Hi! I am currently looking into getting HRT for my transition, and I think that I might have some real problems with the checkups. I have a crazy fear of needles, so when I heard that one can get the hormones using anything but needles (gels, patches, pills, probably some other methods too), I was incredibly happy. I was like -YES thank you scientists that I don’t need to become unconcious while getting my HRT!-. But then I started researching some of what happens when you take those drugs, and I found out about checkups. Now, see, that. THAT! Is very very very scary. I do not have porblems with body checkups, no problem with any sort of that, but NEEDLES!? NOOO! I can not do needles, no, never in my life. When I got circumsized (for medial reasons, not religious) even after taking some -calming down pills- I was still shaking while getting my injections. After about one minute of the injection, my body starts piercing everywhere and I usually completely use my sight and my ability to hear. Also crazy amounts of nausea and stress come up a lot. By now, just thinking about em makes me start to breath heavily (I am breathing like that right now, shoot dang).
So yeeah how necessary would it be to maybe get my blood checked out or something like that? I really really do not want to be subjected to T anymore but also, oof, needles are also kina a death sentence in my head.
It’s very important to have blood work done if you’re on HRT. You have to have it done more often when you first start out to make sure everything is going OK, then you can usually switch to getting tests once or twice a year. If you don’t get your blood work done then you could be at risk of liver damage or blood clots without knowing it, plus you wouldn’t know for sure if your E and T levels were in the right range.
If you talk to your doctor and tell them you have a needle phobia, they can prescribe anxiety medication for when you need to get blood drawn. I used to have a needle phobia as well, and I still need anxiety medication to get dental work done. It’s scary but you can do it! It will definitely be worth it for your health and happiness.
How much did the medication help you? I do always eat before I get injections, and I still get these same symptoms.
If I was about to have a panic attack or having one it wouldn’t completely relax me or anything like that, but it let me disengage from the panic enough to get through the needle stuff without breaking down and having a meltdown.
Then, after I did that maybe 4 or 5 times, it started getting easier as my brain started to figure out that I wasn’t actually in a life or death situation. I still don’t like getting my blood drawn, but now I’m able to cope with it without medication.