Last December we blogged about the importance of preparing your child for IVIg. This post will outline specific ways to help ease them physically and emotionally before beginning the process of infusions.
Fear of needles is typical with children – in fact, one in 10 children are so afraid of needles that it is debilitating. While this anxiety may be common, it could be an overwhelming problem for a child diagnosed with hemophilia. A parent never wants to see a child in distress, but convincing little ones to cope with their fear can make many feel powerless.
However, there are a few easy steps that experts believe will help make the infusion process less painful, for all parties involved:
Create a Calming Environment
To start, try to create a calming environment, which will help ease anxiety. This includes having soft music playing in the background, using muted lighting and bringing a favorite toy or stuffed animal for the child to hold. Also, give your child a choice of which arm or hand to use for infusion, and make sure he or she is sitting in a comfortable spot. Avoiding the bright lights and cold, hard hospital surfaces will help calm nerves as well.
Switch Roles
Switching roles has also been proven to help reduce children’s fear of needles. Allow your child to stick you with a clean needle. This allows parents to show their children how simple and pain-free an infusion is. During this process, parents can use desensitization to help ease their child through his or her fears. This requires talking about fears related to what scares them the least about needles and infusion to what scares them the most.
Prepare
Make an upcoming infusion as easy as possible. Beforehand, make sure your child is well-hydrated and recently showered to help make veins easier to find. Because pain is largely dependent on the mind’s perception, you can help influence your child’s brain signals and thus his or her perception of pain by using words like “warmth” or “discomfort” in place of the actual word “pain.”
Desensitize
A little bit of encouragement goes a long way with children, especially when it comes from someone they trust. Talk to your child throughout the entire infusion process, step by step. Ask them questions like “What are you afraid of right now?” and “How are you doing?” By drawing attention to the psychological nature of the fear, you will help your child put it into perspective and ultimately suppress it.
Sources:
Needle Know How: http://www.hemaware.org/story/needle-know-how
Anxiety And Fears About Needles: https://www.haemophilia.ie/uploaded/file/Needlephobia%20-%20Y%20Duane.pdf