How to prevent fainting???

[studentnurse74]

I sat in the OR last week, and loved it! No problems at all! But today, I watched a bone marrow aspiration through the sternum, and had to leave the room and sit down! I have never come so close to fainting! :uhoh21: It was pretty graphic watching the doctor pound into his chest with everything, and the patient was awake and almost in tears, which really got to me. Is this something I can prevent? Wondering if it's something I'll just have to avoid in the future.

[Snowbutterfly]

Hello.I just wanted to seek help because I fainted while I had my duty at the OR this morning. I am a fresh BSN graduate and I still have to take the board exam. I was just holding the retractor and then I felt dizzy. I ate a light breakfast that day. I also felt that I was out of breath, maybe because of the mask or the lights, I really didn't know. This had also happened before, I also had a fainting spell but I didn't really collapse. I don't want such a thing to happen again.

[HyperSaurus, RN, BSN]

I almost fainted while visiting my patient in hemodialysis. The smell of the room, combined with all of the tubes filled with blood, and my having not eaten the entire day was a bad combonation. I all of a sudden got very hot and nauseous, and my partner said I turned white. I wanted to sit on the floor (In choir, we're always told 'if you see stars, don't be a hero-sit!), except the pt was on contact precautions and I was afraid the nurse was going to get upset. I did find a chair in time though. And then I at a cup of potato salad in two bites

Moral of the story--you see stars, you unlock your knees, breath, and sit! (and tell someone).

[ncemt]

Experienced fainter here as well (11 times and counting), the only thing I can add that hasn't been mentioned yet is to purchase a box of ammonia inhalants and keep a couple on you at all times. They're small and easy to hide in a scrub pocket, and although it's embarrassing to have to pull one out and use it, it's far less embarrassing than having to be revived and possibly having your shirt and bra cut off.

[CaitlinAnn]

Wow, reading this has made me feel so much better about my near fainting spell a few nights ago. I'm a registered CNA and am planning on going to nursing school in July. My cousin was allowing me to shadow her in the ER and I was sitting in on a blood patch (?) where they took blood from the patient's arm and placed it in her spinal area to relieve a headache. Anyways, I've never fainted. I had no issue with the needles or what was being done in front of me, and in fact leaned in for a closer look. I began noticing my mask was bothering me, I began to get really hot, and before I know it my vision went into what I found to be a visual gray out. Everything got really bright and white...could barely see. Somehow I managed to stumble out into the hall and eventually get my bearings leaning against a wall. I began to cool down and could see and breathe again. Glad I was able to keep from passing out but it was still a scary and shocking experience and I did not get away unscathed from laughter. Heh..my cousin says they try to make all the newbies, including shadowees cry when they're new, so I expected teasing.

Glad to read others experiences that I'm not alone here.

[happy2learn]

I have no problem with blood and many "gross" things with blood. I have von Willebrands disease so blood is regular thing with me.

I have never once fainted in my life by anything gross I have seen. Been tempted to throw up and started gagging, but never even come close to a feeling of fainting. But that bone aspiration, who knows. Yuck.

[Brekka, ADN, RN]

Wow, kinda think I will have at least one issue in my schooling after reading all this. I haven't actually fainted, but I have come really close before. I have never had problems with needles, blood, gore or anything really. I donate blood all the time wihout a problem, I just watch the whole thing.

I did however have an issue a few years back when I had to go get a large splinter removed from under one of my fingernails. Up until then I had never even come close to fainting, but for some reason as I watched him use a long, thin needle to numb my finger I knew I was close. I didn't say anything, since I wasn't sure what was happening. I got really hot, my vision got cloudy, and I was sweating like a pig and I couldn't stop.

All I felt like doing was laying down, but I kept ignoring it and pretended I was fine. I didn't feel like it was possible for me to have such a reaction to something that I had so much experince with. Turns out, you can never really predict what will effect you and what won't.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Definitely eat a good breakfast. The first thing my nurse asked me on my OR day was if I ate breakfast that morning.

Don't lock your knees up.

And finally...squeeze your butt cheeks together if you feel like you're going to faint