I need some help/advise/encouragement.. something:(
I had I my first OR observation today. vasovasostomy. Not 5 minutes into the procedure I started feeling dizzy. So I stepped back to sat down on a chair. I kinda knew what was gonna happen so I closed my eyes and I tried soooo hard to relax.. but when I opened my eyes, I found myself on the flood surronded by nurses. I was so embarrassed and no matter how many times they tried to assure me that this is common, I am still embarrassed.. I was sent home...sigh
I have never been squeamish around blood. I'm currently a junior and this was my second time fainting. First time was last year when I was watching my instructor demonstrating sterile dressing change on a mannequin. I wasn't grossed out or anything. It wasn't even real blood!! It just happened!
Is this something I will eventually become desensitized to? Should I look for nursing field that does not involve blood? I love nursing so much but is nursing right for me?
don't worry about the OR they see that more than you know. I wonder if once you start to do dressings your self if you handle it just fine. Do you have any warning you are going to faint, if so pre warn others so they can be alerted.
We were never allowed to stand and observe in the OR during our clinicals for that exact reason....fainting. Obviosly we didn't see a whole lot of the actual procedures but we did get a feel for how the OR runs.
PLEASE don't quit. We need good nurses. I've heard that it's fairly common. First time I nearly fainted, I was in report in a room with a patient, nurse and doc with an NG tube and a wound vac... my first day at clinical as a student. I didn't FEEL squeamish... but I saw stars and would have hit the floor had I not excused myself quickly and looked for the nearest chair. The next time, it was the next week in a crowded wound with some student nurses, 2 RN's, a pt, and a doctor doing a blood patch for a leaking epidural.
I worked with a lawyer who used to be a crime scene photographer. She passed out in the shower as an adult after seeing her own blood after a shaving accident. She looked it up... because, after all.. she could obviously look at OTHER people's blood and it didn't worry her, but her own made her light-headed, even if it was just a nick. What she read is that it is supposedly an evolutionary response to help you live longer in times of trauma. If there is blood all around you, chances are, something crazy could be going on. Passing out or freezing during battle could make you appear dead and then as a result, left alone. Maybe that's where this comes from. Who knows... but you can get over it. I did. I can even give intramuscular injections with only a SLIGHT flinch now
I was really worried about this as I've fainted a number of times, sometimes for really silly reasons! You know those eye drops you get when you get your eyes check that make your eyes dilate? Yeah, hit the floor. Allergy testing was the first time- my mom told me they'd be sticking needles under my skin and I had big needles pictured in my head, sticking straight up like acupuncture. I started out an animal science student and found it really varied. One day I can watch a horse have its eye taken out or a tail amputated, the next I can't handle watching a woozy horse have its teeth filed. I did find it helps if I am actually the one doing it- I nearly passed out watching a demonstration on drawing blood from a lamb, but was fine when I did it myself. I think it helps if I am task oriented. Sometimes even lecture can make me feel woozy if I think about it too much.
So anyway I expressed this concern to my nursing instructor, saying if I ever run away that's why. She said don't worry about it, just sit straight down, happens to nearly everyone at some point.
Anaesthetic seems to be a big trigger for me. I think it's an empathy thing. They look woozy so then I get woozy. Anything systemic, too. Fine with needles, it's thinking about the contents flowing around that gets me. I am usually ok with gore but I am fully expecting to pass out at some point in nursing school. OR and ER are not going to be for me and I certainly do not want to be a CRNA!
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ownthesky25
16 Posts
I have only come close to fainting one time, but luckily it didn't happen - so sorry it happened to you! I would have been mortified as well.