I've been in a relationship with my significant other for almost a year and a half. A few months ago he was diagnosed with Crohn's and has been started on Humira. Over time he has come to dread the twice-monthly injections, because they are very painful for him. I have been giving him the injections, because he says it's easier to let someone else stab him, then to do it himself. Still, he anticipates the pain, becomes very anxious, and has trouble relaxing. I'm wondering if there's any way I can help him to lessen the dread and anxiety he has developed. Tips?
My significant other has lots of anxiety when it's time to inject Humira. How can I help?
- Thread starter Arasia
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Pens definitely hurt more. The syringe is a lot better, according to my daughter.
Here is what we did - ice before and after (for 15 minutes or more), distraction (watching TV, video game, asking open ended questions) and a treat after (something with chocolate
).
There are also things like Buzzy you can try: https://buzzyhelps.com
You hold it against your leg and the vibrations are supposed to distract the nerves and you feel less pain. There is a black version for adults. I will say that with Humira, it's the medication that burns and hurts, not the needle, so it probably only helps a little but my daughter won't do the shot without it.
Here is what we did - ice before and after (for 15 minutes or more), distraction (watching TV, video game, asking open ended questions) and a treat after (something with chocolate
).There are also things like Buzzy you can try: https://buzzyhelps.com
You hold it against your leg and the vibrations are supposed to distract the nerves and you feel less pain. There is a black version for adults. I will say that with Humira, it's the medication that burns and hurts, not the needle, so it probably only helps a little but my daughter won't do the shot without it.
He is using a pen. We do wait until it gets to room temperature.
Next time we'll definitely ice the area first. I've also heard that waiting for the area to dry after being rubbed with alcohol wipes helps, so we'll do that too.
I think just knowing there are a lot of ways to reduce the pain, and the process of trying them out, will help him feel a bit better about the process.
If nothing works, he may look into getting a syringe and trying that.
Next time we'll definitely ice the area first. I've also heard that waiting for the area to dry after being rubbed with alcohol wipes helps, so we'll do that too.
I think just knowing there are a lot of ways to reduce the pain, and the process of trying them out, will help him feel a bit better about the process.
If nothing works, he may look into getting a syringe and trying that.
