For a child, receiving a shot is their worst nightmare. When told they are getting a shot, some will scream, others will kick, but most will just cry. Afterwards they walk out of the hospital room with a cherry sucker in one hand, and behave as if nothing had happened. Trypanophobia is the fear of needles or injections, such as shots, and it is common for children to have this fear. Although most children outgrow this fear as they age, I have not. I am not sure what has caused this fear, but it has affected many different aspects of my life.

About every month or so my fear of needles causes me to wince at the mere words “blood drive.” I love the good that blood drives do, but I am filled with dread when one comes around. The thought of multiple people simultaneously having needles in their arms for extended periods of time sends a shiver down my spine. I would love to participate in a blood drive and saves someones life, but I cannot even go near one in progress, let alone participate in one. Blood drives are one of the worst ways my fear affects me, but thankfully I only have to deal with them about every month or two.

One of the daily aspects of life that my fear of needles has affected is my movie watching. I have a problem viewing a needle go into a person’s body, or watching a surgery. When I see a person get a shot, I have to look away and plug my ears. Otherwise, I will start to cry, fidget, or, if it is very realistic, tremble. What most people do not realize is that there are various movies that include needles in some way, shape, or form. Every time a needle appears on screen, I bow my head, plug my ears, and wait for one of my friends to tell me I can watch again. Since this happens quite frequently, at times watching movies can be quite difficult.

The most recent incident my fear has affected me is my ear piercing. Since I have been terrified of needles for a very long time, I did not get my ears pierced until a couple months ago. The thought of a needle like object going through my ear has always been absolutely horrifying to me. Even though I have wanted my ears pierced since I was little, it took me years to build up the courage to get it done. When I did go, there was a little girl getting hers done. She was a fifth or sixth grader in school, and she acted as if she could not feel anything. Seeing this little girl handle it so well, gave me courage to follow through with my piercing

Once I sat down in the chair, I instantly became nervous. While the woman got everything ready, I started to fidget around in my chair anxiously. Noticing how worried I was, she tried to distract me with small talk while she put the piercing gun to my ear. As she counts down from three, my body tenses up more and more, and I start to tear up. At first I thought I got pinched, but then I feel the piercing go through my ear. While this happens, I start to cry, but I manage to hold it back enough to not embarrass myself. I was very proud of myself for facing part of my fear, but there is no way I would ever go through that again.

I have no idea what has caused this life long fear of needles, but I know it has affected my life in many different ways. Any time I am around or see needles, I instantly become anxious, nervous, and horrified. This fear has affected me in all different aspects of my life. From simple blood drives to getting a piercing, my fear has not made my life any easier.