[fluffhead]

Just started on my floor mid july after graduating in may...
Doc needs help with bone marrow biopsy. Just as he reaches bone and it begins to crunch, and the patient winces and moans, I start seeing spots and break a sweat. I excused myself from the room, and the floor nurses thought my new green color was pretty funny.

Not even and hour later, my other patient had a chest tube placed. Oi.
Again I go in, I'm holding the patient's hand - and the patient winces and writhes and I hear a "sploosh" and again I start seeing spots, have to excuse mysef and go sit down and drink juice.

What kind of nurse AM I??

Embarassing.

[Christie RN2006]

I did the exact same thing the first time I watched a bone marrow biopsy! So far that is the only thing that made me see spots, thank goodness!! Most nurses I know admit to at least one thing that makes them cringe and almost hit the floor... for me its bone marrow biopsies!

[EricEnfermero]

Bone marrow biopsies can be some of the toughest procedures to watch. I think it definitely takes some getting used to.

[nightmare]

It was spinal taps that used to get me! I can still feel the place the needle goes in and I was just an observer!

[GrnHonu99]

The first time I saw a doc drill a hole through a pts skull for an EVD...it was worse when blood and puss started spewing out. Im used to it now..but I know how you feel!

[kiszi]

Don't be embarrassed! In one of my first clinicals, I was assisting a dressing change on a large pt. with weeping leg ulcers. I'm standing there holding his heavy leg up, and smelling the utter foulness of the wounds..... I started feeling really warm, and a little woozy. I relinquished the leg to a classmate and took a couple of steps back. THEN everyone's voices started sounding really strange, like from the other end of a tunnel. The room started looking hazy... I stumbled out of there and sat on the nearest chair.
Know what I did next? drank some water, waited for my head to clear, and took my butt right back in there!
If I were you, I'd request to assist all the bone marrow biopsies/chest tube placements/other weird stuff that I could! Face that dragon head on!
Congrats on graduating, & God bless~~

[fluffhead]

Thanks for chiming in on this one, everybody.
I had a feeling I wasn't the only one - but nice to hear from the allnurses community that a little woosiness here and there is par for the course.

Now if I can only conquer donating blood! =->

[prmenrs]

I went out watching a circ in nsg school (it didn't help that I was having killer cramps that morning); I got "funny" watching a bone marrow, too. Those were the only 2 times I had a problem in school.

I don't think I've had a problem once I started working, but I still hate circs. I'm not too fond of "crunchy" things either.

Make sure you eat!! That's definitely a contributor to feeling faint.

Of course--you could be preggers??!!