Keeping a safe distance from flowers and playing hookie for part of Med-School Orientation.

What scares me the most? If I were to lie I would say ‘nothing,’ but in reality, I have a very lame and halfway irrational fear- needles and similarly bees/wasps The first shots I can remember were my first set of kindergarten shots. I got these when I was 3 because my sister was getting her kindergarten shots and our pediatrician told my parents that I could get my shots early and save a trip in 2 years. Being three, I probably exaggerated the size of the needles in my head, and the pain as well; however, the same memory occurs from when I was five. UK somehow lost any record of me getting shots at 3 and I had to go back to get shots again for kindergarten. I remember the first shot, the barrel was about 6 inches long, the syringe- about 1. I remember crying and that my arm hurt for about a day.

Ever since then my feeling towards shots have been the same, but this isn’t just a silly fear. I have a legitimate reason to still fear these painful sticks of metal. During freshman year I had to get my sports physical to swim at Henry Clay, 3 years earlier UK had run short on the meningitis vaccine and was not willing to use it for anyone not in college until they were restocked. At my physical the nurse looked through my records and decided to give me the shot. Usual procedures call for the nurse to make the patient relaxed and for them to ask if the youth would like to hold her parent’s hand. This nurse did neither, I was left sitting on the medical bed while she quickly came up behind me and STABBED me in the arm. Obviously this hurt a lot and I am not, nor never will be, a fan of shots.

As for bees, they have natural needles, ON THEIR BUTTS! That’s scary! Every time I see one of those little devil bugs flying around I remember my fear of needles. Thankfully I have never been stung by a bee or anything close to that [knock on wood]. If I have then I have not felt it and that would explain why the fear is somewhat irrational but I don’t think I will ever get over this fear- as long as the threat of a sharp stinger going into my arm (or any other body part) is still present.