Tips for Not Passing Out During Anatomy?

vick's vapo-rub- put a little under your nose/in your nostrils and that might keep the smell away.

you should get used to it after a week or so, to the point where you'll be able to talk about your next meal while doing dissections.

elwademd said:

vick's vapo-rub- put a little under your nose/in your nostrils and that might keep the smell away.

you should get used to it after a week or so, to the point where you'll be able to talk about your next meal while doing dissections.

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This works. Also, if you feel whoozy, just take a break from the room and move around a bit.

We started anatomy 3 weeks ago tommorow. It's not nearly as bad as what you might think leading up to it. Out of the 103 people in my class, only one had to go out to the hallway and sit down for a second during the first lab day. Best advice: eat breakfast tommorow morning. Most people don't pass out from the site of cadavers, its the combination of so much formalin and being on your feet/actively disecting for a few hours that can get you. Going in with a full stomach is the best way to counter it. After the first day, going to the lab isn't a big deal at all. Another piece of advice: febreeze is your friend.

elwademd said:

vick's vapo-rub- put a little under your nose/in your nostrils and that might keep the smell away.

you should get used to it after a week or so, to the point where you'll be able to talk about your next meal while doing dissections.

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another option is peppermint oil. it doesn't have the medicine/chemical smell of the vick's which makes it a little more pleasant in my opinion. plus, peppermint oil (supposedly) has a calming effect which should help with the nervousness.

beyond that, all i can say is, don't worry. everyone is nervous the first day (although most won't admit it), but you get used to it amazingly quickly.

Very few people have any problems. It's always worse in your head than in reality.

Eat. Number one reason people go down in the OR is not eating.

Tired said:

Eat. Number one reason people go down in the OR is not eating.

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Yep...I went down during a long case because I skipped lunch...the surgeons gave a hard time but it was all in fun; these things just happen sometimes. We had a couple people who had problems on the first day of gross in my class, but it's no big deal...it just happens as well.

stiffany said:

Hi guys. So we start anatomy at my school tomorrow and boy am I nervous. I was listening to an NPR discussion of the first day of anatomy at the University of Maryland and just the thought itself is making me woozy. Anyone have any suggestions for not passing out tomorrow???

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You won't. You'll be amazed at how quickly you adjust, and how silly your apprehension was.

BillyWitchDoctr said:

Yep...I went down during a long case because I skipped lunch...the surgeons gave a hard time but it was all in fun; these things just happen sometimes. We had a couple people who had problems on the first day of gross in my class, but it's no big deal...it just happens as well.

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It's been discussed here before, but it bears repeating. Eat, stay hydrated, go to the bathroom first, and for the love of God, if you get woozy then say "excuse me" and step back so you can sit down.

And don't worry, lots of people go through it. Hell, I just did this last week in a case post-call. (Only the third time ever, bleah)

Tired said:

Eat. Number one reason people go down in the OR is not eating.

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While I agree that you probably won't have problems in anatomy lab, because it really ISN'T as bad as you think...passing out can be a problem throughout med school. I used to pass out every time I had bloodwork done, saw blood, thought too hard about blood...you get the idea. Sooo I looked into vasovagal attacks, and found that increasing your salt and water intake before something that makes you squeamish really helps. Saltines and a bottle of water do the trick nicely. And as the surgeons will tell you, if you're gonna go down, put your back against a wall so you don't fall on anything important.

It's not going to be as bad as you think it is.

Also, don't lock your legs.

I thought this would be a problem for me too, but it really wasn't! It helped me to not think about the cadavar as a person, and to just focus on learning the anatomy. The cadavars are really not bloody at all. And I second the advice about eating, increasing your salt and water, and taking a break if you need some fresh air! The chemicals used to get to me a little bit, so I'd go out and go to the bathroom or get a drink of water just to clear my head!

PeepshowJohnny said:

It's not going to be as bad as you think it is.

Also, don't lock your legs.

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Exactly. I promise it really isn't a big deal at all. You'll be over it in about 2 minutes. And there are things in life that smell a lot worse, which I'm sure you've been exposed to before.

stiffany said:

Hi guys. So we start anatomy at my school tomorrow and boy am I nervous. I was listening to an NPR discussion of the first day of anatomy at the University of Maryland and just the thought itself is making me woozy. Anyone have any suggestions for not passing out tomorrow???

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They were talking about UMD on NPR? How come I didn't hear about that? Were they speaking with students?

Wear comfortable shoes, you could be on your feet a long time.

Tired said:

It's been discussed here before, but it bears repeating. Eat, stay hydrated, go to the bathroom first, and for the love of God, if you get woozy then say "excuse me" and step back so you can sit down.

And don't worry, lots of people go through it. Hell, I just did this last week in a case post-call. (Only the third time ever, bleah)

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4136864

Is this the story you mentioned? It's an older piece, but it seems like the same thing ...

stiffany said:

Hi guys. So we start anatomy at my school tomorrow and boy am I nervous. I was listening to an NPR discussion of the first day of anatomy at the University of Maryland and just the thought itself is making me woozy. Anyone have any suggestions for not passing out tomorrow???

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It's not that bad. Just like the group psychology take you over and don't let your own personal psychology do too much of the thinking.

And if you do start feeling woozy (whether it's the thoughts or simply the fact that you're breathing in too much ethanol) get some fresh air or sit down for a couple of minutes.

Of course eating a decent breakfast that'll help your blood sugar stay stable (something whole grain with some milk or something) would probably help. I got a little light headed(and fought it off) on the 3rd day or something but it was most likely just because I'd been sleep deprived for like 5 days straight and hadn't eaten breakfast.

And yes, being psychotically concerned about needing to get your dissection done so you can do well on your lab practical or whatever is one way to help yourself stay focused on the dissection and not think too much about anything that may otherwise be kinda disturbing to you.

Either way, we have it pretty good compared to the med students of the past anyways. My mother apparently had to go fish the cadavers (and fish is really not even the right word) out of a tank of formaldehyde with cadavers floating in it. And of course, the tank was in a shed in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere (this was decades ago and not in the U.S.) and basically all her classmates freaked out about even opening the door to the shed

And if you go back even farther, a couple hundred years ago people had to go graverobbing for cadavers, so we have it pretty darn good with our plastic bagged cadavers.

Over time I'm sure you'll bond with your cadaver anyway. Sorta. I like to handle my cadaver fairly gently even though I can't really kill him again. Maybe I'm just crazy, lol.

pick the best looking chick in your class and start following the lecture by visualizing her body parts

Chargers said:

pick the best looking chick in your class and start following the lecture by visualizing her body parts

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Then visualize cutting them off . . . you know, if you're into that sort thing.

breakfast, breakfast, breakfast

How was it??

I've passed out before (not in anatomy lab) and learned my lesson - keep your legs moving for blood flow and sit down the second you feel lightheaded. Better to sit down than to fall over!

PS Anatomy probably won't be as bad as you think.

stiffany said:

Thanks for all the advice guys. I didn't pass out on the first day (when we just met our cadavers) or today when we spent several hours actually dissecting I think mostly thanks to eating breakfast instead of skipping it like normal. However, I have been having some pretty intense throat irritation thanks to the fumes (sigh). I found that after the initial shock cutting and the like got pretty easy and moving my legs (even if it looked silly to be bending up and down) helped keep me from getting too lightheaded!

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Glad to hear it's going well. Anatomy lab causes a lot of anxiety, but I've never known anybody who had any real problems with it. Speaking of fumes, wait until you get to head and neck if you're not there already. Those dissections require you to get pretty close to the cadaver, and the fumes would give me the biggest headache. I probably should have taken ibuprofen beforehand.

I almost passed out when we cut through the ribs and opened the thoracic cavity. I had to excuse myself and go to the restroom, and sit down on one of the chairs in the waiting room until my head stopped swimming. But there was a reason for that. It was pretty aweful.

LadyWolverine said:

I almost passed out when we cut through the ribs and opened the thoracic cavity. I had to excuse myself and go to the restroom, and sit down on one of the chairs in the waiting room until my head stopped swimming. But there was a reason for that. It was pretty aweful.

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I went out for BBQ ribs after cracking the thoracic cavity...but then again, the smell of fixative always made me more hungry than ill.

It isn't just anatomy or surgery for that matter - I find myself frequently passing out this month on radiology. Sitting in...the dark...not saying anything....I....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

That being said I guess I passed out dozens of times in lecture the first two years.

The only lasting effect of the anatomy lab for me psychologically? Many of the fixatives use phenol in addition to formalin, and the small amount of phenol in black olives and chloraseptic throat spray remind me of cadaver taste and make me a little nauseous now.

I was nervous going into it, but it was fine. I think the smell stayed with me more than I would have liked, even though I changed right afterwards. But nobody else smelled it, so I think it was all in my head. Actually, I started getting really hungry when we were dissecting.

My dad was talking to one of his clients who is a doctor (bragging and all that cause I'm his little girl ) and she said "The back is nothing. Wait until you get to the abdomen, it really stinks in there."

are you all not allowed to wear masks. I get furious nose bleeds from the formaldehyde and so in under grad Human A and P I had to wear this special mask that is worn in military chemical warfare. Works great, you look like an alien but it works

Go in with some smelling salts in your pocket

if your legs get weak, tunnel vision, dizzy, lightheaded, use em.

works in lab and in lectures.

achybrachy said:

It isn't just anatomy or surgery for that matter - I find myself frequently passing out this month on radiology. Sitting in...the dark...not saying anything....I....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

That being said I guess I passed out dozens of times in lecture the first two years.

The only lasting effect of the anatomy lab for me psychologically? Many of the fixatives use phenol in addition to formalin, and the small amount of phenol in black olives and chloraseptic throat spray remind me of cadaver taste and make me a little nauseous now.

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TESTIFY!! I got a sore throat in the spring, broke out the spray, and was, "Oh ****! THAT'S what that smell was and why my face was numb..." I can't stand it now. No wonder everything I ate with my hands last year had cherry overtones...

Somebody beat me to the not locking your knees. Bending over the tank, it's hard sometimes. I usually grabbed a stool on days conducive to it.

The smell is gross for the first day. We went out for dinner that day and my fingers had a horrible smell on them. After that I didn't really care about it.

The problem that arises when I'm in there for more than 3 hours is respiratory irritation. (Especially if you are standing above your cadaver).

At my school, someone was uncomfortable working with the cadavers and one of the prof's went into the room with her when class was out to try and help her get used to working with the bodies, this really helped.

If you're worried about the chemicals, remember you can always wear some kind of respirator mask. I'm violently allergic to formalin and have to ( do you know how hard it is to decorate an apartment on a student budget without any particle board furniture because the freakin' formaldehyde in he board makes you sick? do you? it's AWFUL!!!!!!! I'm too poor for that .... sorry..... sidetrack..) Anyways, you always have options be it emotional or physical to make lab easier on you. good luck, and remember you may find that you have no problems at all.

whats really bothering me in the smell. The sight isn't that bad thus far, although I don't think I'm going to be eating a medium-rare steak in the near future.

Yehosh said:

whats really bothering me in the smell. The sight isn't that bad thus far, although I don't think I'm going to be eating a medium-rare steak in the near future.

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I don't know, I'm always starving in lab. When we were opening up teh ribcage, I had a major craving for baby back ribs.