I got my teeth replacements from the dentist yesterday before Marc and I met with Abe and Jayvee in the evening. They’re mighty uncomfortable, but after the pain I went through last week, this is nothing. Having them on made me realize that I really ought to give myself a pat on the back for being able to go through that shit with my dentist.
As I have been telling Abe yesterday, it wasn’t the pain after the extractions that bothered me—it was the process of getting anesthesia shots that really, really freaked me out. Although my dentist numbed the parts where he stuck the needle to, the thought of a needle poking my gums made me want to faint on the dental chair. My dad had to cover my eyes so I won’t accidentally see the needle near me—or they would probably have to tie me to the dental chair to keep me from running.
I’m not kidding, I’m that freaked at syringes.
Ok, so maybe my dentist did his best not to show me the syringe and made sure I had my eyes covered before he poked my gums with it, but hey. You have no idea how much of an improvement it is for me not to have four nurses pin me down in order for a doctor to stab me with a syringe.
My most recent encounter with a syringe was about two years ago when I needed to have an allergy shot. Marc had to hold me in the emergency room while the doctor gave me the shot. A nurse was on my other side to hold me down, because every time the needle came a few inches from my skin, I tried to stand up and run. Well, in that instance it was just one nurse plus Marc. My encounters with a syringe before that really required at least four nurses and my dad in order for a doctor to give me a shot.
I didn’t used to be this scared of syringes. I was actually very brave about getting shots when I was a kid. It was after I was bitten by a stray cat during my fourth year in high school that this fear of syringes started.
Since it was a stray cat that bit me (for all you know, the cat could have been feeding off on rats and trash), my parents had me get anti-rabies shots. My dad didn’t want me to go through the pain of the traditional anti-rabies shots on the spine and stomach, so he paid more than triple the amount for me to have the least traumatic treatment possible. At that time, there was this new medicine that only required three sessions of treatment and didn’t need for it to be injected through the spine and stomach. This medicine needed to be injected on my arm and the wound itself. It didn’t sound too bad, so I wasn’t really that scared when I entered the room where I would be having the shots. I didn’t think it would be painful.
I was wrong. It was very painful. It was so painful that up to know I still can’t think of any other experience which will measure up to the physical pain I felt at that time.
Just think of it this way. Imagine a substance as thick as gelatin being injected on you. Your flesh would feel as if it’s getting pushed inside you. The pain is enough for your arm to be immobile for about an hour. Can you just imagine how painful it was when they injected it through the open wounds on my forearm and finger? “Excruciating pain†was the best way to describe it.
I’ve had an irrational fear of syringes since that happened. My first few encounters with needles after the ordeal were a bit, uhmm, violent 😛 It really did take four nurses and my dad to subdue me. I may not be a huge girl, but I was trained in martial arts and had some experiences with grappling (my dad wanted me to know how to protect myself). So yeah, I really did give those nurses a hard time just for one measly shot 😀
My encounter with the syringe last week clearly showed that my fear of syringes greatly improved. That’s why I’m so proud of me! Hehe. Seriously though, I really think this is noteworthy. From four nurses and my dad, I now only need my dad to subdue me. Hopefully, I won’t need subduing the next time I needed a shot. I don’t think I’ll already be brave enough to face syringes if I ever get into the Fear Factor TV show, but it’s a start.
Forgive me for sounding like a self-centered brat, but really, I’m so proud of me for this! 🙂
Just because 
