Ugh, I passed out. When I came to, I didn't know where I was. I was lying in a reclining chair and someone was calling my name. I opened my eyes and saw a TV tuned to CNN hanging from an office ceiling. I looked to my left and saw a woman's face looking at me. I was completely bewildered, and extremely anxious for things to start making sense but I didn't know what to do to bring that about. I didn't even know if the TV, the voice calling my name, and the face were related or real. Finally I sensed that it was the woman saying my name, and then it clicked that she was the nurse who had just taken my blood. I remembered that I had been doing well on this, my second experience with donating blood, with only mild sweating and compulsive yawning and less of the wooziness I felt the first time. The last thing I remembered was the nurse saying "Okay I'm going to remove the n----e now" and that was fine I just had to keep my attention focused on the TV, but now there were two TVs and they were fuzzy but that was okay too and -- I don't think I have ever had my brain do a cold reboot like that. The nurse said I was out for thirty seconds and even snoring. It was very stressful to be in a strange environment with no context. I wonder if that is what life is like for people like Clive Wearing. After a few minutes I was back to normal and enjoying my free cookies and juice. For a long time I have had a kind of hospital phobia. It doesn't always happen but when it does I am powerless against it. One time we visited a friend who was recovering from a car crash. She had terrible bruising from the seat belt but that didn't bother me. I couldn't stop thinking about all the tubes going in and out of her, especially the one carrying slowmoving coffee-colored sludge which I knew was taking over for her GI tract. Soon I had taken a seat with my head between my knees, pretending to need to retie my shoes, and everyone, including the patient, was focused on me and asking if I was okay. It's a minor inconvenience and usually easy to avoid, but I am worried that one day it will be me in the hospital or someone who needs me, and I will be too weak and woozy to be of any use. I also take it as a kind of personal affront that my reptile mind betrays me, and want to try and overcome this perceived weakness. I can't think of any better technique than Mithridatism: exposing myself to the dreaded stimulus until I develop a tolerance. Adding some platelets to the supply feels good too.
The worst time I ever passed out was when I tried contacts. (I had a vasovagal reaction - I've had them before, but not so intense.) I actually had a little dream while I passed out and, like you, had to remember where I was and why I was there. I, too, visited a friend in the hospital once and had to go out into the hall and find a chair to sit in. I have read that drinking more water and consuming more salt when you suspect you are entering a situation that will cause a reaction can help, especially if they are truly vasovagal reactions. Good luck. I don't even bother donating blood. About 90% of my post-18-year-old life I've been unable to anyway due to body modifications like tattoos and piercings. Currently I won't be eligible til Sept 5, 2015. They kicked my dad out of the blood bank because he passed out every time so I suspect I have a genetic influence to my reactions too. They also seem to come on when I have low blood sugar.
I recall you mentioned this before, but I can't find where. It was great to see that there is a fancy name for what seems to be my experience, what I was calling a phobia. It is strange because I don't feel fear; the donation process is barely uncomfortable and I believe it is very safe. I have been in hospital rooms with people who have IVs and had no reaction. But once the weirdness starts, it seems inevitable that I will have an episode. Yes, these were both on the questionnaire. I am pretty nearly an ideal donor: O positive, monogamous heterosexual, no recreational needle use, no prescription drugs, no history of disqualifying illness. I have the most boring blood possible. My only red flag is for travel, and I feel obligated to spell out all the places I have visited even though it means a lot of follow-up questions. It was 45 minutes after my appointment before I finally got jabbed, and the whole process was about 90 minutes. I skipped breakfast last time, so this time I was careful to eat well before my appointment. Didn't seem to help, but couldn't have hurt. If/when I go again, I'll try something salty with water just before.I had a vasovagal reaction
body modifications like tattoos and piercings
drinking more water and consuming more salt
Can you feel these episodes coming on? I usually can. Sometimes my vision seems "sharper" than normal and I feel odd. Then, I will find myself becoming very warm. My vision will start to black out. I will feel dizzy. When this happens, I have found that if you get down on the ground or in a chair, it helps a lot. I often still go through much of the physical effects by this point - I go from being so hot I break out into a sweat, to my temperature plummeting and becoming very cold - and often momentarily lose my vision, but remain consciousness. Apparently part of the problem is blood pooling in the legs and not getting to the brain. So if you can get down, and elevate your legs, it will help. My biggest problem with these episodes is always that they bring me to the ground or incapacitate me, so sitting became a natural reaction. I also try to consume food if I feel it happening as it does seem linked with blood sugar for me personally (but not always - a video of in vitro fertilization knocked me on my ass once, for instance). I don't think it's a phobia because I don't think it's all in your head, especially if you don't really feel fear. Syringes and eyes have always made me feel icky so it didn't surprise me that I seem sensitive to/around both, physically. But I've also nearly passed out while exercising or after not having enough to eat, which is why for me I suspect it is linked to blood sugar. My doctor said about as much when I brought it up to her.
That sucks! There was quite a good Life Pro Tip on Reddit yesterday about dealing with needlephobia during blood tests - I imagine it may be helpful if you're interested. I have a rather entertaining story from the first time I donated blood, though if stories of blood and needles make you wary, don't read. It was my first time donating blood, I signed up as soon as I was able with parental consent (I believe I was a freshman or sophomore in high school? I can't remember ages/years, weirdly). I'm not at all fearful of hospitals or needles: being born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate means I'm quite familiar with surgery and surgical equipment (as much as I need to be, anyway). Anyways, the nurse is a nice older woman, and I'd passed all of my tests (I, as always, had excellent iron levels - which for some reason gets compliments from them). The drive was going on in the small gym of my school - so imagine it in a crappy gymnasium. I was lying back, I'd already pumped out the blood and wasn't feeling bad at all. The nurse comes, sees it's full, and takes the needle out of my arm. What step did she miss? If you guessed "removing the tourniquet" - you're right! She'd left it on. As a result, a hilariously long spurt of blood shot from my arm, did a spectacular arc, and landed on the floor. It wasn't any large amount of blood, but seeing it shoot from my arm was... Not worrying (which probably says bad things about me). I found it rather funny. The nurse's arm made a similarly perfect arc as she slammed some gauze on the hole as she took the tourniquet off. She was panicking, asking me repeatedly if I was alright, apologizing, I'm fairly certain she was about to cry (in the years since, I've guessed that these were area volunteers or something, or maybe it was her first time doing that - no idea, but she wasn't a vet who'd seen it all). I'd found it all quite funny, said yes a few times, and then asked her if she was alright. Never had any problems afterward. Didn't stop me from donating blood every time I could - shame that I'm not allowed to anymore.
I have no problem with needles or hospitals, thankfully. But I will never donate blood again. I don't know how much your responses are based on stimuli or knowing about these things, so I won't give details unless you ask, suffice it to say that someone fucked up and I almost lost my arm. I really want to do it again, but I simply can't. I still have pictures from back then and I get a chill from them.
Gee Oxy, that sounds awful -- but good for you for donating blood. You're a life saver. I hope your diagnosis -- betrayal of the reptile mind -- is correct, but I wonder if it's caused by something else. Time will tell. The Mithridatistic solution is a possibility: Spend 5 minutes in Emergency once a week carefully observing and noting everything you see. Then up it to 10 minutes.
They say that each donation saves "up to" three lives. Typical fuzzy promotional language. The Red Cross app lets you join a team and compete to save more lives than anyone else. Just sayin', it's a little lonely on this team. Do they let people wander into the ER to observe, or do you have to be actively bleeding? Maybe I could build up my tolerance with YouTube videos of surgery. A little desensitization could be a good thing, though I am wary of going overboard.You're a life saver.
Spend 5 minutes in Emergency once a week
If someone asks, you could say you were waiting for someone. Maybe when you start to look creepy, you'd have to rotate through all the DC hospitals. I'd join your team, except I'm in Canada. After a tainted blood scandel, blood donation was handed over to a not-the-Red-Cross agency called Canadian Blood Services. I'm sure blood donations save lives. As an O negative, I'm the universal donor. I'll have to get on to it -- if they take me. Last time my hemoglobin was low. The time before that, they didn't like some lipid or other that was floating around (too much rich food in Paris). It's a disincentive to have one's blood rejected twice in a row.
Hey, I too am an O- If Hubski ever needs blood, we can come to the rescue.
The bummer about being the universal donor is that while we can give blood to anyone, we can only receive it from another type O- We can be there for each other in this regard.
Don't lose any blood until we get this worked out. The US-Canada thing could be a problem. (tee hee) I suggest that all of hubski create an organ donation registry so we can all be there for each other. Oh wait, usually you are dead when you donate an organ. Maybe we better just use the services that are locally available. That is until we can create an internet blood flow program. (sounds like a potential love song)
Hey now, I'm not the one that ordered "sangria" the last time we were out together.
You're lucky I'm not there. Last time I barely made it out alive. I'm not kidding. I turn in to a maniac in Vegas.
Sorry to hear of your untimely demise ;-)Last time I nearly made it out alive. I'm not kidding.
Ha. Edited, thanks. Really though, I think I almost died.
Actually that sounds amazing. Best bachelor party I ever attended was in Jaco, Costa Rica. It was kinda like "the hangover", except, ya know, real as fuck. Still the worst thing that happened on that trip was when a lady on the plane ride home wanted to show me pictures of her rain forest adventure, all the while sporadically laughing like an idiot at the in flight movie, "grownups". So tired and hanging like hell. Wanted to kill myself right then and there. Anyway I suspect this one will be tamer. I'm older, lamer. My friends are older, lamer. Also, $200 doesn't buy you enough candy to kill a horse in Vegas like it does in Jaco.