I stuck myself with a hypodermic needle the other day. Intentionally. The first time in over 25 years of doctoring. More surprising, a six-year-old patient told me to do it, so I had to.
The boy, who I’ll call Tyler, came to the office with his father and had a large ganglion cyst on the back of his wrist — bigger than a jellybean. I told Tyler and his father all about ganglions and their treatment and my advice to drain it with a needle. Tyler didn’t say anything when I mentioned “needle,” but his eyes and body language told me that he wasn’t liking the idea. His father in a loving way told him he needed to be brave, that some things just have to be endured. I added the standard (and true), “It’s a very little needle. You’ll hardly feel it.” I sprayed a cold liquid first on my hand, then on his father’s hand, and then on Tyler’s to demonstrate its pre-needle numbing effect.
Even so, his facial expression told me that he wasn’t going for it. Struggling to control his tears, he asked to see the needle. I showed it to him. Then with astounding wisdom he blurted, “If it doesn’t hurt, stick yourself with it.” I took a deep breath and thought, wow, how am I going to make lemonade out of lemons?
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