Published on 12, July, 2020
Advice / support needed please.
My son, 16, is nor well at the moment and needs some important blood tests doing. He knows and understands why he needs them but cannot follow through with the procedure.
Anyone else have experience of this?
What can I do to support him / help him?
Thank you for your time.
Im 16 and have the same issue and recently had a blood test. What I found helped was closing my eyes whilst it happened and not looking at all at the blood or needle so it didn't stress me out. I also had numbing cream on my arm which the doctor prescribed so it didn't hurt at all. It was a lot easier than I thought. Also I had a really nice nurse that I trusted which helped a lot because previously I had a nurse that I didn't like and it made me anxious. If he fails the first time dont be discouraged, just keep being positive and try again. Hope it goes well :)
Also my mum held my hand and talked to me whilst the nurse was doing the blood test so I was distracted. You could try this, or maybe he could listen to something like a podcast or music or maybe watch a video on his phone