Needle phobia - Self administered Fragmin. Arghhh!

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Diagnosed in April 2025 with 2 synchronous primary cancers:

Non hodgkin Lymphoma
Bowel cancer at hepatic flexure

Lymphoma is now in remission after 6 cycles of Pola-r-chp chemotherapy/immunotherapy. I feel amazingly lucky; was stage 4B, presenting as a 6" mesenteric (abdominal) tumour having spread to my lungs, liver and remote lymph nodes.

Bowel cancer treated on 24 November, (11 days ago) with surgery; Right Hemicolectomy.

Surgery went well despite scarring and calcification left by lymphoma tumour, and I was able to leave hospital after 3 days (27th November).

I hate needles. I mean I have *real* needle phobia. So far I've injected 9 daily doses of fragmin.

Given that fragmin is intended to prevent DVT's in sedentary patients, and that every day for the last 3 days I've walked 5km and will continue to do this, as well as driving (yes I can do an emergency stop) do I *really* need to continue the fragmin injections for the next 17 days?

I find this so hard, and sickening to do.

Alan

Kareno62 13 days ago

Hi Knobbly1 I totally get where you’re coming from as I hated doing them after my LAR. To add insult to injury I was readmitted with an infection so had the nurses doing the injections and left the hospital 2 weeks later with a large clot in each lung! I am now on blood thinners for life as the pulmonary consultant felt that I was high risk having developed the clots while on the thinners although my surgeon seemed to think that it was a known ‘side effect’ of the cancer!

Anyway I would ring your colorectal support nurse and run it past them and congratulations on your 5k walks - keep it up

Take care

Karen x

Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm