Tips about dealing with blood?

[bailey42]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey everyone!

I recently spoke with a general surgeon at a hospital near me, and he invited me to come into the OR and watch some of his surgeries. I am very excited for this opportunity, but am a little worried about the chance that I may faint during the operation. I have, in the past, fainted at the sight of blood (I volunteered at a hospital over the summer and fainted once when a nurse drew blood from a patient). I have seen videos of surgeries at school and have had no problems with them, but I don't know how I'll handle it when I am actually there.

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but do you guys know any tips to keep from fainting at the sight of blood? I have heard that you just get used to it over time, but I was wondering if there is anything else I can do.

Thanks for any advice!! 🙂

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'll be honest, I don't see how you're going to survive a surgery if watching a blood draw makes you faint. Watching surgery videos is good practice, I guess, but you're only going to get over this through experience. Make sure they have a chair available, and sit down before the procedure starts. Some surgeries can get extra bloody, so you might want to try to avoid those, as well. Anything abdominal or facial is probably a bad plan.

 

[45408]

If you really think you're going to pass out - you are about to pass out. Sit down before it happens.

 

[tennisball80]

Oh man, that's cool. I want to see a surgeon too. 👍

 

[xnfs93hy]

I'll be honest, I don't see how you're going to survive a surgery if watching a blood draw makes you faint. Watching surgery videos is good practice, I guess, but you're only going to get over this through experience. Make sure they have a chair available, and sit down before the procedure starts. Some surgeries can get extra bloody, so you might want to try to avoid those, as well. Anything abdominal or facial is probably a bad plan.

I second this. Luckily I have no problem dealing with this. I had to clean up blood on the floor of the ER when I volunteered there (disgusting, I know), then another time I had to give a patient a bedpan, yeah, I'm not going to go any further than that. Point is, I am fortunate to not have a problem dealing with this. If you plan on becoming a surgeon DO NOT LET US DETER YOU! Like Al said, this fear can only really be overcome with experience.

Now to the matter at hand. I honestly think you should reconsider going dude, you fainted watching a nurse draw blood from a patient, how the hell are you going to handle watching your surgeon work on his patient??? If you MUST GO, then I would tell your surgeon to let you know when to close your eyes or look away. You have a fear, yes, and you can overcome this, but you need to take baby steps, not giant leaps.

Best of

 

[bailey42]

Thank you for all the replies and encouragement...I am really stuck, though. It's very frustrating to not be able to deal with blood because it holds me back from doing a lot of different things. A year ago, for example, I was doing volunteer work in the ER when a patient came in with a semi-torn off finger 😱. The doctor in the room told me I could watch him treat the man, (I agreed,) but ended up having to leave because I felt dizzy after only a few moments. I'm not "squimish," per say, but for some reason I get light-headed. I find blood fascinating, not gross, and get very annoyed when I can't even be in situations that involve it. I guess it will take a lot of experience to get over this reaction, but I just don't understand it. 🙁

 

[Bertelman]

I had the same reaction the fist time I saw someone drawing blood. Within an hour, I was drawing blood myself. You'd be surprised how quickly you may be able to overcome the reaction.

I would suggest the following:
1) Get a full night's rest the night before. Eight hours.
2) Eat a good meal. Drink plenty of fluids.
3) Don't get too close to the action in the OR. Hang back. You'll have time to see the incision, etc., before the surgery gets too exciting.
4) If you feel you are about to faint, sit down immediately. Excuse yourself from the OR if needed. I promise you will get no grief from the OR personnel. There are third year med students that faint in the OR. You're not even in med school. People expect you to faint.
5) While standing, don't keep your legs straight for long periods. Discreetly bend your knees, shift your weight, etc. Squeeze your calf muscles in place. This will help return blood from your legs to your heart, and on to your brain. It will help prevent fainting.
6) If you do leave to compose yourself before fainting, I would suggest going back when you are feeling better. Sometimes (like my case) it is just the initial shock and anxiety that cause the lightheadedness. If you can go back in the room and stick with it, you will have overcome your fear. Otherwise, you'll have this fear on your mind until med school.

 

[Docere]

I felt the same way when I was in the delivery room. There was a lot of blood and I felt a little bit woozy, especially when the placenta popped out. But the sheer excitement of being there kept me on my feet, and I made it out okay.

But if you really feel like you're about to faint, sit down like TheProwler suggested. Put your head between your legs too and take deep breaths. Don't try to make a break for the door.

I think you do get over it over time. Exposing yourself more often to it will probably lessen the effect it has on you.

I'm curious though - why are there a considerable number of people who don't feel comfortable at the sight of blood? What does it do to you?

 

[BloodySurgeon]

You want some advise? Don't forget to wear shoe covers!

j/k. In all seriousness, I do think you can overcome your fear of blood through experience and exposure. Personally, I was never bothered by blood since I was always getting hurt as a child. If you would like suggestions on how to get exposed to the sight of blood here are a few:

• Prick your finger with a needle
• Volunteer at a blood drive
• Talk to the more stable but bloody patients at the ER
• Watch sports
• Watch more invasive operations online

In my lab, we had a student faint as she was watching an aseptic surgery on a live rat. Now, she does the surgery all the time and it does not bother her the slightest. Best of

 

[Bertelman]

I felt the same way when I was in the delivery room. There was a lot of blood and I felt a little bit woozy, especially when the placenta popped out. But the sheer excitement of being there kept me on my feet, and I made it out okay.

But if you really feel like you're about to faint, sit down like TheProwler suggested. Put your head between your legs too and take deep breaths. Don't try to make a break for the door.

I might not advise that. If it doesn't prevent you from fainting, your center of gravity might tip you onto the floor head first. There might not be extra hands in the OR to support you from falling.

 

[Karees]

The "put your head between your legs" suggestion is best done sitting down...I don't know anyone who would recommend it standing up...that might cause a completely stable person to fall...🙂

The first time I saw a surgery I got woozy and had to sit down, and I was in high school too. Physicians totally get it, just make sure there's a chair around in case you need it. If you're in a surgery using scopes, you can also just watch it on the screen, that sometimes helps. Now I can scrub in on surgery no problem, it really just takes practice, so don't stress, just be prepared with a chair.

 

[engineeredout]

Just pretend its cranberry juice.


Don't try to mix it with vodka though.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Authentic Bloody Mary, anyone?

 

[bailey42]

Authentic Bloody Mary, anyone?

I'm curious though - why are there a considerable number of people who don't feel comfortable at the sight of blood? What does it do to you?

To be honest with you...I have no idea. One minute I am feeling fine, and the next thing I know, my vision is blurring and I pass out. I am especially confused about why I still faint because my 8-year-old brother has type 1 diabetes. I have to occasionally give his insulin shots and finger pokes for him because he is still uncomfortable doing them himself. I have no trouble dealing with testing his blood for glucose, etc., but when I get into a situation with a larger quantity of blood I faint. 😕 It may be genetic...both of my parents faint at the sight of blood, too.

Again, thanks so much for the encouragement, I will definitely take your advice and try to expose myself to blood/surgical situations as much as I can. I have a good two weeks before the surgery, so I might be able to prepare myself a bit. I'm very excited though, and hoping for the best!!

 

[pressmom]

I had the same reaction the fist time I saw someone drawing blood. Within an hour, I was drawing blood myself. You'd be surprised how quickly you may be able to overcome the reaction.

I would suggest the following:
1) Get a full night's rest the night before. Eight hours.
2) Eat a good meal. Drink plenty of fluids.
3) Don't get too close to the action in the OR. Hang back. You'll have time to see the incision, etc., before the surgery gets too exciting.
4) If you feel you are about to faint, sit down immediately. Excuse yourself from the OR if needed. I promise you will get no grief from the OR personnel. There are third year med students that faint in the OR. You're not even in med school. People expect you to faint.
5) While standing, don't keep your legs straight for long periods. Discreetly bend your knees, shift your weight, etc. Squeeze your calf muscles in place. This will help return blood from your legs to your heart, and on to your brain. It will help prevent fainting.
6) If you do leave to compose yourself before fainting, I would suggest going back when you are feeling better. Sometimes (like my case) it is just the initial shock and anxiety that cause the lightheadedness. If you can go back in the room and stick with it, you will have overcome your fear. Otherwise, you'll have this fear on your mind until med school.

Good advice. I'd especially like to second the eating. I'm in vet school, and we're in the midst of doing our first surgeries. One girl in my class failed to eat before her afternoon surgery, and had to scrub out and sit and let her back up finish. So please follow this advice. If you do, you'll be well on your way to getting over your anxiety.

Also, on a related note, you'll be standing for a long period of time, wear comfortable shoes--sneakers, crocs, danskos.

 

[Bertelman]

The "put your head between your legs" suggestion is best done sitting down...I don't know anyone who would recommend it standing up...that might cause a completely stable person to fall...🙂

I think that was understood. What the OP may not know is there aren't a variety of "chairs" in the OR. The anesthesiologist won't offer his. At best there will be a metal stool, the diameter of which is not much bigger than a medium pizza. Trying to place your head between your legs on this pedestal will lead your head beyond your center of gravity, and if you inevitably pass out, you will end up on the floor head-first.

Not advised. If you wish to place your head between your legs, I would recommend first sitting on the ground in a corner.

 

[yaah]

Most people do get used to it.

And I would caution the people who say, "I have seen blood before and I never had trouble." You never know what will set you off and make you pass out - for some people, it's the sight of blood. For others, it's seeing a baby born, or seeing a big needle go into a sensitive area, or seeing an eye surgery. Everyone who has spent any time in surgery has seen plenty of people get woozy - I saw a surgical resident get woozy on one of my rotations, and she was in her third year. The important thing to realize is that in almost all cases, you "grow out of it" so to speak, and you will be fine. The important thing is to recognize if you are not feeling well and take a step back or sit down.

 

[Docere]

Um yeah, I thought it was a given that you put your head between your legs when sitting down. "Put your head between your legs too", not "or" lol...

Most people do get used to it.

And I would caution the people who say, "I have seen blood before and I never had trouble." You never know what will set you off and make you pass out - for some people, it's the sight of blood. For others, it's seeing a baby born, or seeing a big needle go into a sensitive area, or seeing an eye surgery. Everyone who has spent any time in surgery has seen plenty of people get woozy - I saw a surgical resident get woozy on one of my rotations, and she was in her third year. The important thing to realize is that in almost all cases, you "grow out of it" so to speak, and you will be fine. The important thing is to recognize if you are not feeling well and take a step back or sit down.

That's really good advice and good to keep in mind. Thank you.

 

[Crazyday]

Blood bothers me a bit too.

Funny thing is, I can watch a brain surgery video or a heart surgery video or something grotesque like that just fine. It's just bright red blood (especially my own blood draining out of my body) that bothers me.

/shrug