Anyone worried about throwing up or passing out?

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Hi,

I posted this question on a different thread but I probably should have put it on here. I REALLY want to be a nurse, but I have a history of almost hurling and almost passing out when it comes to certain things. I was watching a procedure being done on my sister once. She was having Norplants removed, and yep, I nearly hit the ground and didn't even know it. Had to remove myself from the room and sit with my head between my legs for about 10 minutes. Has anyone else had this problem? Wanting to be a nurse but worried you're to squimish?? Please let me know how to overcome it, or how you overcame it, if so! I'm highly stressed about it.

Thanks!

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Hi,

I posted this question on a different thread but I probably should have put it on here. I REALLY want to be a nurse, but I have a history of almost hurling and almost passing out when it comes to certain things. I was watching a procedure being done on my sister once. She was having Norplants removed, and yep, I nearly hit the ground and didn't even know it. Had to remove myself from the room and sit with my head between my legs for about 10 minutes. Has anyone else had this problem? Wanting to be a nurse but worried you're to squimish?? Please let me know how to overcome it, or how you overcame it, if so! I'm highly stressed about it.

Thanks!

I have actually passed out a few times, although not in nursing school. I used to pass out whenever I had blood drawn or just got a regular shot. One thing that helps me is to keep my eyes open and talk. I also think its harder when you watch something happening to a friend or family member. I once had an ICU nurse tell me she fainted watching a procedure on a family member. The other nurses couldn't believe she really was a nurse. Since being in nursing school (I'm in my third semester of clinicals) I haven't fainted (yet) and strangely, the only thing that bothers me is helping people brush their teeth (I gag with that but the blood and other stuff I've seen doesn't bother me, go figure!):confused:

I hope things go well for you!

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Specializes in Med-Surg so far.
I haven't fainted (yet) and strangely, the only thing that bothers me is helping people brush their teeth (I gag with that but the blood and other stuff I've seen doesn't bother me, go figure!):confused:

I hope things go well for you!

Oh man, I am only in my first semester of clinicals, but so far I have wiped butts and observed in the OR (including an anal dilation) but I almost hurled when I was helping a pt brush her teeth yesterday and orange pieces of food kept coming out. It's making me sick now just to think about it. Everyone has their "squick" button.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

I almost lost my cookies in the cadaver lab... The bodies reminded me of a scence from "Night of the Living Dead"

Yikes!!

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Specializes in NICU, High-Risk L&D, IBCLC.

Don't worry. If you want to be a nurse bad enough, you will get over it! I used to be deathly afraid of IVs and blood draws, and I had no idea how I was going to deal with it. I can't tell you what happened, but I got over it and have never had a problem sticking anyone. I think after you're around things so much that you get desensitized. It's just a part of the job.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
Oh man, I am only in my first semester of clinicals, but so far I have wiped butts and observed in the OR (including an anal dilation) but I almost hurled when I was helping a pt brush her teeth yesterday and orange pieces of food kept coming out. It's making me sick now just to think about it. Everyone has their "squick" button.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

That's how it goes for me...something you think will make you hurl you don't really have a problem with, then something you'd never even thought about makes your stomach wretch.

I thought I would pass out in surgery...no problem

I thought I would vomit if someone else vomitted...no problem

I never have a problem with poop...but one time someone had hellacious diarrhea and I had to leave the room and come back...my eyes were watering (I was respectful about it though)

I never thought I would have a problem with my OB clinical...almost passed out during a lady partsl delivery...had to sit down and take deep breaths because I felt dizzy and started seeing black spots...but I was fine watching the C-Sec

its strange...its a fear that you just have to face...it may not be as bad as you think it will be

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Yeah, (watching) suctioning of a trache patient, or anything with gag reflexes and sputum involved make me want to lose it. But, I keep putting myself in those situations because I think The more I am around something, the more hardened up to it I become! Has not happened yet, and I find myself on the verge of hurling--but I keep trying to think of the patient and how humiliated they feel. So I kind of go into a different world to get me through it. Also, colostomy bags--my instructor put a vial of peppermint (opened, with a gauze hanging out of it) to mask the smell in the room during our changinging it, it helped. So there are ways of geting through smell disasters--but the visual and auditory things get me the most!!

IN TIME--I HOPE!! ):

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Specializes in OB.

omg- I had THE worst, i mean the WORST this last week, bedridden pt, brain damaged. had todo oral care. we suctioned out big huge CHUNKS of black brown crust, crud, oozing stuff from the roof of his mouth and throat- had been in a nursing home and OBVIOUSLY was not being taken care of. it was SO bad, that it kept getting stuck in the tube and we had to flush it and shake it to get it to go in the canister and i am not EVEN going to describe what THAT looked like. My primary just kept on going and my stomach was flipping. I felt bad that I couldnt hack it, but later she walked out as I was emptying the JP drains. later she thanked me for doing that, cuz she couldnt handle the drainage! after digging in the pit of the unknown, and she would hurl over the drains! lol!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Cardiac.

I have more problems when I'm watching than when I'm doing. I once almost passed out in the ER I saw a physician remove a loose fingernail. Had the black spots swimming in front of my eyes and everything!

But I was able to help when a physician was fixing a badly lacerated hand with lots of arterial bleeding because I was doing instead of watching and because I was so worried about screwing up, I forgot to be sick.

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I think we all have the fear that something will make us sick or pass out. I am afraid I will vomit if I see or hear someone else doing it. I guess I'll get over it though.

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Specializes in OB, NP, Nurse Educator.

As a clinical instructor I have had students vomit - and I don't get hysterical about it or yell at them - you have to learn to get control over those impulses. Even after 22 years I occasionally have the urge to wretch/gag. I would not let the fear of becoming ill stop you from becoming a nurse. Good luck!

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I am not too fond of having a needle myself ( I used to have anxiety attacks over freaking vaccinations, but now it's not so bad lol.) but giving them to other people is a total piece of cake. Practicing on classmates is totally ok, but I gave myself an "insulin" injection the other day and my head started spinning. When I was on my L&D rotation last June I just about passed out watching my first cesarean but the lady partsl birth did not bother me at all (actually I cried. I was so embarassed, but it was so emotional for some reason). The smell of urine honestly bothers me way more than poo these days. It just sticks in your nose and it's nasty. Mouth stuff isn't that great, but I haven't done any suctioning work or anything like that, so I haven't seen the real nasties. Anywho, gloves make life ok when it comes to blood, poo, etc.

April

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