Have you checked on your beans?

I have recently taken up gardening to help deal with stress and wanted to share with you something that happened to one of my plants as an analogy of what can happen to our needle phobia patients.?

Disclaimer: I am not very good at gardening (yet).?

Trigger warning: Post contains pictures of an unhealthy plant.?

So I bought some seeds off the internet 3 months ago. One seed packet was for Cherokee Wax beans. I had never eaten or seen them before and thought it would be cool to try it out.?

I planted the seeds and was amazed at how rapidly they grew, it was like they were performing a magic trick right before my eyes.

The plants started overflowing their pots and my stepdad loves beans. He is a very attentive gardener so I gave a pot to him and he planted them in his garden.?

It's heart-wrenching to see plants struggle and suffer, especially when you've invested time, effort, and love into their growth. Recently, I faced this plight when I had to house sit for a friend and left my precious pot of beans in a new spot in the garden, hoping for better results.?

However, it turned out to be a terrible idea, and I returned to find my beloved plants on the verge of death. It took a lot of hard work, patience, and care to nurse them back to health, and even now, they're still not thriving as they should be. It's a sad reminder that sometimes our best intentions don't always yield the desired results.?

Yesterday I checked on his beans. Oh my gosh!? They were glowing and almost ready for harvesting. There were lots of them, long and yellow and healthy.

Although they may seem insignificant to some, these beans represent the health of needle phobic patients. In a way, my stepdad's beans represent the patients who have never experienced the fear and anxiety that comes with needle phobia and have not had a traumatic experience such as being neglected. They are just living their best lives, healthy and carefree.

Just like needle phobic patients, my beans require regular watering, fertilizer and tending to- a form of therapeutic care that helps them grow stronger each day. These patients deserve the best care possible, just like my stepdad’s beans who have grown up without any difficulties.?

Every little thing can make a difference in their lives, and that's why I take their health seriously.?

Both sets of beans are on the same property , let’s call this the healthcare system. The healthcare system ideally is designed to help keep us healthy but sometimes there are risks involved with getting treatment such as a needle procedure and those needle procedures are sometimes attended to by people with no knowledge about needle phobia because it’s something we are not routinely taught.(i.e me and my shitty gardening skills).?

So my parent’s essentially own the property and both are great gardeners and they are a part of? the? healthcare system. Let's say this is a hospital. They garden a few times a week but there is no policy or protocol in place that they follow because they have been doing it for so long (needle procedures) and don’t really think twice about what happens to a sick plant (a needle phobic patient) because it just doesn’t happen for them.

It's a common fear, yet often overlooked in hospitals. Needle phobia can send shivers up spines and leave patients feeling anxious, but unfortunately, clinicians aren't always equipped to handle it. Despite little formal training, they do their best to tend to these patients. However, without a clear policy or protocol in place, there's potential for some "prickly" situations. Something needs to be done to ensure that even newbie clinicians can tend to these patients with care, without causing any harm.

Approximately seven years ago, I experienced a harrowing needle stick injury that ended up requiring surgery. Before this happened, I was always more than happy to assist in holding down patients while they received a cannula, but I started to notice that I was spending an increasing amount of time dealing with the consequences of their medical reactions. I couldn't quite put my finger on why this was happening, but it left with me feelings of psychological injury and uncertainty about my ability to contribute effectively to the nursing profession.

The painful lesson I learned from my needle stick injury made me acutely aware of the power of a single traumatic experience to cause a lifetime of damage. And it's not just patients who are vulnerable - I discovered this when I recently sought out advice on keeping my plants healthy. Now, armed with the sage wisdom of my stepdad, I'm determined to do everything in my power to prevent any unnecessary suffering. It's amazing how much we can learn and grow when we're willing to listen and take action.

It's a heartbreaking statistic but our garden in Australia is in need of some serious care, with a whopping 125 thousand plants currently struggling to survive.

If you're a garden owner please reach out and I will be happy to share the new gardening innovation which is a game-changer for green thumbs who want to protect and nourish their plants.?