Help me not faint when donating blood

Vasovagal reactions to blood draws http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2535889/. This article has a lot of tips (aimed at blood donation centers) for reducing negative reactions to blood draws.

I have fainted in response to donating blood. I was hungry before I went into donate and, after, I made it across a huge campus before passing out in a McDonald's. Of course I assumed it was low-blood sugar and lack of sleep. (I was a college student, burning the candles at both ends during mid-terms.) The next time I went into donate, it was a double red cell donation. I made sure I was well hydrated, well rested, and had eaten before going in. I told the nurse about my previous experience and that I was nervous about passing out again. She asked me to tell her if I felt faint during the procedure. I did and she reclined the chair I was in and took out two of those cold packs (the ones you have to break something inside and shake to get the cold going) and put them on my chest. It didn't completely take away the edge of blotto feeling, but it did keep me from fainting. The most believable explanation I've heard about it is that donating tricks your body into believing that you're bleeding out and responds by dropping your blood pressure to keep you from bleeding to death. I have never tried to combat fainting, but I wonder if the tricks that pilots use to avoid passing out in high G situations would work, the AGSM and "hick maneuver." My solution, after talking with my doctor, was to stop donating blood.

I've done several dozen whole-blood donations, plus another bunch of platelet donations; the rules are always the same: *Get plenty of rest beforehand: don't go into it already tired. Take a nap afterwards if you need to: it's okay to lay down and rest some more. *Always have something in your stomach, even if it's just a couple slices of toast; although something more substantial --- even a bowl of cereal --- will be better. And definitely fluids: drink some juice or something beforehand, so you don't go in there dehydrated. (And yeah, this is why blood donation places make you sit and have something to drink and a couple of cookies or something before you leave!) *Avoid alcohol and exercise for the rest of the day; both can take even more of a toll on your temporarily-depleted body. (And no, even though booze is liquid it doesn't help with dehydration or replacing the lost fluids!) Soda or coffee is better by far than alcohol, but juice or water is best. *If you're female, yep, menstrual cycle can make a difference: giving blood when you're already at your lowest point of the month for iron- and fluid-loss won't help. I've been lucky and never yet passed out, but take that with a grain of salt: if you ask, they'll tell you that sooner or later everyone does: it just hasn't been my turn yet. For what it's worth, I find its far easier to not watch them stick that needle in me: I can watch the blood flowing down the tube and filling the bag, I can watch them remove the needle; I can handle all of it except watching the needle actually going in....

I have the same problem. During a blood donation at work a few years ago, I started having tunnel vision during the middle of the blood draw, almost as if the blood was coming directly from my brain. My thinking was clear enough though, to debate a critical issue: "Should I tell the nurse I'm about to faint, and suffer through the ribbing I will likely get from my coworkers, or should I just pass out completely and not worry about it?" I decide to alert the nurse. She immediately tilted me back in the chair, such that my legs were elevated higher than my heart. My vision immediately cleared, and I finished the donation without a problem. From that point on, I just mention "vaso-vagal reaction" to the nurse and ask to have my feet elevated, and there has been no problem.

I just went through a blood-draw two weeks ago, and have the exact same problem as you. All I can say is to 1) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate in the days before the draw. 2) Make sure they know that you will almost certainly pass-out. 3) Ask them to use a pediatric needle. 4) Ask to have a second nurse in the room to hold your hand and talk to you during the procedure and make sure your eyes are on them and not on the nurse doing the needle work. 5) Don't be afraid to make whatever horrible noises you need to make, and even bounce your legs if needed. And squeeze that nurse's hand like you're trying to crush it. Seriously. They don't mind. I came close to blacking-out, but, thanks to the tiny pediatric needle and the nurse holding my hand and talking to me, I actually got through it. The nurses said I turned a bit pale, but never went out. Got juice and a cookie after, too! Blood draws suck. Good luck!

I've given blood a bunch of times. Sometimes I ended up fainting. The pattern I eventually discovered was that I never fainted in the winter but sometimes in the summer. Turns out that warm days and blood doning do not go together for me. I stopped giving blood during the summer months.

I fainted once after donating blood (and it put me off enough that I changed from a monthly donation to a couple of times a year afterwards). The things that were different the day I fainted were that it was the first and only time the needle has been painful throughout the procedure (usually I can't feel it while it is in the vein) and it seemed to take a lot less time than usual. I don't know whether those are controllable by the techs, but if you warn them you might faint and they do have control over the speed of the blood draw, etc, they will no doubt go slow. The other thing that was different that day was that I got on a train right afterwards. (Well, after the mandatory 10 minute recovery period the blood donation centre has you wait for). It was on the train that I fainted. I wonder whether the motion of the train contributed at all. Nowadays I am careful not to go in a moving vehicle for a while after a donation.

i've had the same experience as chocotaco--ok w/minor draws (a couple tubes) but ALWAYS on the verge of passing out by the end of a donation, and fwiw i almost bled out (NOT during a donation) and went into shock and it felt exactly the same. i've just had to get over my embarrassment and let the techd know as soon as i start to feel ooky and they'll tip the chair, give me cold packs, etc. i do avoid donating sometimes b/c of this very issue, though!

Also, keep in mind that your reaction to a blood draw for lab testing (when you may have received instructions to fast for the preceding X hours) may be different from your reaction when you give blood (because you can be better prepared nutritionally).