This is long but, I need some advice so hang in there with me!
So as a few of you may recall I am enrolled in a surgical technologist program through my hospital. I absolutely LOVE it and am doing great academically. We have started doing our clinicals, well, we are scrubbed to observe for right now but in January is when we officially start setting up, handing off the instruments etc.
The second time we went to clinicals we were just going to observe and not get scrubbed in but, my scrub tech was very enthusiastic about teaching so my instructor let me scrub in. About 20 minutes into the case I felt the heat begin to creep up my body and my vision start to go. The circulator nurse helped me out of my gown and gloves and sat me on the floor until my instructor came and took me to the lounge were I had orange juice. After that I just went back to observe and was fine. I know I can pinpoint why I almost fainted and that was because it was very hot (The heating cooling system was going haywire that day and it was almost 80 in the room) and I was so excited to watch the surgery that I pretty much forgot to breath and along with locked knees and a crap breakfast (a Poptart while running out the door) is a recipe for hitting the floor.
So today I promised I would not make those same mistakes. I got a good nights sleep, had a ginormous muffin and coffee for breakfast, put on my compression stockings (I don't have any vascular problems they just make my legs feel good after being on them for so long) and remembered to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth and shuffle my feet every so often. Everything was going great and I was really enjoying myself and learning a lot when about an hour into the second case I felt that old familiar heat start again. I tried walking around to the back table figuring it would get my blood moving and started taking deep breathes to get more oxygen but I couldn't make it. I let the tech know and again the circulator got me out of my scrubs and before I knew it I was in the hallway and these guys had one arm under each of mine and kept telling me to keep talking as they walked me to the lounge were again I drank orange juice and had a nurse hold my legs up while I laid down. They said I turned a greyish green color and my eyes were rolling the back of my head.
The funny thing is, is that both times I fainted all the nurses and techs began telling me stories of them fainting, doctors fainting in the middle of surgeries, nurses, PAs, and pretty much all who enter the OR. One guy jokingly said that that's the OR welcome mat! So while I'm still embarrassed I don't feel abnormal.
The thing is I have to figure what's wrong. I think I can pinpoint it to my eating a garbage sugar filled breakfast (Poptarts? Giant muffin? What was I thinking?!?!) all washed down with coffee filled with even more sugar and creamer. I know when I felt it today I was thirsty and starting to get hungry. I'm guessing my blood sugar dropped really low and down I went. I was also wearing those sketcher shape up shoes so I don't know if that was messing with my posture as well. They may be great for walking but maybe not for standing. I also made an appointment this Thursday with my doctor to get some blood work done.
The strange thing is when I worked in a factory I worked in hotter conditions will long sleeved heavy scrubs, gloves, gown and mask and many time I would have to stand in one spot and pack or fold and I never fainted. However we did have 3 breaks for snack and lunch. I know when I'm a PCA on the floor I often miss lunch but I still am able to jam a graham cracker or piece of bread into me to keep some fuel in my body. I know I'm not fainting over blood, organs or smells because they don't bother me at all. In fact the more I see the better!!
The thing I'm terrified of is I won't be able to stop the fainting spells. My one friend had to quit the program because if she stood still for too long her BP would drop really low and she's pass out. I want to be a surg tech with all my heart so I don't know what I would do if I couldn't
So any advice would be great right now because I feel like a schmuck :heartbeat