Another Bloody Thread

[Ymir's blood]

Seeing Roland's thread reminded me of something that has been bothering me since last summer. I went to the doctor in regards to a pain in my left foot. She said it was probably arthritis (lovely, at age 34!) However she also wanted to get blood for some tests. While the nurse was drawing blood, I started to pass out. I've never had blood drawn before, except for having my finger pricked.

What confuses me, was why I started to black out. I didn't feel afraid, but actually rather comfortable. I was watching the blood go out of my arm and thought, "That's my life's blood, cool." Then the lights started to dim and everything took on a yellowish brown hue. It was quite pleasant, until they stuck ammonia under my nose and then I felt really sick. That passed after fifteen minutes or so and then I was fine.

Has anyone else had this happen? Is it normal? (Probably not the 'life's blood' thing, which was pretty morbid, but normal for me.) I suppose what bothers me is that it felt like a personal failure.

[Petra]

I'd get tests for anaemia and low blood pressure. And maybe something else too, but I don't know what. Nothing major, though. I used to be like that when I was a kid - it was due to those two things; blood pressure and iron count.

Later I used to love giving blood and would do so every six months or so. I used to like watching my blood come out, too, and contemplating it's....can't find the right word...vitality, or something. It's fascinating stuff.


But then I lived in the UK during the Mad Cow scare and I'm no longer permitted to give blood. Now that's failure - I can no longer contribute to saving another's life through my own sticky liquid life-force because I'm a potential Mad Cow. :bcow:

[Ymir's blood]

I'd get tests for anaemia and low blood pressure. And maybe something else too, but I don't know what. Nothing major, though. I used to be like that when I was a kid - it was due to those two things; blood pressure and iron count.
Everytime my blood pressure has been checked, it was either normal or slightly low. No idea about the possibility of anemia. Whatever tests they ran on the blood came back negative, though perhaps that wouldn't show up?
Later I used to love giving blood and would do so every six months or so. I used to like watching my blood come out, too, and contemplating it's....can't find the right word...vitality, or something. It's fascinating stuff.It seemed pretty cool to me too, until the point where everything started getting dark and nothing really mattered.

You'd be popular in Transylvania, though. :wink:

But then I lived in the UK during the Mad Cow scare and I'm no longer permitted to give blood. Now that's failure - I can no longer contribute to saving another's life through my own sticky liquid life-force because I'm a potential Mad Cow. :bcow:That policy seems like it would have a rather dramatic effect on Brittain's blood supply. :boythink:

[Corona688]

I can't think of any particular reason you should pass out when blood is drawn(in insignificant quantities), and if you're suffering from anemia you'd think you'd be showing a lot more symptoms. I do not think you are really all that unusual for blacking out, anyway; it seems to just happen to some people, to my understanding. It might just be another one of those silly pointless traits that we humans seem to collect.

[lady cop]

apropos of nothing, i will never understand IV drug users. i have had so much blood work done since my dec.18 heart attack, that my arms are tracked and bruised like a junkie. it is starting to get to me. black and blue and needle sticks evident. after a while it causes scarring, but i'm not there yet. anyway, i think your feelings are normal, there is something invasive and scary about blood draws. and if the tech is not skilled, it hurts like hell! i am sick to death of it.

[livius drusus]

It sounds like your blood pressure dropped suddenly. I just posted a link to needle phobia site on Ro's thread and it seems to me like your symptoms (like Ro's) might match the Vaso-Vagal type of np. Check out the chart a little down on this page (http://home.columbus.rr.com/klamb/pages/needlephobia.htm#types). There is a lone study out there somewhere. Hopefully Roland can scare it up.

[Ymir's blood]

I don't know, liv. There weren't any manifestations of fear involved. Besides, needles aren't something that have ever bothered me in the past. As a child, my allergies led to having shots, one in each arm, twice a week for several years. My attitude towards injections is rather blase and blood isn't exactly unpleasant to me.

Oh, I meant to add that the nurses asked what I'd had for breakfast. (cereal and toast) It was after noon and I'd last eaten at eight. Web searches for stuff related to that pretty pretty fruitless. :\