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Vasovagal Response?
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Are you just sensitive to your own blood or everyone's blood?
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Is it possible to only be sensitive to your own blood? I've never really had the exposure to others blood so I don't know. I was just wondering if there was a correlation between fainting when getting blood drawn and fainting when seeing blood
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shadow in the ER and see how it goes
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But do warn the attending you shadow just in case...
You may want to do a 'trial run' by watching a surgery on YouTube or medical documentaries - though results not guaranteed to be accurate. Medical documentaries don't bother me in the least, YouTube surgeries were very hard to watch, and in-person blood was somewhere in the middle for me.
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Agreed with this. And if becoming a physician is important to you - as in you want to do it in spite of this issue - then you're really just going to have to desensitize yourself. Most things in medicine are gross the first couple of times you see them, but you eventually get over it - either because it becomes routine, and thus less disgusting, or because you "have to" for fear of being that guy on the wards.
Watch some surgeries and see if you get any better with it over time. For what it's worth, though, I knew a guy in undergrad who had a similar reaction and ultimately dropped pre-med and went to business school. Very smart and successful guy, but he just wasn't willing to deal with it. It's fine if that's what you ultimately discover - don't look down on yourself for it.
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OMG!
I have the worst vasovagal response problem. I get light headed and faint pretty much without fail when I need to get any type of shot. Last year, a co-worker convinced me to go get a Flu shot at the office clinic. As soon as I got there started getting clammy hands and lightheaded. Then I saw that yellow-ish vaccine being injected into me. Boom! fainted. I had to be the grown man sitting there getting a juice box and candy bar
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Another time. Even more embarrassing. I was shadowing an oncology attending in clinic. And we all go in to see a patient for a consult (attending, resident, fellow, 4th yr med student, me). Patient there with spouse. It is something like a 20cm tumor. Attending starts touching it and explaining to me how tumors are 'firm'. Then, they start talking about the surgical approach that will be used. I feel a bit warm and lightheaded. I clench my fists and try to tough it out. Nope. Thud! Faint, again. End up in the residents room. Again, sitting there with a juice box.
I think its getting better. I shadowed a surgery afterwards and all ok.
I have the worst vasovagal response problem. I get light headed and faint pretty much without fail when I need to get any type of shot. Last year, a co-worker convinced me to go get a Flu shot at the office clinic. As soon as I got there started getting clammy hands and lightheaded. Then I saw that yellow-ish vaccine being injected into me. Boom! fainted. I had to be the grown man sitting there getting a juice box and candy bar
.Another time. Even more embarrassing. I was shadowing an oncology attending in clinic. And we all go in to see a patient for a consult (attending, resident, fellow, 4th yr med student, me). Patient there with spouse. It is something like a 20cm tumor. Attending starts touching it and explaining to me how tumors are 'firm'. Then, they start talking about the surgical approach that will be used. I feel a bit warm and lightheaded. I clench my fists and try to tough it out. Nope. Thud! Faint, again. End up in the residents room. Again, sitting there with a juice box.
I think its getting better. I shadowed a surgery afterwards and all ok.
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this.
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Definitely test it out, I heard about a girl who got to third year, found out that she couldn't handle the sight of blood being drawn and had to quit medical school.
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I have just started having his response to my own blood draws.
OP, do not be discouraged. I am able to watch surgeries, procedures, and even give my mother shots with not problem.
The only thing I have yet to overcome is cutting around the neck area. Makes me twitch still...
OP, do not be discouraged. I am able to watch surgeries, procedures, and even give my mother shots with not problem.
The only thing I have yet to overcome is cutting around the neck area. Makes me twitch still...
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I'm a current 4th year student
In high school I had serious doubts about becoming a physician when we took a field trip to an anatomy lab and I got weak and had to sit down. To top it off I also got light headed when I got my vaccines sometimes and I could not for the life of me watch an eye surgery on Youtube.
I was pretty nervous for the first day of medical school and anatomy lab but you know what? I did fine. So did other med students in my position. So will you.
There is an occasional med student who passes out the first day of anatomy or even during a surgical rotation. It's not a big deal and you adapt to it pretty quickly. I can't say anybody from my class did but several of our attendings have shared stories of them passing out when they started med school (even surgeons!).
The way you'll get over it is exposure. You will get all the exposure you could ever want and more in anatomy lab. IV's might still make you uncomfortable, so do more of them. It's going to be the nurses who show you how and honestly if you embarrass yourself in front of a nurse ( who has no bearing over your grade) nobody cares.
The most important thing to do ESPECIALLY if you know you are prone to it, is this: If you feel yourself getting cold/clammy/sweaty or lightheaded then sit down immediately. If you are in surgery and this happens, back away from the surgery table and sit on the floor against the wall. Noone will fault you for being cautious but IF YOU FALL IN THE STERILE FIELD NOONE WILL LET YOU BACK INTO THEIR OR!!!! Not to mention it would be dangerous for the patient.
In high school I had serious doubts about becoming a physician when we took a field trip to an anatomy lab and I got weak and had to sit down. To top it off I also got light headed when I got my vaccines sometimes and I could not for the life of me watch an eye surgery on Youtube.
I was pretty nervous for the first day of medical school and anatomy lab but you know what? I did fine. So did other med students in my position. So will you.
There is an occasional med student who passes out the first day of anatomy or even during a surgical rotation. It's not a big deal and you adapt to it pretty quickly. I can't say anybody from my class did but several of our attendings have shared stories of them passing out when they started med school (even surgeons!).
The way you'll get over it is exposure. You will get all the exposure you could ever want and more in anatomy lab. IV's might still make you uncomfortable, so do more of them. It's going to be the nurses who show you how and honestly if you embarrass yourself in front of a nurse ( who has no bearing over your grade) nobody cares.
The most important thing to do ESPECIALLY if you know you are prone to it, is this: If you feel yourself getting cold/clammy/sweaty or lightheaded then sit down immediately. If you are in surgery and this happens, back away from the surgery table and sit on the floor against the wall. Noone will fault you for being cautious but IF YOU FALL IN THE STERILE FIELD NOONE WILL LET YOU BACK INTO THEIR OR!!!! Not to mention it would be dangerous for the patient.
