Fainting....can I do this?

[jennjenn013]

I'm in my 3rd semester of nursing school right now (Peds) and I graduate in May. The fainting started a couple years ago when I got my blood drawn. I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink so I figured that was the reason. Fast forward to last semester, OB rotation. Everything was going fine...I scrubbed in and held a retractor during a c-section and watched a couple lady partsl births. Then I watched a circumcision. The Dr was having a hard time cutting the skin and couldn't get it to stay in the clamp. The poor baby was bleeding like crazy and all the sudden I felt faint. I had to sit down. Then during an epidural. Yesterday I felt faint when the nurse was getting a few vials of blood from a NICU baby. And I also felt faint when I watched a couple cysts get removed in Med/Surg. I want to be a nurse, theres nothing else I want to do, but I'm afraid I won't be able to because I always feel like I'm going to faint.

What can I do to stop myself from fainting? I think about fainting every time I work on a patient now...even when I see things that didn't bother me at all before. I'm feeling very discouraged and mad at my body that it can't handle this stuff anymore.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I think you need to see the doc and get a work-up. You could be anemic, have low b/p, any number of things, and then watching something ooky does you in.

If that isn't the reason see a hypnotherapist to help you through it.

:)

[SummerC]

You sound like me! I'm a nursing student and I find that I feel weak and out of it most when:

-Empty stomach

-Havent sat down in a long time

-The room is hot

-I'm wearing a mask

-Watching kind of gross things

I've gotten really dizzy and weak on all of those things (wound care, delivery, etc).. But I find now to always have a snack when I can and to sit down for a couple minutes just to rest my legs and give my body a second.. Also, if you are in a situation where it you are seeing the blood or whatever, step out for a second and take a breath (thats as long as you aren't the one doing the blood draw lol).

Good luck and dont forget it is ok to sit down and regroup! :)