Is there a name for this condition?

Factual Questions
1

I hope this doesn’t get construed as medical advice, because I am not asking for any. Just curious what conditions, be they physical or pyschological, would cause this.

So I have never donated blood before, nor gave plasma. One time I tried years ago, when I was pretty unhealthy and smoked. They pricked my finger, drew two of those tiny tubes that work on capilary action, and I got light headed and nearly passed out.

Today I went in to try it again. Fully hydrated, in good physical shape, and I have not smoked in 4 years. I am not sure they would have accepted me at any rate, because the girl that was checking my veins to see if they were large enough, had to get a second opinion, and the other girls opinion was that they were too small to work with.

So heres what happened to clinch the deal: The had the rubber thing on my arm, and were pushing lightly on my arm looking for veins, and I got very light headed and almost passed out. No needles, no blood, no pain, nothing. Just got light headed.

I’m not really looking for advice, so much as wondering if there is a term for this? I know sometimes people that are sqeamish around blood pass out (faint) at the sight of blood, and the first time I was looking at it, but never had a problem with other peoples blood before. This time, however, they didn’t have a needle in sight, let along blood.

Am I crazy, or does this happen to other people? If so, surely there is a term for this. Anybody got the Dope on it?

2

I don’t have the dope on the condition’s name or anything. But when I gave blood a few months ago the lady who was taking my blood asked me if I passed out easily and I told her I didn’t. Then I asked her if it happens frequently and she said, “Oh yeah, about 1 in 5 people pass out daily.” She then laughed. So, if it’s any consolation, your condition isn’t all that uncommon.

Oh yeah, that thing around your arm is called a “tourniquet”. :slight_smile:

3

Possiby vasovagal response?

Oddly enough, this came up in another thread and I still had the link to cut and paste.

4

I give blood regularly, but I have a thing about needles. So, I just don’t look at the needle. I’m not embarrassed to tell 'em that. The flea bottom girls see that all the time. They deal with people’s fears every day; it’s part of being a phlebotomist to help you through it.

Take a book with you. It will help get your mind, and your eyes, off the process. It might help you if you make small talk with the person working on you. It’s not like a bus, where you can’t talk to the driver.

Oh, yeah, one more thing. If you really think there’s a chance of you passing out, go pee before you get on that funny-looking chair. Cleaning up pee and vomit is not a big deal for them, but it’s darned inconvenient for the person with the wet pants.

5

Do you have low blood pressure? I’ve suffered with it for years and can faint quite easily.

6

It could be one of those “self-fulfilling prophecies.” You had a weird experience which stuck in your mind so the next time you repeat the behavior, you’ve got it on your mind and your nervousness that the feeling you had might occur again *causes *them to happen.

You might be unconiously holding your breath. Combined with an elevated heartbeat fron nervousness, that could make you feel woozy.

7

Not sure it is low blood pressure, haven’t had it checked recently. However, it would be odd, since the opposite runs in the family. High blood pressure.

And it wasn’t just woozy, I was getting spots in my vision, and felt like I was about to black out.

Oh, and the needles weren’t in use this time. Just the tourniquet around my arm. Might be a self-fulfilling thing, but if so, is there a psychological term for such a thing? Like placebo effect, but not. :smiley:

8

Vasovagal.
Some people just respond to stress by passing out. Weird but true.

I take blood from an average of 10 people a day, and cannulate maybe half that number. So far, in 6 weeks no one has passed out on me, but 2 of my colleagues have had fainters, and one had a vomiter.

Just anectdotally, female patients seem to deal better with needles than the male patients. I don’t know if that’s because it’s more painful for guys because they have thicker skin, or a psychological issue with being stabbed by sharp objects or what, but my male patients all wince and moan and suck their teeth, while most of my female patients will sit and chat away to me as I bleed them!

9

For those interested in such things, I want to point out that the name “vasovagal” fainting, or “vasovagal attack”, is misleading and almost a misnomer.

Although there is excessive activity of the vagus nerve (parasympathetic) during an episode, and that causes the sweating, nausea, and low heart rate, the real reason for the fainting is withdrawal of sympathetic tone, i.e. shutting down of the adrenergic nervous system.

If you note that most “vasovagal” faints occur during periods of high stress (and thus heightened sympathetic tone), and that using atropine (to counter the vagal excess) or even a pacemaker (to maintain the heart rate), does not prevent the faint, it’s easier to appreciate the critical role for lack of sympathetic tone. Indeed, pretreatment with beta-blockers, to prevent excess sympathetic stimulation of the heart and blood vessels, is an effective way to prevent “vasovagal” attacks. In other words, the primary problem is excess sympathetic tone that, as a result of a heightened reflex, is suddenly withdrawn. The result is vasodilation, low blood pressure, and a faint.

10

Did you go to the plasma place to make a few bucks, or donate blood? I know a lot of people who donate plasma when they need some extra cash here.

11

I just read an article about this in Discover, SciAm Mind or Scientific American. They said that it was an evolutionary advantage designed to help individuals in times of stress. About 1 in 10 people have it and in the article, it happened in response to the sight of blood, even blood coming from other individuals. IIRC, people with this condition are able to survive traumatic injuries more often than people without this condition. So just consider it a minor inconvience.

12

I was going to sell plasma to make a few bucks. Christmas is just around the bend, and really didn’t want to work more hours. Guess now I have no choice. :smiley:

13

I don’t know, but I routinely become lightheaded and dizzy when I donate blood. This begins while I’m filling out the paperwork. These days, I ask for an icepack behind my neck during the donation, and a cup of juice when I first sit up. This helps a lot. My blood pressure is normal.

14

For me personally it’s always been the internal humiliation that is brought on by the fact that I have to psychologically restrain myself from fighting back when somebody is doing something to me. When you come at me with a needle/dental drill/rubber glove and I have to coerce myself to submit to coming discomfort, no matter how minor, I feel entirely conflicted and as a result uncomfortable. My natural response is, in fact, to attack first and prevent the discomfort, but that is usually, if not always, inappropriate in a medical setting. It’s kind of like the discomfort of a staring contest - it’s not painful not to blink but it’s very uncomfortable because you’re fighting a reflex.

15

I pass out in church.

And no, I’m not the antichrist or anything. I believe it’s that “vasovagal” condition. Can’t help that I’m Catholic, either, so church usually means standing, sitting, kneeling, standing, kneeling, sitting, kneeling, and standing. But pretty much every time I visit a church, I get those black spots over my eyes and my face goes numb and boom, down I go.

Maybe that’s why I’m not much of a churchgoer.

16

Have you tried consulting your MD? :confused: