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!

If you really want to try and get over the gore/nausea factor, my recommendation is to use the the vast amounts of gore pics available on the internet... Accident scene or morgue photos of a someone mutilated in a fatal accident isn't something you're going to ever really see in an ER, but if you can handle the extreme, the other stuff will be easier to..."digest".

Kind of a funny story: A long, long time ago when I was in the military, I spent a month at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. During a lunch break one day, I went to check out the medical library they had on site. The place had some great books. One book I pulled to browse was a big book of different ER traumas. This book had almost everything you could find in an ER and it had a lot of pictures... Well, as I'm flipping the pages and mesmerized by all the different trauma pics and descriptions, I notice that I'm starting to feel really, really nauseous...and it's getting worse the more graphic the pictures are. It gets so bad that I had to close the book and walk outside for some air. As I'm walking out, one of the library staff comments on how green I look... lol I don't know what was worse; the radical rectal prolapses or the various deglovings...

That was a long time ago and since then and recently in prep for my nursing education, I made it a practice to seek out gory pictures on various internet sites in order to desensitize myself - visually. The other senses may or may not be as trained as the visual, but half the battle is done.

There's all kinds of "gore" websites on the net, but there's no need to give 'em free advertising... Best place to start is a Google Image search without filtering. When your results come up, make sure "Safe Search is off".

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Specializes in SICU/CVICU.

I threw up and I had to swallow it because I was helping hold up a 400 lb woman and she would have fallen if I let go to vomit.

I learned my lesson after that and now I wear a mask when I deal with poop. I just can't handle it.

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I threw up and I had to swallow it because I was helping hold up a 400 lb woman and she would have fallen if I let go to vomit.

I learned my lesson after that and now I wear a mask when I deal with poop. I just can't handle it.

wow...

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Specializes in Urgent Care, Family Medicine & OB/GYN.

I am so glad that I am not the only one. I remember seeing a sacral ulcer in the OR. I got sooo light headed I had to sit down b/c "voices were getting too far away" as the Dr. put it. I tried looking in different directions, but that didn't help. Even after it was over I felt like my knees would buckle on the elevator back up. I'll def. be using some of the tips I've read on here. Plus, I used to never eat breakfast. Now I know better.

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a medical student fainted into the sterile field.

WOW! a med student? into a sterile field? what kind of havoc did that reek?? it'd be interesting to see how everyone, esp the MD reacted.

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I was the child that could not watch my father get his cholesterol checked (finger prick) at the mall without passing out.

I never had a problem in nursing school...it's all in your head so to speak!

There will always be something that gets ya...you just have to remember how sick these people are and how much they appreciate what you are doing. Suddenly things aren't as gross anymore :heartbeat

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www.orlive.com

you can watch surgeries there...pretty cool stuff. it's helping to desensitize me.

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I have no idea why in the world I think this thread is so funny! Thanks to all of you for your stories that made me laugh out loud. I am actually a nursing school hopeful who is dutifully working on pre-reqs and normally dont read this forum. However, ...This very subject is my SECRET FEAR. Even though I have been a doula for years and have no problem with anything related to childbirth, I have a sensitive vagus nerve and have a history of passing out when I am upset or anxious over medical procedures being done to me.

I cant just pass out once, no not me. If does happen, I will pass out over and over for the rest of the day. I truly believe its all in the mind. So I realize my fear is not of what is gross, its of actually passing out.

Needles in strange places trigger it. Like eyeballs and Spines. So, helping a woman in labor is wonderful when they go natural. When they need an epidural, I kneel down Very Low, and look in their eyes. The support is just as much for me as for them, but they dont know that. And every single time, I recognize the feeling which is my cue (always the procedure is over with) to make an excuse to rush out for a minute which always cures me. I have never ended up on the floor in front of a patient which would be my biggest nightmare. However, I am not the nurse or doctor so I can afford to step out for a second or two.

I want to be a CNM so bad that I HAVE to do this. (Little steps...I am only going for nursing right now) I feel so much better knowing I am not the only one concerned with these things. I have faith that time and experience will desensitize me to these problems. Thanks to all of you who are not too embarrassed to tell your stories.

And honestly, for me, watching gore movies probably wouldnt help. I probably need people to stick me with needles a lot until I am over it.:)

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Well lets just say when emotions are involved like a family member it is alot harder. That is one thing that comes with the profession; sympathy to the point where you can feel the pain, at least that is what made me nauseated it took me a while to realize that and now I try to stay as neutral as possible but still be compassionate in providing care!

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Specializes in Asst Nurse / Student RN.

I have changed colostomy bags, wiped bottoms, cleaned the "toe jam" from underneath elderly forskins, observed numerous OR procedures, cleaned purulent offensive discharge from an infected wound.........but the one thing that has sent me to the pan room for some quiet "deep breathing" excersises is a simple vomit. The sight, the sound and the smell of it disturbs me imensely. AND I have 3 children. I have just never gotton used to it. I am known to have a sympathy vomit with my kids every time they get sick...very messy.

Anyway, now I offer a bowl to the pt and get them to press the call button when they are finished.....and think happy thoughts.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
I have no idea why in the world I think this thread is so funny! Thanks to all of you for your stories that made me laugh out loud. I am actually a nursing school hopeful who is dutifully working on pre-reqs and normally dont read this forum. However, ...This very subject is my SECRET FEAR. Even though I have been a doula for years and have no problem with anything related to childbirth, I have a sensitive vagus nerve and have a history of passing out when I am upset or anxious over medical procedures being done to me.

You know, that's a very real medical condition, having problems with vasovagal syncope. I was diagnosed about 6 months ago as having a positive tilt-table test for vasovagal syncope. My triggers are extreme heat and noisome smells...so I make sure to keep as cool as possible, and definitely wear a mask when going to take care of a "code brown" now. My doctor also prescribed Atenolol 25 mg qd for me, which has absolutely helped to lower my sensitivity to those triggers. If you can go for a tilt-table test, I highly recommend it. Learning that I have this condition and that it IS MANAGEABLE and it is NOT ALL IN MY HEAD has made quite a difference in my life!

Just my :twocents: worth...

Cheers,

Mary~

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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!! ):

I'm right there with ya, I have been a CNA for about 3 years and I am currently in an ADN program and NOTHING makes me gag, but the sputum. I can handle the blood, gore, and the smells... just not the sputum. EEWWWW! It is the one thing that makes my skin crawl. I can tolerate it, it's just the thing that gets to me. lol!!

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