Overcoming Fainting at Injury?

[*zap*]

bleed yourself every day until it bothers you no more.

 

[atmat]

This may sound dumb, but does reframing it help? When I was a kid and teen, I was pretty squeamish. One day someone made an off handed comment that blood in a human was the equivalent of oil in a car. I don’t know why, but something about that analogy totally ended my squeamishness.

Otherwise, do you get squeamish if you visualize yourself bleeding? If you do, maybe you can practice exposure therapy through visualization and then practice mindfulness techniques to overcome?

 

[Rich M]

Slow down when swinging or using a blade. If you dont use em eften you have no muscle memory for such.

It seems like most accidents happen when folks are in a hurry.

You stayed awake this time, should be good in future.

 

[a3dhunter]

Knowing that you have that problem, maybe focus on the quickest way to address the wound. Instead of getting into a need kit, gauze and all that, just have a small cloth and electrical tape handy to fix it in 20 seconds, to at least get you by.

 

[rclouse79]

I have no problem with animal blood, but get squeamish whenever my blood gets drawn. My advice is to focus on another task. During my last blood draw the nurse could tell I was uncomfortable and asked my to flex my toes over and over again. I just thought about flexing and relaxing my toes and it was over before I knew it.
The best thing of course, is not to cut yourself in the first place. I constantly remind myself to slow down and enjoy a successful trip during butchering and the hike out.

 

[taskswap]

It's called vasovagal syncope and it's not something you can control from my knowledge. I never had a problem with it until one time I was giving blood and it like flipped a switch in my brain and caused it to start happening with serious injuries.

Best thing you can do is calm down and let your body relax. Deep, controlled breaths, etc. In the moment though, if you're standing and feel like you're going to faint, I've been able to push it off by clenching my abs to push the blood back towards my head. Look up the breath control fighter pilots use, thats what I'm talking about.

What he said. Stress/adrenaline triggers may help you power through it, but usually only temporarily. Otherwise it can't really be prevented and doesn't improve via desensitization techniques (e.g. prick your own finger over and over.) Maybe something's changed in the last 5 years, but the last time I asked my doctor about it (I have it, too) he said avoidance was the best option. The good news is it's pretty benign and doesn't last long. Usually 15 minutes at the most. I just sit down, have some water, breathe normally (don't hyperventilate) and wait it out.

I have the same reaction a few other posters here have - it only affects me if a human is injured. Animal blood doesn't affect me at all. Guess I got lucky there or hunting would be a real challenge.

 

[Yoder]

My buddy at work cut his finger one time and almost fainted. To comfort him, I told him if he actually passed out I was going to piss on him to wake him up. We were all laughing so hard he felt better.

 

[Wellsdw]

When I’ve gotten Squamish rookies at the firehouse usually shame a ridicule get them
Through it. Also remember the acronym. DBAB Don’t be a B…..

That said you may try watching some bloody medical procedures on YouTube. But I’m guessing cleaning animals doesn’t bother you?

 

[Fowl Play]

When I’ve gotten Squamish rookies at the firehouse usually shame a ridicule get them
Through it. Also remember the acronym. DBAB Don’t be a B…..

That said you may try watching some bloody medical procedures on YouTube. But I’m guessing cleaning animals doesn’t bother you?

Cleaning animals doesn’t bother me. Not even treating bloody wounds of others - I’ve splinted buddies compound fracture with bone sticking out etc. without issue. My blood though… total pussy.

 

[WCB]

Still remember to this day....presentation day in 4th grade. Girl with Diabetes did a project on it, including a demonstration on pricking her finger and testing her blood. As she did it a girl sitting front row passes out at the sight of blood and slams her head on the desk flipping onto the ground.

Girl laying on the ground like a dead fish just did her presentation on wanting to be a nurse....hahaha

 

[mi650]

I don't have problems with blood, mine or someone else's. Never have. But I did witness a pretty extreme example once.

Taking the psychical for the Army, I was volunteered to separate the blood draw forms into 3 piles. No big deal. A guy came in and told the nurse/medic he was afraid of needles and blood. Sat the guy down and told him not to look. Sure enough, he looked. This was in the days before the little plastic probe thingies, so there was a needle in the crook of his arm. Anyway, he looked, folded his arm up, passed out, and over he went to the floor! Cut the shit out of tendons, ligaments, veins, maybe an artery, IDK.

He was a pretty big guy, so 4 guys came in to put him on a gurney and wheel him out. No idea what ended up happening to him. The next day I was on my way to Ft. McClellan and never saw him again.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

It’s a very odd feeling you can’t really do anything about.Kind of like the feeling of getting a fever blister,you feel the tingle coming.Or your mouth watering before puking.

 

[hiker270]

My cousin used to throw up at the sight of his own blood. All of us who were present for this event agreed that he should not touch a knife, well maybe a butter knife.

 

[roadrunner]

Don't be in a hurry...

 

[7mm-08]

bleed yourself every day until it bothers you no more.

"Bloodletting" was a thing on the Lewis & Clark Expedition (just not for me). Sorry, not helpful. I don't like needles going into me for blood draws and such and have experienced fainting episodes in the past under these narrow circumstances. It all started when a government nurse stuck me eight times in an attempt to draw blood. I have had success in my latter years by diverting my attention from the "stick." I have no problem bleeding all over holly hell myself.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I saw a science documentary awhile back about memory and how it works. This doctor was trying out a new therapy for phobias where she gave people a shot of this drug that causes temporary amnesia while exposing them to their phobia (spiders, elevators, etc). She was literally curing phobias in 3-5 one hour sessions.

This isn’t helpful at all but a funny story about involuntary physical response. At least I think it’s funny. When I was in grade school you’d get those 1/2 pint cartons of milk with lunch. Me and two of my shithead buddies were in the habit of playing “milk race” where we would see who could chug a carton the fastest. While the other two were doing this “race”, I made a wisecrack that one of them thought was very very funny, (even though it probably wasn’t). He snorted and squirted milk out of his nose. Which was absolutely very very funny. The other contestant snorted., inhaled some chocolate milk, and then sprayed it all over everyone on the other side of the table. All of this happened in about two seconds.

A sweet pretty little girl at the end of the table thought that chocolate-milk-sprayer- boy had barfed. So she proceeded to projectile vomit like Linda Blair in that Exorcist movie. This was simultaneously hilarious and revolting. Now, chocolate-milk-sprayer- boy sees this. He’s still coughing and retching a little from trying to breathe chocolate milk… so it’s too much for him. He spews. A nuclear fission style chain reaction ensues with at least two kids at every table in the entire cafeteria tossing their cookies, blowing chunks, doing the used lunch show-and-tell. Kids were screaming, running for the exits, holding hands over their mouths with puke squirting between their fingers. It was absolute effing pandemonium. Even though I felt a little sick, I was strangely delighted. It was and is by far the most successful joke of my life.

So I’m guessing 40 or 50 kids lost their hard earned lunches that day. When the two custodians arrived they looked stunned and shell shocked. There was an actual investigation. My two co-conspirators and I were suspended for a day. This happened in Copras Cove TX in 1963 or ‘64. Can’t remember the name of the school.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I found a reference.

https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/a-single-pill-may-be-the-key-to-overcoming-many-paralyzing-fears

i have an oddly specific mild phobia of swimming in dark water. I’m a very good swimmer, comfortable in the water, life guard merit badge, all that. But when I get in water that is so dark I can’t see my feet… I get the heebie jeebies so bad I gotta get out.

 

[butcherboy]

Dang man, I feel bad for you guys. I had an employee almost pass out once when he cut himself while on the trim table. Wasn’t even bad but it was his own blood. Had to sit him down and give him water. He never showed back up again after that. My advice, don’t ever become a butcher. I cut the tip of my left middle finger off on a table saw when I was in my taxidermist shop a few years ago. It really sprayed everywhere! After the initial cuss words my first thought was “Wow! That’s really getting out there!” Grabbed some paper towels and went into the meat plant and told my sister to call my wife to take me in to the Dr’s office. The only thing that phases me is puke. No matter whose it is. I can hear it and be fine but if I see it or smell it…….

 

[taskswap]

Just to be clear, there's a lot of helpful advice here but be careful what you take out of this thread. Vasovagal syncope is not a phobia or fear. It is an autonomic physiological response. It doesn't mean you aren't brave or tough, and it can't be fixed by standard phobia-oriented treatments like repeated exposure. And actually, there are different types and it affects folks differently depending on which type you have.

But that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it! Actually there are some simple things you can do if you feel dizzy or tingly in your extremities. I found a lot of the tips here help me, give them a try, they may help you too:

How to Avert a Vasovagal Episode | envisionsrh

www.envisionsrh.com

Since OP was talking about field dressing, I'll say I've found cut-resistant gloves like the kind a lot of people who clean fish wear to be really helpful too. They're lightweight and cheap and you really only need one on your off-hand.

 

[deltadukman]

I've never really knew this has a name or was really much of a thing. My wife is in the medical field and finds it humorous that I can be elbows deep in the chest cavity of any animal and blood everywhere in the skinning shed and on me. That doesn't bother me. I probably am around 15-20 plus deer a year getting cleaned. But, if I have to get blood drawn or see someone with an open wound, I get light headed and start cold sweating and feel like I'm about to pass out. It's the damndest thing I've ever seen. Nothing I have ever done seems to make it better except just not look at human blood. This post is intriguing.