EMLA is something I only heard about fairly recently, but I so wish I knew about it when I was going through chemo and having to have lots of needles.
EMLA is a cream that is a local anesthetic that has been successfully used in UK for 25 years. The cream is available in an ‘all-in-one’ pack from your local pharmacy to help numb the pain of the needle during child vaccinations, minor skin procedures, blood donation and travel vaccinations, and in my case: chemo.
Luckily, we never had a problem taking our little one for his injections. He just tended to sit there and watch while the nurse jabbed him. In fact, it was only his 8 week injections that he cried for. He’s hard, obviously, and much braver than me!
While I’ve always been OK with having blood tests done, having a needle in your forearm for chemo is totally different, and towards the end of my treatments, it became quite painful. It’s not that I’m scared of needles, it’s just that the pain wasn’t very pleasant.
So, if you are thinking that EMLA is just for children, think again.
Did you know that out of the more than 60 million people living in the UK, only 1.6 million actually donate blood every year. The National Blood Service is always looking for new donors, but some people avoid it purely because of a fear of needles. EMLA can be applied 60 minutes before your appointment to make donating blood a less nerve wrecking experience. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people going through cancer treatment rely on the people donating to help them.
EMLA is available from your local pharmacy and can be used on babies from full term, children and adults. Full instructions are included in the pack.
This article is intended to convey general educational information and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.