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Re:
That may be true, mneme. There are plenty of Monty Python bits with a similar theme! However, I don't believe that this condition is rare enough that even the nurses at a GP's office weren't familiar with it. It really surprised me. I was just glad that I somehow wasn't affected this time around . . . 
posted by
JimmyA
on April 22, 2014 at 6:52 AM
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Hi Jimmy - we have spoken of this before... my daughter has the condition. I think she inherited it from her father, my ex... more than once I had to go and collect him from the dentist or the doctor because he had passed out and couldn't drive himself home.
The most memorable time for me, with my daughter, was when she was about thirteen and not too well; our GP took three small tubes of blood out of her arm and she was really well behaved. Then she saw the tubes in his kidney dish and asked 'is that my blood?' When the doctor said 'yes,' she fainted and crumpled onto his floor. She was fine shortly afterwards ... I was the one in a state of shock and needing a cup of tea!
I don't think there's enough awareness, generally. I count myself as quite well-informed, medically, but I hadn't heard of it - although I did know that some people pass out in some circumstances - it's the stuff of British comedy after all... smile.
posted by
mneme
on April 9, 2014 at 3:13 PM
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Re:
Although you're right, C C T, about the minor amount of blood being taken, it is still that 'quick' blood loss that can cause the fainting, thus the definition of vasovagal syncope. Although the mind does play 'little games' in this arena, it is the physical aspect that I must remain aware of . . . and so should the nurses! I have a strong feeling that if you were to ask any of the nurses in your circle, they would probably concur . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on April 7, 2014 at 6:10 AM
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Well it might be that once it happens one sort of expects it might do it again. The mind plays little games. Although it seemed she was taking a lot of blood from you it is usually only a couple or three little tube-fulls. I'll ask the nurse next time I go if she has ever dealt with this problem. Take no notice of Kabu she liked to have them in her power.
posted by
C_C_T
on April 7, 2014 at 1:36 AM
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Absolutely, adnohr. I'm fairly certain that, from now on, each time she does blood work for anyone, she may think to ask them first if they would like to lie down during the procedure, just in case! Like I wrote, I can't be the only one suffering from this . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 10:03 AM
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Oh, I totally agree, Annicita. Believe me, this was in no way any kind of personal attack on this woman! She did her job beautifully, there were no problems or complications whatsoever, and she was extremely pleasant throughout. But I was still somewhat surprised of her lack of awareness of this particular condition. Like I wrote everyone else, she is now . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 10:01 AM
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I'm assuming, lovelylady, that you agree with my assessment . . . ? 
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:59 AM
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That's all too true, Against. When you bring your Volvo to a Volvo specialist, you would expect him to pop the hood and know exactly what is going on with your engine at all times! I still believe that, as a nurse, one of who's technical, everyday procedures is to take blood from patients, she should have definitely been aware of the possibility of a fainting patient. Well, now she is . . . !
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:58 AM
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And that definitively proves, TAPS, that it can happen to anyone. That's why I was so surprised to hear an actual 'nurse' claim she was not aware of this condition or the possibility of someone passing out while giving blood! If nothing else, I educated her . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:55 AM
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Re: JimmyA
Knowledge is power, Sir Wiley. Of course, many times, like in this particular incident, we don't become aware of such things until after the fact. But at least now I know full well what I'm up against. Perhaps there are others out there going through something similar that they don't quite understand, and this will help them. I hope you've never experienced this . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:53 AM
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Re:
I am too, Justi. I've always been generally nervous when it came to doctors, hospitals, and any possible 'health conditions,' as I'm sure others are too. But it's always nice after getting through these physical procedures to know that everything is copacetic. And it was also nice to not pass out during the blood test . . . this time! Thanks for the warm sentiments . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:50 AM
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Re:
From their comments, FSI, they were already aware of this condition, as I too suspected. That's why I felt that such a possibility should be something every nurse would be aware of. Not knowing the actual name was one thing. Not knowing that the condition existed at all was something else . . . 
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:46 AM
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Re: Jimmy
You're probably right, Naut, but like I wrote to Kabu, knowing the name of the condition is probably not as important as just being aware of the condition! Just like a police officer and a firefighter should be trained to be aware of almost any possibility, I would think that the prospect of a patient passing out while drawing blood from them would be something taught on Day One to any nurse who undertakes this procedure. Standards aside, I would think this would be somewhat universal . . . 
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:44 AM
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Re:
You're absolutely right, Kabu. And if what you're saying is true ( and I'm sure it is ) then as a practicing nurse, you were already aware of the possibility of even the toughest male passing out. It may not have mattered if you knew the actual name of the condition. It was much more important that you were aware of the condition at all. This is why this particular nurse's ignorance greatly surprised me!
Oh, and I understand your 'addiction' to Blog-it perfectly! So again, welcome back!
posted by
JimmyA
on April 6, 2014 at 9:40 AM
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The bright side is that you have probably helped someone else by enlightning the nurse about this condition. 
posted by
adnohr
on April 6, 2014 at 5:15 AM
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I get lightheaded as well but I don't think I have ever passed out...nurses have so much pressure on them nowadays to handle more patients with less and less help...hard to say but nurses to me are wonderful for the most part...
posted by
Annicita
on April 6, 2014 at 1:04 AM
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posted by
lovelyladymonk
on April 5, 2014 at 6:07 PM
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Without knowing how rare this condition is, I do not know how practical it would be for the nurse to already know about it. Then again, we go to hospitals with the hope that the professionals there will be able solve the puzzling mysteries of our bodies.
posted by
Against4WindsOn2Flam
on April 5, 2014 at 2:20 PM
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I learned of this condition long before I was a nurse, but I was a secretary/receptionist in the part of the public health department where public employees (policemen, firemen, etc.) were given their shots, blood tests, etc. One big strapping policeman made it through having his blood drawn but when he walked out of the little lab room he went down in the hallway, fell on his face, broke his jaw, and ended up in the hospital.
posted by
TAPS.
on April 4, 2014 at 9:13 PM
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JimmyA
Interesting post and of course you made me search right?? "In patients with vasovagal syncope (also called Fainting), the initial cardiovascular response to an upright posture appears to be relatively normal. Vasovagal Syncope affects patients of all ages, both with and without othermedical conditions, and has a broad number of causes. It is valuable to assess the relative contribution of cardioinhibition and vasodepression before embarking on treatment as there are different therapeutic strategies for the two aspects."
posted by
WileyJohn
on April 4, 2014 at 6:26 PM
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Oh I am glad you are in good health with that one exception. Going to the doctor frequently does not mean they pay attention to history so much. I am glad you are through with that for a while. Be blessed.
posted by
Justi
on April 4, 2014 at 6:04 PM
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I would expect a nurse to know about a condition such as that as well...What Naut wrote makes a lot of sense...It will be interesting to see what, if anything, TAPS, who like Kabu, used to be a nurse, comments.
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on April 4, 2014 at 5:02 PM
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Jimmy
Quite apart from the fact that your fainting incident may just have been a 'one-off', your point of not knowing what country that nurse came from may be the clue as to why she had never heard of that condition. According to nurses and docs I know around these parts (and that's quite a few), there is a big difference in the quality of training to be found in different parts of the world; outside of Europe, very few come up to our standards, so I've been told...
posted by
Nautikos
on April 4, 2014 at 3:48 PM
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hi friend. Nice to be here reading you again. Silly to miss blogit as I do but blogit is part of my day so there we are.
I was a vampire amongst other nursing duties when I worked in hematology back in the days when HIV was rampant and uncontrollable. i don't know about fancy names but I did ALWAYS lie young males onto the bed to relieve them of a few drops of their blood because they were sure to faint.It was easier to deal with a strong male already lying down than to help him to the floor safely when he is out for the count.
posted by
Kabu
on April 4, 2014 at 2:17 PM
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