h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I suffer from aichmophobia. It's not just injections, it's anything involving a hypodermic needle, including blood tests. I've been known to freak out with holiday jabs and blood tests at the doctor's surgery or in hospital. I've tried hypnotherapy/relaxation and it hasn't worked. Soon I'm going to treat it by 'flooding'. It's not something I've put my name down for or that my doctor has recommended. It's something that's got to happen.

You see, I have relapsing-remitting MS and I've been prescribed beta-interferon, which is given by injection that I have to do myself. These *should* be pretty straightforward as the drug comes with an auto-inject gadget, so I don't have to actually use the syringe. I just pop it into the 'Autoject', put it against my skin and press a button. No, the 'flooding' mostly comes with the regular blood tests I'll have to have for the first two years. They're every month for the first three months, every three months for the next nine months and every six months for the next year. Hopefully I'll be able to cope with injections better by the end of the first year. Unfortunately the interferon treatment means I won't be able to be a blood donor, something I promised myself I'd do if I ever got over my phobia. Ah, well! Can't have everything, I suppose.