Help, fainted on the job!

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Hi all, need some advice.

I graduated last year and started my first job in July on a general surgery inpatient unit. I had worked there for 6 months when I had an accident. It was the end of the shift (the end of 3 days of 12 hour shifts). I had not slept well and was menstruating. I have a hx of migraines. Anyway, I was inserting a foley catheter while another nurse supervised (in a screaming post TURP patient) and it wasn't going in, resistance. She went to get a coude while I stood there waiting. I tried again with the coude and the next thing i knew I was on the floor with my coworker yelling my name! I had passed out cold and hit the back of my head on the floor.

So they took me to emerg, got all the tests, blah blah. Nothing was wrong with any of the tests. My head was very sore and I had vertigo immediately after the accident. Sooo, the vertigo lasted for 4 months.

I had not been working with the vertigo and was told to do desk duties until I felt better. So after this long depressing recovery, I am feeling better.

BUT I am sooooo anxious about fainting again. I am having panic attacks about fainting and I don't know what to do. I am considering going to a different unit because I think I may have fainted because of the huge workload, 12 hour shifts. Or because of a vasovagal response. Not sure.

Any suggestions for what area to work in? I was thinking of working in the psych ward since they will let me do 8 hour shifts and there isn't as much strenuous work and craziness. Is it normal to have this paralyzing fear of going back to nursing duties after such an accident??

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

Have you talked to your physician about the panic attacks?

How about your nurse manager?

Anywhere else you can work 8 hours?

Good luck, I'll pray for you to find the right position.

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Have you talked to your physician about the panic attacks?

... and the fainting? There can be a lot of causes, one would be low blood count due to heavy period yet I am assuming ER would have ruled that out but there can be other avenues your physician can look into that a quick visit to the ER won't show. *shrugs* If you feel hesitant to work there, it doesn't hurt to look around, however you may want to try to find the underlying cause/treatment of the fainting also.
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Specializes in tele, oncology.

Did you get a tilt-table test done? Full cardiac work-up? Were all of your meds evaluated for interactions/side effects?

I'm just wondering b/c there's a reason why syncope patients get inpatient admits...it's difficult at best for the ED to be able to dedicate that kind of time to finding out what's wrong with someone who passed out. If you were able to know exactly what happened, it might help significantly with your anxiety issues!

Personally, I get extremely orthostatic with specific position changes. I had something similar happen at work years ago...I leaned back in my chair to stretch and next thing I knew I was on the floor flat on my back with no recollection of how I got there. It took a while to figure out just how I could and couldn't move at work, and a few office visits between my PCP and GYN to fully evaluate it.

Good luck :)

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

All the above, and...do you normally have a low blood pressure? Maybe some orthostatic hypotension? Let us know what you find out...

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Thanks for the replies. I love this site! Nurses helping nurses is wonderful.

So I've had many tests...ECG CBC CT scan MRI, dizzy tests. The only thing that was found was a small lesion in my brain that is directly related to migraines. I was told by my neurologist that because I have low blood pressure and vascular migraines that I am predisposed to syncope.

All the other docs said it was simply vasovagal. I don't know, maybe I should have a more thorough cardiac workup.

However I have never fainted before in my life, so I figured it was probably the job?!

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Well, I would listen to your neurologist.

Give psych a shot. I found 12 hour shifts heinous even without health issues.

:)

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Yeah, the surgical floor works us like dogs to be honest. And the 12 hour shifts just aren't working for me.

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Specializes in TELE/MICU/SICU/CCU.

sounds like anxiety to me! i almost fainted at work when i had to respond to a code blue in the psych unit...i cant stand psych! i had to lean against the wall and let myself slide down to the floor to sit down. try some anxiolytics see if that helps, for me i just wont go near a psych anything...gives me the creeps!

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Yes, i was thinking 8 hours would be better...are there many units with 8 hours out there? At my hospital, I think it's only psych that does 8 hour shifts...

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sounds like anxiety to me! i almost fainted at work when i had to respond to a code blue in the psych unit...i cant stand psych! i had to lean against the wall and let myself slide down to the floor to sit down. try some anxiolytics see if that helps, for me i just wont go near a psych anything...gives me the creeps!

Oh yes, I take anxiolytics. Afraid I'm becoming addicted to them right now but they're the only thing that helps!

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I had the same thing happen to me on my first day off orientation. I was giving my morning medication and dizzy. I felt sick before I started my shift. I sat down and coworkers got me some ginger ale. They took my blood pressure and it was something like 50/20, but blood glucose was fine. They called a code on me and i was wisked down to the ER. They also said it was a vasovagle episode. I have had a few of them after that. I hope you feel better and know you are not the only one to faint at work.

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