My DD11 has a similar thing about needles. The thought, the word, the implication has her covering her ears, curling up in a ball and saying "no, no, no - don't even say the word!" She needed minor surgery last fall and we coordinated it with another medical procedure that also required anesthesia. This was like a military maneuver that took months of planning. 2 doctors from 2 different specialties had to be scheduled for OR at the same time, we had to gather requests for any conceivable blood work anyone could possibly want in the next year or 2 so it could be done while she was under anesthesia. She even got several vaccinations while she was under. We had a special 1-1 session with childlife to prepare her and they even presedated her just so we could get her to the hospital. Quite an ordeal...
Last week she was home from school with a fever and was in charge of the remote control. She discovered that she loved a show called "Untold Stories of the ER" and binge watched something like 10 episodes through on demand. I couldn't understand how she could watch it - lots of shots, IV's, needles in the chest because of collapsed lungs (lots and lots of those...) but I let her watch to her hearts content. A few days later when she asked to rewatch a favorite episode I asked her about all the needles on the show and she looked at me dumbfounded. I don't think she even realized she had become more comfortable.
A few weeks earlier I had suggested visiting the blood draw area of the local children's hospital at a time when she didn't need blood work just so she could see it at a time she was "safe" and she was absolutely adamant this was not going to happen. I bet I could get her to tour an ER now though...
Not sure if it helps but at least with my DD I have found context is everything. She got caught up in the interesting/amusing/unusual stories and that was enough to get her over the hump. I still don't see her cooperating with needles or blood tests in the foreseeable future but I now have a reference that I can use if she sees or hears something that freaks her out.
