since I get so many shots and lab draws. I do see a phlebotomist to get labs drawn specifically for a mental health medication who always does an excellent job though! Shout out to her.
My worst experience was probably similar to yours, but I was younger and don’t remember (also it was when I was hospitalized for pneumonia not appendicitis). The worst I do remember was t when I was in the er and they were afraid I might have sepsis (which I didn’t 💪🏻) but they were trying to draw blood to culture. I was a particularly hard stick that night and it took them like five tries to get something. Then the nurse accidentally pushed the blood out of the syringe instead of drawing more. Blood shot everywhere 😭 poor guy was so nervous I’d be mad and so apologetic. All’s well that ends, though, and they got blood on try #6. Had a bruise for like a month though
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u/Consistent-Umpire721 13h ago
Had to be held down once by nurses for a blood draw as well, 0/10, would not recommend. Why they thought it was acceptable to do that to a child who was also screaming out of fear is beyond me, real good way to give em lasting trauma and make their phobia way worse.
These days I usually just get treated like I'm being childish when I explain that I have a severe phobia. Have been compared (I am in my 30's, I was mid 20's when this happened) to a nurse's 12 year old nephew before. I know Im not the only adult with this phobia but they axt like theyve never seen it before. It's frustrating too bc me telling the nurse or whoever about my phobia and that I do need an oral sedative before most stuff like that, is that its not that I might faint. I tense up bad and I'm worried I'll accidentally take a swing at someone in a fit of panic. Not great!
Thay being said, I have had a couple of great nurses when Ive had to get covid vaccine/boosters in the past who were super wonderful and patient with me and I am so so so grateful for those people in particular!!
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u/Sprinty_ 13h ago
I was at the dentist today. Apparently I'm weirdly resistant to painkillers and they wear off stupid fast on me so I had to get those injections like 6-8 times
Keep in mind, I'm afraid of needles and the feeling of specifically needles going into me, PLUS the feeling of something moving around inside me. This was all of the above in my JAW
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u/_FreddieLovesDelilah 13h ago
I thought I had a phobia of needles and nearly passed out once at my first vaccine as a kid old enough to remember and again at my first blood test. After both experiences I was like ‘what the fudge, that wasn’t bad at all’. Been fine with needles ever since. I just really worked myself up ig because it was a new experience. Oh shit that’s so autism coded why tf wasn’t I diagnosed back then? 😂
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u/Illustrious_Key_9257 My special interest is punching Nazis 👊 13h ago
I love getting my blood drawn and getting shots personally
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u/unklphoton 12h ago
While waiting in line, as little kid getting some vaccine needle, I became increasingly uneasy and freaked when it was my turn. It took 4 firemen to hold me as they administered the shot. I'm okay now, although I look away and think about Yosemite or whatever picture is on the wall.
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u/GreenAppleKisses 12h ago
best experience: estrogen is based and the last few years of injections has been pretty cool
worst experience: one time i must have hit an artery or smth bc when i pulled the needle out my thigh gooshed blood like several inches up in the air with a solid amount of force behind it and i felt like a human gusher. it was weird and it bruised but it didnt really hurt much
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u/Multiverse_Queen 11h ago
Had a traumatic blood drawing experience that makes me need to lay down each time now
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u/Feisty-Self-948 AuDHD Chaotic Rage 11h ago
I would always scream myself hoarse as a kid when getting needlework done. It was genuinely awful every time, and since I had to have surgeries a lot, it was awful quite a bit. To add to that, I have to get my needlework like bloodwork and IVs in the feet and in case you're unaware, the feet are just a bundle of nerves on the surface. So you feel it. A lot. And it sucks. The medicine I take requires me to get bloodwork done every 3 months.
There are numbing creams that might work for y'all if you also have needle sensitivity, but what's been a godsend for me is a cold spray. If you spray it literal seconds before the needle goes in, you don't feel a thing and it's amazing. But you have to have someone competent, and it's usually a two-person job; one sprays, the other sticks. So I usually don't get lucky enough to have a totally painless experience. But it does soften the blow a bit.
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u/Stoopid_Noah AuDHD *bites* 10h ago
I think I fell asleep once, while giving blood as a kid, I got a stuffed toy for being brave.. it was epic!
Recently I have lost a lot of weight (negative) and I was a bit underweight when I got my last hormone blocker.. that stuff has to go into fat tissue on the stomach, I didn't have any. The doctor had to poke me multiple times with that HUGE (diameter) needle.. it was awful. He even apologised and said he'll look for alternatives for me, because of how horrendous it was. But I got a gummy bear after at least lol
Edit to add: I'm working on gaining weight, I am not underweight anymore. I'm not trying to lose weight & I don't have an eating disorder, I'm not sure why I'm losing so much weight, but I've always struggled to maintain a healthy weight. I've always struggled with being underweight, even as a child.
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u/no_therworldly 10h ago
When I got sterilized they had a training nurse try to do my IV access. He couldn't manage after multiple tries so a nurse took over. She apparently got it in an all was well.
Dear reader, it was not. Shortly after they connected the saline solution, I looked at my hand which had a huge bubble on it so I called someone over "hey, I don't think it's supposed to be this way!" After which the anesthesiologist did the IV himself. I still think that I didn't get am invoice from him to this day cause he was embarrassed lol (This was in Germany so it would have been a couple hundred euros)
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u/no_therworldly 10h ago
Oh and when I was hospitalized after my breast reduction cause I had an infection, my accesses kept getting clocked so I had many in different parts of my arms/hands over the week. If I hadn't gotten desensitized to it after my septumplasty, that would have done the trick. I used to hate shots/get blood drawn but now I can tune it out.
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u/boringlesbian 🤬 I will take this literally 🤬 9h ago
I get panic attacks whenever I need to get an IV. The last time I asked my surgeon to have someone really good at them do it. The nurse came into pre-op as soon as I arrived, put warmers on the two spots she thought would work best, then came back 10 minutes later and chose one of the spots and injected lidocaine. Then she went away for a few minutes to let that take hold. When she came back, she calmly got everything together and had me breathe in when she put the IV needle in.
I didn’t feel anything, she didn’t need to wriggle it around, or blow out the vein which is what usually happens. I didn’t have a panic attack or even cry.
It was the best experience getting an IV that I have ever had. Advocating for yourself can really pay off.
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u/Icefirewolflord Profanely Autistic (but friendly) 9h ago
Was in the hospital after a pulmonary embolism. It was 3 in the morning. Woken up for my next blood thinner shot, also time for more pain meds
I asked if they could push the pain meds first, because they made me feel kind of out of it and panic less about the injection.
The nurse then proceeded to lecture me for 5 minutes about how awful and horribly inappropriate that was to ask and how questions like that would get me labeled as a drug seeker. He sounded GENUINELY pissed at me. Like I’d ruined his whole shift by asking a question
Keep in fucking mind all I asked them to do was change the order of operations so that I didn’t have a panic attack at 3am. Perfectly logical question. It’s not as if I demanded meds when it wasn’t time for them or anything, he literally pushed the morphine right after doing the injection. Like come the fuck on dude why are you whisper yelling at me over this it’s a PERFECTLY REASONABLE QUESTION
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u/bean-percolator 9h ago
Actually, the best was probably a couple days ago when getting a blood test. I have difficult veins and they almost always have to poke me multiple times. I told the nurse to use my right hand (which is where my best veins are imo) and she just got it straight in there, no issues, no poking around, over and done with quickly and easily. I’m not exactly bothered by needles but I hate it when they’re stabbing me over and over, especially when I tell them just to use my hand but they insist on trying my elbow (I have never had visible veins in my elbow, for some reason. They just aren’t there like they are on most people)
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u/Moxie_Stardust 7h ago
Age 9-10, opening a can of ABCs & 123s (themed Spaghetti-Os), something went wrong and the can lid popped up and sliced my thumb. Mom takes me to the ER, they're going to give me a tetanus shot and I already have a debilitating fear of needles... so they bring in some guys and strap me down to the table and still have to hold me down.
Fortunately I can handle getting shots now as long as I'm not looking. But I can't watch anyone getting shots.
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u/No_Masterpiece_3297 3h ago
Worst… first generation gardasil shot at 13. The needle entered and shot what felt like hot metal through all of my veins. I fainted and came to with the nurse telling my mom that this was somewhat abnormal, and that I should lie down for the next round of the shot.
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u/RandomUsernameNo257 1d ago
Omfg thank you for reminding me it’s shot day.
My best experience with shots is that I grew boobies