A woman from Bury has praised therapy for saving her life, after helping her overcome a severe needle phobia
Born with Von Willebrand disease, a rare form of haemophilia that affects the blood’s ability to clot, Sarah needed to have regular blood tests to monitor her physical health. As a child, she spent a lot of time in and out of hospital and would need blood transfusions after something as simple as a nosebleed.
As she grew older and needed more treatments and tests, her phobia grew stronger. At every appointment she would cower away, cry, and ask to be left alone. Sarah explained: “I didn’t understand what was happening to me, or why I had to go through these really frightening experiences so often.”
At age 15, she needed surgery for a broken collarbone, but the added risks from haemophilia meant she needed blood thickeners. The process was particularly traumatic, as the medical team needed several attempts to find a vein. She said: “It was really painful. I was inconsolable and it left me feeling even more terrified than I was before.”
In her early adult years, Sarah began to ignore appointment letters and was eventually discharged from the service. She explained: “I had a newfound sense of control with being an adult and being away from home. I’d gotten to the point where I felt I’d been alright for such a long time without a test, that I started to get comfortable with it. I felt like I could live without them and ignore my situation.”
When she turned 21, Sarah became severely anaemic and was rushed to hospital. She refused to have a blood transfusion as her phobia took hold, and it was only when the medical team stressed how life threatening her condition was, that Sarah accepted a transfusion.
They told me I was close to having a heart attack. I was desperate for a way out, but on this occasion, I knew I had to do it to save my life.
Sarah’s phobia also influenced choices about her future. She explained: “I’d always ruled out having children. I knew how closely I’d need to be monitored during pregnancy, so it meant that it was just completely off the cards for me. I’d always wanted to travel, but so many countries need immunisations and vaccines before you can fly, so it really limited my options as to where I could go.”
Read the full story here on the NHS Pennine Care website.
