Contest: Decoding Hospital Fear

Greetings to all members of this community, I really appreciate @sahmie for organizing this contest.

Have you ever been scared of going to the hospital? What made you feel that way?

The light went off as I approached my dad's office very close to the operating theatre in the hospital. While approaching I decided to see my through by pointing my screen torch of very poor ignition while the lister engine was about to be switched on by the electrician. As I switched on goose pimples ran down my skin making me freeze like a corpse, I started hearing heartbeats in my head and I felt like disappearing, yes, I actually did. Off I ran past my shadow, my fear of the hospital began this way. I am not afraid of blood but the corpse will definitely put a shiver through my spine because of superstitious beliefs and horrifying stories I have heard from my seniors.

Can you think of any common things that might make people afraid of hospitals?

• As a grown-up, I have witnessed many things that have made people afraid of hospitals.
• At the sight of blood, many ajebo butter girls can slump
• At the sight of a woman crying in labour, many men may feel they hurt their wife.
  Do you know that many men prefer their mother-in-law's presence when their wife is about to conceive than their presence? They tend to distance themselves on that day.
• At the sight of that nurse with an injection, many children will scream at the top of their voices crying for help. People who are so emotional may cry when they see people in hospitals with different diseases.

What parts of the hospital environment do you find intimidating or scary?

	Our visit to the hospital with my friend who secured an injury in his hands

The theatre is very scary for me though I am not afraid of blood, I think if any relatives are permitted into the theatre to see what is done there, they will think the doctor is making a mistake and they will cry for God's intervention.

How do you think doctors and nurses can help make patients feel less scared?

I remember when a nurse was teasing a child by telling him that the drug is sweet and this convinced the child to take her medication though it is not so for injections. Only a surgeon knows what he/she is gonna be doing in the theatre, so most of these things should not be communicated to their patient so it would not scare them away. Nurses and Doctors should always have encouraging words to give to their patients who may think all hope is lost.

Do you have any ideas on how someone can overcome their fears of the hospital?

Fear of the hospital to me, looks at it as a normal thing in every man's life and this fear diminishes as you grow older. There is a popular saying that says, the older you get the better you become, unless you are a banana. At 30 even if you have a little fear of malaria injection, you will still like to take it because you are sure it would be of great benefit to you. You can overcome most of these fears when you keep on visiting the hospital as it is said out of sight is out of mind, if you don't keep on visiting the hospital, a time will come that you will scream at the sight of something which you have missed out for long.

I would like @whizzbro4eva @sancteefai @bossj23 to join in this contest.