How to overcome needle anxiety?

@ashleyharris728)
You might inquire about "jet injectors" for injections.
The gun is pricy and the treating prescribers might not want to invest in one. Whether or not you could buy one yourself and take it with you for your treatment might be an option.
I haven't seen one in decades but I understand they are still used.
I think a better option might be to try cognitive behavioral therapy to get over the anxiety.
Good luck,
Jake

Oof, I haven’t found a way yet. I have to have blood draws at least once a year to check levels for my meds. The hospital I used to go to has a couple policies new after they called a code red on me. (Told them all they had to do was get me on the floor and put my head between my knees.) They now allow you to lie down when having blood drawn and they don’t take a full vial for each test. (They used 1 or 2 drops from each vial and disposed of the rest.) Now they run multiple tests from the same vial.

@ashleyharris728 Dang, that is rough, isn't it? Please explain what you mean about having trouble with needles? Is it the actual poke, or do your veins roll, etc? I get two blood draws a month.

My veins roll. I have one arm not available for blood draws due to having a fistula. so my left arm gets the poke all the time. What has worked for me, when I am anxious, is to distract myself. Closing my right hand into a fist, nails into palm, to focus on that rather than the needle in the other arm. "Going somewhere" in my mind [easy for me to do, it's a cavern there LOL] Closing my eyes and relaxing my arm. All of these techniques have worked at various times.

Do you think you might try one of those ideas?
Ginger

Get tattooed, that'll cure your fear of needles. I have about 150 hours worth of tattoo work on my arms down to my wrists, my back which is covered by a piece that took 2 1/2 years to complete, and I have several on my chest and abdomen, including memorial tattoos for my mom, older sister, and our granddaughter Piper, who was stillborn in 2017.
I've been stabbed so many 'frickn times in the past 15 years in my hip, my knees, back, nose, mouth, and arms that I don't even feel it anymore, even when they used a large bore needle in my left knee to either inject Hyaluronic Acid or drain the excess fluid. I've had my knees drained at least a dozen times over the years, and it's no big deal.
I think you're working yourself up over something that happens very quickly on most occasions, and if you just breathe, close your eyes, and don't look at it you should be able to deal with this.

I do not like being stuck. But lab tests require blood draws. I am ok with it these days. I always pinch my ear with my fingernail hard enough that I do not notice the needle poke. Works every time for me.

@gingerw thanks for your suggestions. I just tend to have painful issues, like developing hematomas. I also get some kind of poke about twice a month. Half the time it goes okay. The other half, I have a lot of pain. I have gotten a full hematology work up (nothing that points to a reason why) and use strategies like applying numbing cream. However I am just really tired of the pain and it stokes my anxiety. I do have a therapist and I have been able to work through a lot of things. I may have to really intentionally try to tackle this one.

I’ve not liked needles and have rolling veins. When I went thru cancer treatment well over 20 years ago, I was being stuck all the time. I finally spoke up and told a technician I have difficult veins and if she couldn’t get it on the first try, give me to someone else who could. She did go get someone else. I used that line several times and learned the names of the techs that consistently got it the first time. I’m not sure if speaking up finally made me in control but I haven’t had problems with being re stuck in ages. I’m still not fond of needles but no longer feel like a human pin cushion. It helps to advocate for oneself.

@crabby55 that sounds like a very challenging time in your life, and I’m glad you were able to take control in that area.
When I have multiple options available, I do ask for an experienced provider. This has helped immensely. However, living in a rural area, there is often just one person available. I’ve even asked if my husband, who is a physician, can just do it himself, but of course the red tape at all of these places says no, even though he’s licensed and does this kind of thing all day long.

@ashleyharris728 Sometimes I have used reverse psychology on myself. They need the sample to make sure I am okay. So, it doesn't do any good to complain, or wish it wasn't a less-than-stellar experience.

Also, it seems like for a while, I was getting inexperienced techs. Or a new tech, like being their first live patient! I had to really set my mind that I was a learning tool for them, offer them constructive feedback, encourage them to breathe. That was always a great distraction!
Ginger

Thanks everybody for your help. I reached out to my therapist who will be helping me with “blood-injection-injury” phobia (That doesn’t roll off the tongue).

I always thought it was something I would outgrow or just “get over”. However, I’m at the point where avoiding things is just not an option anymore, especially now that I have learned it is treatable. I guess I thought it was something I just had to live with. Hopefully I can get over this relatively quickly so I can resume my medications.