So...How do you get used to medical procedures?

[amirm]

For as long as I remember, I have had a phobia of hospitals and medical procedures. Finally getting tired of it, I went to see a therapist who specializes in such things. Her method is to get you exposed one step at a time to higher and higher levels of anxiety producing experiences. By experience the level of anxiety one level at time, you build up confidence and reduce the chance of anxiety causing panics.

The problem I have, and the help I need form you all, is what are some steps that I could get exposed to and how to go about it. That is, I don't know that I can walk up to a hospital and see people having their blood drawn, see open wounds, operations, etc. The current ideas are to have my blood draw for routine cholesterol check and giving blood. Can the physicians reading this suggest other alternatives?

Another thing I have been doing is watching Youtube videos but I suspect the real thing will be different.

Appreciate any and all advice.

 

[GaryProtein]

I have had some patients tell me they watched a clinical Youtube of the procedure they were about to have done.

Some have said it was explanatory and took the mystery out of it and others have said it was a mistake! It varies with the person. For others, video software that I have in the office showing bloodless cartoons of procedures is liked by a good percentage of people.

Knowing who you are going to see and just going in relaxed helps.

 

[amirm]

Thanks Gary. The knowledge is certainly helpful.

 

[RBFC]

The more familiar you are with what you are having done, the more you will be comfortable with each step of the procedure. Without any surprises, we can tolerate more discomfort (both physical and psychological).

Privacy laws (HIPAA) will not allow you to observe procedures on other folks, unless you get their prior written consent. Since you're not "medical" per se, most practitioners may be averse to allowing you to observe treatments/procedures, but I suppose you can ask!

If you're around these parts someday, perhaps I'll take you to work with me one day....

Lee

 

[Bruce B]

You want to get over your anxiety Amir?? Work there.... or even volunteer in the ER or something!

 

[amirm]

You want to get over your anxiety Amir?? Work there.... or even volunteer in the ER or something!

Thanks Bruce (and Lee). Where is "here" and how do I volunteer for ER?

Lee, my therapist warned me that due to HIPPA laws I could not see other patients as you mentioned.

 

[mep]

I think it would be good to know how your particular phobias manifest themselves so people understand what you are trying to combat/prevent from happening. Personally, I think it's healthy (no pun intended) to be wary/cautious of having medical procedures performed unless you truly understand them and feel they are necessary. Hospitals should be avoided as much as reasonably possible because they are full of germs and disease. Unnecessary procedures should also be avoided.

Sometimes doctors will recommend a gazillion tests be performed and not because they think they are all necessary. Some of it is just CYA so they can't be accused of missing something had they just done the *right* test. Some doctors just like to jump from A to Z with testing because they are overly cautious with "A" being your symptom and "Z" being the most extreme testing for that treatment. For example, your prostate is enlarged and the first thing your doctor wants done is a needle biopsy.

I recently had a second operation on my right bicep tendon. I knew exactly what to expect because I had the same operation performed already. It didn't make me feel any better when I was getting wheeled into the operating room for the second operation. Right now, I'm wishing I never put myself through the second operation because it hasn't made anything better yet. My point to this is just because you get to watch someone having something done that you have to have done may not necessarily make you feel better about it being done to you. In fact, it could make you feel worse.

 

[carolkoh]

It depends on the person and the procedure really. I've always had a needle phobia. So what did I do? I decided to give blood. Still, I cannot bear to watch the needle go into my skin when I go for a blood draw. I breathe deeply and look away.

Let me amuse you about my first experience with a finger prick to test my blood sugar. It took me three tries. The first time was a false start. I placed the lancing device against my finger and could not depress it. The second time, I depressed the trigger but move my hand away. I was successful on the third, but still jumped a MILE when the thing hit. I closed my eyes just before I depressed the trigger too! AND hyperventilated.

 

[amirm]

Thanks for the comments Carol and Mark. My reason for getting rid of the phobia is not to go and get more surgeries done. But rather be able to tolerate such things. For example, when my wife cut her hand really deep with the food processor blade, I had to have my son drive her to the hospital instead of me. I was getting sick just thinking about it. It just interferes too much with my life at times.

 

[RBFC]

Multiple exposures to unpleasant stimuli can often "harden" us so that our emotional response is blunted, however this is not always the case. It is often more direct to examine past experiences in an effort to understand why we frame certain events, etc. as we do. This aversion to medical intervention and "blood" carries a PTSD-like component when the response is outside the typical. Ask yourself if there were any significant moments that have shaped your current reactions.

Lee

 

[amirm]

Hi Lee. The technique is not multiple exposures of the same thing. But rather, increasing severity one step at a time as to build confidence. I have gone through it already for fear of height and the improvement is remarkable. That said, I also saw a psychiatrist for this and his solution was as you say. But it is a much longer and less defined process. The psychologist approach of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is to deal with "here and now" and give you tools to lessen the impact of anxiety. The psychiatrist and psychologists practice in the same office and I always run the theory of one by the other . The sum total is that they believe combining both approaches creates a much more lasting effect.

 

[mep]

Thanks for the comments Carol and Mark. My reason for getting rid of the phobia is not to go and get more surgeries done. But rather be able to tolerate such things. For example, when my wife cut her hand really deep with the food processor blade, I had to have my son drive her to the hospital instead of me. I was getting sick just thinking about it. It just interferes too much with my life at times.

Amir-That takes things to another level from what you just said. What if your son wasn't available to drive your wife to the hospital? Could you have driven her then or would you have had to call an ambulance or a taxi?

 

[amirm]

Amir-That takes things to another level from what you just said. What if your son wasn't available to drive your wife to the hospital? Could you have driven her then or would you have had to call an ambulance or a taxi?

It would have been dicey. This is one of the main reasons I am trying to conquer this phobia.

 

[mep]

It would have been dicey. This is one of the main reasons I am trying to conquer this phobia.

I agree 100% Your wife needs to be able to count on you in case of a medical emergency. And having said that, I hope my life is never in my wife's hands due to an emergency because I know she will panic and I will most probably be pushing daisies as a result.

I have had to save my wife's life three times. Two for the exact same thing: choking on food and having to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her. The third time she was multitasking while we were getting ready to go out and have lunch. She was putting on her warpaint and cleaning the toilet at the same time. She decided the first chemical she put in the bowl wasn't acting fast enough for her and she dumped in another chemical which released a toxic cloud of gas that got into her lungs when she was admiring her handiwork and all of those bubbles that were forming in the bowl and doing a super job of cleaning. I walked into the bathroom to find her barely able to breath and unable to move. I loaded her into the car because I knew that based on where I live and the closest place they would dispatch an ambulance to my house she wouldn't survive. I called 911 as I was driving and told them to notify the hospital that I was on my way and explained what happened so they would know what to expect. We made it to the ER in the nick of time as she wouldn't have survived much longer with the oxygen levels left in her blood.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Sedatives? Anesthesia? Hope you didn't pay that therapist too much. I can't imagine any way you could get exposed to enough invasive medicine in practice to get over a phobia without taking on a second career as an EMT or nurse. Make sure you tell the doctor during the consultation and the people prepping you for the procedure how you feel, and take the meds they offer you. A few years ago I went in for the procedure where they go in through an artery in your groin, inject a dye into your system, then read the arteries around your heart to check for blockage. False alarm, but they said, during prep, they were going to give me a sedative and I turned it down. They let me watch the blood flow around my heart on the monitor, and it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

That's me. You should take the meds.

Tim