I remember administering my first jab. Mind you, I was 30 at the time. It only took a short time for it to be a non-issue, but I was never afraid of needles to start with. Some who have witnessed me dosing up have winced or turned away, but none have passed out or panicked (yet). I can’t think of a worse situation than being needle-phobic and dependant on them at the same time.

Would shock therapy work, like when they lock arachnophobia people in dark a room filled with spiders? Dangle agoraphobics from tall bridges? Covering an anatidaephobic in bread and sitting them in a park? Maybe trypanophobics can be made to sleep on a bed of nails until they are ‘all better’?

I was also a bit older like Chris, 35 when i was diagnosed, i have always had such a phobia with needles, at only 5 i kicked the nurse across the room and the needle broke in my arm when i was getting my vaccinations!! i dont get the flu jab for that reason…..because i loath them!! well you can imagine me then, sitting at the doctors learning how to inject insulin, i was almost sick with nervousness didnt help my bg was up in the 20’s at that moment!! i did the practice run on a cushion held to my tummy and then it was time to inject into the skin…..arrrggghh!! i held it slightly above my skin for a good 10 mins before finally doing it, thank goodness i had a very patient nurse. I slowly got better with time, and thankfully now i just do it without really thinking about it, im now 36 so it didnt take too long to get to that point
I still wont get the flu jab though, and i still get very nervy when i have to have my 3 monthly blood tests and have to look away!!

I have read of someone in the US that went onto the pods because she was so stressed about needles she wouldn’t inject – with the pods she never sees a needle.
I haven’t had an issue with needles – I apparently was the fastest “self injector” at Timaru Hospital – 2nd shot after coming off the IV I did myself – and I’ve been doing them since. (I think it was because the first one the nurse did hurt like hell, so in my 8yo arrogance I thought I couldn’t do any worse, and if it hurt really bad, I might be able to pull it out and try again!).

Chris I’m pleased you seem to have forgotten me almost passing out when I was ‘practising’ giving you your jab the first time. I couldn’t look, I shut my eyes and blindly stabbed and jabbed in or near your belly and then nearly passed out. Just as well you’re not squeamish really!

I did marginally better when you went really low and passed out on the sofa and I was doing a finger prick to check where you were at…unfortunately it had been a while since I had played with your toys and the ‘pricker’ came to pieces in my hands. So I just grabbed a sharp bit and poked it into your finger…I figured you were quite bad when there was absolutely no reaction to the ‘manual’ stabbing.

So I guess from a wife’s point of view, it can be scary and daunting because often you guys are so good at self-managing that we don’t much opportunity to practice our own skills. Probably a lesson in there, if I wasn’t so squeamish….

I too like you Aaron did my first jab myself. with my older brother diagnosed at age 10 one year earlier than me, I was determined to do my own jabs, so diagnosed at age 9 have always done mine.

I always remember getting sick when I was younger and just feeling too sick to do my own, wouldn’t let mum do my jab for me and the only person I would let was my brother. Too sick to do my jab, but not to sick to argue – hmmmmmm.

My brother from memory struggled a bit, he passed out once when he went with mum to give blood, but has obviously had to overcome this and just get on with things.

I think the people that struggle are those that have young children. I don’t envy them.

I did my injections from almost the word go at 7 – but it was not an option back 28 years ago – you practised on an orange – then about 2 days later the really scary matron told me off in the moring for not having done my injection yet – so off I quickly ran to do it. Didn’t occur to me to disobey her – that was the days before parents were allowed to stay in hospital overnight.

SInce then I had one of my helpful colleagues (a more senior one) offer me as a real practice pin cushion to a newly diagnosed child. Part of me cheers thanks for that , but then i had to get on with it – in the end she was more scared of hurting me than I was of her hurting me.

Did you learn to do any basic meals as well, Penny? Like
Eggs on toast, omelet and cheese, a spud and a few veg:

My lasting memory of orange practise, was one of the interns saying when the nurse left the room, “Just pretend to stab it chum! I want to eat it without any brusing.” I never found out if they actually did this.

I can’t recall ever seeing matron, they were just a force that was always present in every atom of the entire complex and were always watching.

Matrons were always a force from memory. You are right Roy that the more memorable ones were the ones that you did not actually see but you knew they were there.
But I do remember the one that I did see due to the association.
They did not teach me any basic meals. Was told what not to eat – anything that contained sugar (worked our own way through that)
Did you get taught basic meals? How old were you when they taught you Roy?

Hi Penny. I was 12, but my five sisters would say any seven year old female would equal that and in my case surpass it.
I started with learning to boil water, using gas and electricity then moved on to sandwiches cooking an egg for these, then to the dishes I mentioned. Breaking eggs and getting them into the pot was tricky and then to eliminate the shell fragments included took lots of practise and eggs. I thought my grub was pretty good, but I did notice that no one else tried it, including nurse, so I had it all. Yum!