Are there ways to prevent pain and fear when my child has medical procedures for leukemia?

Distraction: Depends on the age of your child. You may be able to use guided imagery or biofeedback to help tolerate procedures better. A psychologist can help with those techniques. For younger children, try reading books, singing songs, telling stories about your childhood, and having a lovey to accompany them. Emla (lidocaine and prilocaine) cream is a topical anesthetic that can be used to decrease the pain.

Hypnosis: There have been studies with children blowing pinwheels to decrease anxiety and pain response related to injections and blood draws. Medication can also be very helpful for traumatic experiences. Studies have shown that combat vets administered morphine as soon after trauma have less ptsd.

Anesthesia: Many center will use anesthesia for the routine procedures involved in the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia. Propofol is typically used, and is given by anesthesiologists.