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Is there any way to prevent fainting?

How can I prevent myself from fainting?

  • I am in nursing school and sometimes when I am going to watch a procedure or do an invasive skill I start to feel faint and need to sit down. This is very embarassing for me as it always happens in front of my instructors and my patients. I am worried that if this doesn't stop I won't make a very good nurse when I graduate! Does anyone have any pointers to prevent this from happening? I am going to watch a heavy surgery in a few days and would like to get through it without feeling weak!

  • Answer:

    This is something that can be overcome with a little bit of effort. First off, you have to recognize the symptoms and feelings that you get before you faint. Most people follow a pattern of feelings in a specific order, such as starting out with a higher pulse rate just thinking about the situation and worrying that are going to faint. Next come other feelings- maybe feeling hot or flushed, shakey legs, then lightheadedness. You need to recognize the patterns that occur when you start reacting to the situation. For each type of feeling, you can develop a deliberate routine to get through it. For example, when the pulse rate starts to rise - stop whatever you are doing and go to your favorite mental quiet space and focus on taking a few relaxed breathes until you settle down. This alone, can make a huge difference because you see that you are able to control the situation , and that reduces the worry that you will not be able to control yourself, and then end up on the floor. Same thing each of the other things you experience - keep a moist cloth or handiwipe on hand if you get hot flashes or cold sweats, if you legs start to feel weak, do a couple of small knee bends and shake your arms a little to wake up our body and always pay attention to your breathing - slow steady and relaxed. Go to your quiet place as often as needed to keep the breathing relaxed. When you think rationally, there really isn't any big deal with having a high pulse rate, shakey legs, or even feeling flush, but people fight these feelings, and it is fighting the feelings that usually causes the problem. If you go into the situation thinking you are going to get through it by avoiding these feelings, you are doomed before you start. What usually works is to acknowledge that these feelings WILL occur, that they are a natural response to something that scares you, and there is no actual threat from these feelings, so they are really nothing to fear. This link has a good self-help process that was developed for panic attacks, but it works just as well for phobias.

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Sounds to me that you really need to pick another profession. You won't graduate if you faint at the slightest bit of blood or other bodily fluids, procedures, etc. Medicine is not for you. There is nothing you can do to keep it from happening. You just can't handle it. And that's ok. It happens to a lot of people. You can find other professions where you can help people without having to see anything on their insides.

bmac

My Mum works as a Person dealing with epileptic Fits etc.. She deals with it by just simply having a drink of water, and taking a Breather outside

snoooopdogg

drink lots of water and take breaks

Chad [loves you]

I heard that this goes away after awhile. Just psyche yourself up for it, focus on breathing slowly and evenly, if you start to feel weak then close you eyes and imagine that you are on a beach or somewhere peaceful.

Signilda

It can be graphic sweetheart but my advice for you is to imagine the amount of times OTHER nurses have seen these things and didnt faint! They all have seen the same thing as you! You have nothing to be frightened about hunny. Remember, others have seen the same thing as you! Keep this in mind ok.

tomy

Go see a cardiologist. You could have a neural-heart condition called Vaso-Vagal Syncopy - which is triggered by anxiety. I do exactly the same thing you do, and there are medications that can help you. This condition prevented me from becoming a veterinarian because I can't handle surgery. But they didn't diagnose me until after college.

KB

Try putting a little bit of vicks vapor rub under each nostril.

Penny

Fainting is a different phobic reaction than others. You don't need to relax, you need to tense up, to prevent the blood from leaving your brain, thus causing a faint. You can try holding your breath, touching your toes, or clenching your fists. It's best to start small, and try and work up to the big things, but you're a nursing student, so hopefully it's just the big stuff that bothers you.

smartsassysabrina

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