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.
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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.
Regardless if you decide to go on HRT or not, you’re gonna have to get blood drawn at various points in your life to monitor for health conditions. It might be helpful to visit a therapist to help cope with it. There are effective ways to alleviate your symptoms around needles.
My partner has to take Xanax before anything involving a needle, and also lie down instead of sitting. Otherwise they pass out. Don’t expect to go your entire life without getting poked. It’s going to happen, so you should find some way of managing that (not easy, I know :/)
I’m in the US but it’s probably similar procedures. The first time I had blood drawn I was very hungry and it caused me to get those symptoms you described. Next time I ate before and talked to the person while they did their work and I had no incident. The less aware I am of the needle, the better. And it’s a small needle!
There are people who DIY without blood tests, but you really should. Maybe you can talk to your doctor about reducing the frequency of them. And bring your phone to play a game or something while they draw blood. I promise it’s so much more bearable if you’re not focused on it. Ask your doctor or the nurses what else you can do, I’m sure you’re not the first person with a fear of needles they’ve seen.
Some blood tests you have to fast for before taking them or your results will be inaccurate.
I asked beforehand, not this one.
If they’re just checking hormone levels you don’t need to fast afaik.
My endo always specifies they’re non-fasting blood tests.
I’m on testosterone HRT, so they typically wanna monitor my hemoglobin, blood lipid, and cholesterol levels because testosterone can affect those things negatively. You usually need to fast for those things. It’ll definitely vary what blood tests you get assigned based on your doctor, hormone you’re taking, how long you’ve been on it, and previous health history.
Ah that’s good to know.
You will need to get a lot of blood work done as you start hormones. It’s incredibly important as they adjust your levels of blockers and estrogen. Don’t be discouraged though, after that initial perio, you can really only expect a checkup occasionally (usually if you change your dosage or something).
As other people have pointed out, there are ways of making the experience more comfortable, and anyone working in the field will be very familiar with dealing with people with a fear of needles. Don’t let it discourage you!! If this is what you want, what you need, needles are a temporary road block to your happiness.
