d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Today I gave a pint of blood to the Red Cross. I laid in the chair with 5 other donators in a (small) room facing one another. They put iodine on me, and I felt calm, I've had blood drawn for physicals before with no problem. But they were using IV's this time, unlike the past when they used saringes.. When the nurse entered my (vein), it felt like she busted through the muscles. (God it hurts to even talk about it). I believe she messed up. It felt like the thing was fiddling with my tendons in there. OUCH. Then it started. When the blood started to be extracted, I felt my stomach get a little weak. Not a sick feeling, not painful, moreso I lost FEELING in it. Then I started to feel my body get week. I started to moan. Right then two nurses asked me if I was alright. My body broke a quick sweat and I felt a little chilly and VERY sh*tty. I mumbled, "Ohhhhh man." And I started to see stars and I couldn't do anything but stare in to space. They quickly got wet papertowles and put them on my forehead and neck, wiped my face down and told me to caugh, to force myself to suck in oxygen. In the middle of all that, they gave me a coke. Which HIT THE SPOT. I don't think I've ever smashed a coke that fast throughout my freaking childhood. It revived me. So if you're ever bleeding heavily, find a coke...FAST! It's obviously THE thing to use when they have a patient losing conciousness. Because I think 15 more seconds without attention and I'd be in la la loo loo land. I tried to get through it, I was bending my toes HARD until I couldn't take it anymore, and the nurses did their thing. I almost lost it, they had to tell me to keep my eyes open! Anybody else have an experience like this? I've always been an athelete and been in shape. Blood drawings never bothered me anywhere close to this before, but the muscle 'tension' from the needle really set it off. It felt like it was sucking the marrow out of my bone. They got their pint, I stuck through the rest of it, but it wasn't comfortable by any freaking means. Happy Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 The normally gave us a glass of orange juice I have had my blood drawn so much that I am used to it now. Its going to be awhile before I donate blood again though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 It happened to me when I impaled the webbing between my fingers with an awl. I was fixing a screen at work at slipped and poof, through my hand went the damned tool. It hurt a little bit, and it was bleeding, but that kind of thing just flat out doesn't bother me. Of course, it was bleeding bad, so I had to go and report the injury. As I sat down I get really dizzy and sweat poured from my head and my coworkers told me I turned bright white. Not sure why it happened. But when they described it to me when I got back from the hospital (I had to go, orders from the boss) I laughed about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 ^ ^ ^ I definitley looked like a ghost for 30 minutes afterwards. People that didn't even know I went to give blood told me I looked tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raub Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Big wuss. j/k :thud: At least you gave. It's an easy way to help a lot of people out. I don't mind giving blood, but I've been in the military so long that getting poked with needles just seems like a part of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 I seriously doubt the Coke did a thing for you unless you'd already given the unit of blood. More likely it just took your mind off of your situation. When you give blood, you can get 'faint' or pass out if you are dehydrated, tend to run a low blood pressure normally, or are already weak (say because you have a cold or some other problem). What you experienced though is more likely whats called a 'vagal reaction'. Theres a nerve that runs the length of your body called the vagus nerve. When you stimulate it, it kicks the 'parasympathetic' nervous system into gear. The parasympathetic nerves tell your heart to slow down, and you can dramatically drop your blood pressure. There are a lot of things that can stimulate the vagus nerve. Putting pressure on certain points of your body can do it (anywhere an artery exists - the femoral/groin area, the carotids/neck area, etc...). The other way you can stimulate this nerve is to 'bear down' or 'clench'. I've seen numerous cardiac (and other) patients drop their heartrate while having a bowel movement for example. You likely 'bore down' and clenched as you were stuck, which stimulated your vagul nerve and slowed your heartrate. Most people will recover almost right away, but it can be an emergency. My advice woulde be, if you're squeamish and prone to this kind of thing, avoid situations (like giving blood) that put you under extreme stress. I seriously doubt you were hypoglycemic or volume-depleted (which the Coke would've helped with) - you sound like it was too early in the blood draw for that to be an explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Check out the Big Brain on Tarhog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 I seriously doubt the Coke did a thing for you unless you'd already given the unit of blood. More likely it just took your mind off of your situation. When you give blood, you can get 'faint' or pass out if you are dehydrated, tend to run a low blood pressure normally, or are already weak (say because you have a cold or some other problem). What you experienced though is more likely whats called a 'vagal reaction'. Theres a nerve that runs the length of your body called the vagus nerve. When you stimulate it, it kicks the 'parasympathetic' nervous system into gear. The parasympathetic nerves tell your heart to slow down, and you can dramatically drop your blood pressure. There are a lot of things that can stimulate the vagus nerve. Putting pressure on certain points of your body can do it (anywhere an artery exists - the femoral/groin area, the carotids/neck area, etc...). The other way you can stimulate this nerve is to 'bear down' or 'clench'. I've seen numerous cardiac (and other) patients drop their heartrate while having a bowel movement for example. You likely 'bore down' and clenched as you were stuck, which stimulated your vagul nerve and slowed your heartrate. Most people will recover almost right away, but it can be an emergency. My advice woulde be, if you're squeamish and prone to this kind of thing, avoid situations (like giving blood) that put you under extreme stress. I seriously doubt you were hypoglycemic or volume-depleted (which the Coke would've helped with) - you sound like it was too early in the blood draw for that to be an explanation. Thanks for the information Tarhog, I've never heard of the vagus nerve before, and I was thinking hypoglycemia when he said the coke made him better. See, you learn something new here at ES every day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Check out the Big Brain on Tarhog! No - he just hit on something I see nearly every week - its what I do Here's a research article describing vasovagal reactions - its much more common than you think: http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/118/12/943 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Just a play on Pulp Fiction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Just a play on Pulp Fiction Do I look like a ***** Brett? Then why you tryin' to ..... Ah. The metric system..... I'm a little slow on a Friday night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Washington Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Today I gave a pint of blood to the Red Cross. I laid in the chair with 5 other donators in a (small) room facing one another. They put iodine on me, and I felt calm, I've had blood drawn for physicals before with no problem. But they were using IV's this time, unlike the past when they used saringes..When the nurse entered my (vein), it felt like she busted through the muscles. (God it hurts to even talk about it). I believe she messed up. It felt like the thing was fiddling with my tendons in there. OUCH. Then it started. When the blood started to be extracted, I felt my stomach get a little weak. Not a sick feeling, not painful, moreso I lost FEELING in it. Then I started to feel my body get week. I started to moan. Right then two nurses asked me if I was alright. My body broke a quick sweat and I felt a little chilly and VERY sh*tty. I mumbled, "Ohhhhh man." And I started to see stars and I couldn't do anything but stare in to space. They quickly got wet papertowles and put them on my forehead and neck, wiped my face down and told me to caugh, to force myself to suck in oxygen. In the middle of all that, they gave me a coke. Which HIT THE SPOT. I don't think I've ever smashed a coke that fast throughout my freaking childhood. It revived me. So if you're ever bleeding heavily, find a coke...FAST! It's obviously THE thing to use when they have a patient losing conciousness. Because I think 15 more seconds without attention and I'd be in la la loo loo land. I tried to get through it, I was bending my toes HARD until I couldn't take it anymore, and the nurses did their thing. I almost lost it, they had to tell me to keep my eyes open! Anybody else have an experience like this? I've always been an athelete and been in shape. Blood drawings never bothered me anywhere close to this before, but the muscle 'tension' from the needle really set it off. It felt like it was sucking the marrow out of my bone. They got their pint, I stuck through the rest of it, but it wasn't comfortable by any freaking means. Happy Friday. omg that was my first experience and it scared me from given blood since! i figure maybe i don't have the normal 9-10pints like everyone else. it is cool to flash my type O hero card to chicks. :cool: btw they didn't offer me anything to drink...for free. i gave at mondawmin mall and they were charging for OJ, cookie and crackers so i just drove my woozy tail home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonez3 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 There are a lot of things that can stimulate the vagus nerve. Putting pressure on certain points of your body can do it (anywhere an artery exists - the femoral/groin area, the carotids/neck area, etc...). QUOTE] This is the 'vagal' response in the vaso-vagal response. Generally found in the carotids in the neck. This function acts as baroreceptors, effecting heartrate based on pressure in that portion of the artery. So, if you find a person with rapid heart rate in distress, you can 'rub the carotid' (side of neck) to induce the heart rate to drop until you can get medical attention. This will 'trick' the body into dropping the heart rate. A vagal rub, simple and can save a life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 There are a lot of things that can stimulate the vagus nerve. Putting pressure on certain points of your body can do it (anywhere an artery exists - the femoral/groin area, the carotids/neck area, etc...). QUOTE] This is the 'vagal' response in the vaso-vagal response. Generally found in the carotids in the neck. This function acts as baroreceptors, effecting heartrate based on pressure in that portion of the artery. So, if you find a person with rapid heart rate in distress, you can 'rub the carotid' (side of neck) to induce the heart rate to drop until you can get medical attention. This will 'trick' the body into dropping the heart rate. A vagal rub, simple and can save a life. I've had a lot of patients vagal while holding manual pressure on femoral artery sites after sheath removal (after a cardiac cath or stenting). Thank God for atropine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 Big wuss. j/k :thud: How many times did I hear this yesterday? Let me start counting on my toes. I kept telling them that I can play football and keep myself in shape, but F those needles, those things are too tough for this man to take. :no: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 I seriously doubt the Coke did a thing for you unless you'd already given the unit of blood. More likely it just took your mind off of your situation. When you give blood, you can get 'faint' or pass out if you are dehydrated, tend to run a low blood pressure normally, or are already weak (say because you have a cold or some other problem). What you experienced though is more likely whats called a 'vagal reaction'. Theres a nerve that runs the length of your body called the vagus nerve. When you stimulate it, it kicks the 'parasympathetic' nervous system into gear. The parasympathetic nerves tell your heart to slow down, and you can dramatically drop your blood pressure. There are a lot of things that can stimulate the vagus nerve. Putting pressure on certain points of your body can do it (anywhere an artery exists - the femoral/groin area, the carotids/neck area, etc...). The other way you can stimulate this nerve is to 'bear down' or 'clench'. I've seen numerous cardiac (and other) patients drop their heartrate while having a bowel movement for example. You likely 'bore down' and clenched as you were stuck, which stimulated your vagul nerve and slowed your heartrate. Most people will recover almost right away, but it can be an emergency. My advice woulde be, if you're squeamish and prone to this kind of thing, avoid situations (like giving blood) that put you under extreme stress. I seriously doubt you were hypoglycemic or volume-depleted (which the Coke would've helped with) - you sound like it was too early in the blood draw for that to be an explanation. Thanks Tarhog. It was in the first minute of the draw that this all transpired. I started feeling better and sat there for another 10 minutes. I've never had any of the problems you mentioned if physicals can detect that stuff. She told me to squeeze my hand 3 times to find the vein, and again as she entered she told me to squeeze 3 times and hold. She never told me to stop holding. It didn't feel right, so after 20 seconds I let go because it was way too uncomfortable. That's when it all started. Thanks for the information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 When the nurse entered my (vein), it felt like she busted through the muscles. (God it hurts to even talk about it). I believe she messed up. It felt like the thing was fiddling with my tendons in there. OUCH. Then it started. I refuse to donate again after an experience like this. The nurse stuck the needle in my arm, and the pain made my eyes water. My girlfriend at the time was extremely worried, because I have a very high tolerance for pain, and I was obviously in large amounts of it. Its hard to describe the pain, but I think she hit the muscle or tendon, as you describe. It definitely felt like she was using an rusty spoon instead of a needle to puncture my arm, it hurt so bad. Tarhog -- do you know why it hurt so bad? Was it a tendon or muscle she hit? The pain was close to unbearable... I didn't get dizzy or anything though....I felt a little light-headed, but nothing more that that. I still ate a bunch of cookies though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbear Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Missing the vein happens periodically with my wife. I've onoly had one nurse miss with me (and I give platelets every three weeks so lots of opportunities). It does hurt when they miss and not a little bit. What I thought sucked about having the nurse miss was that even when she got the vein, it hurt after having missed. My arm was quite sore. Anyway, thanks for giving blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 The last time I gave blood, I think the nurse went completely through my vein. Nearly unbearable pain, though not to the point of feeling like I was going to pass out. The next day, I had a baseball size bruise on my arm, complete with many pretty (and not so pretty) colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 The last time I gave blood, I think the nurse went completely through my vein. Nearly unbearable pain, though not to the point of feeling like I was going to pass out. The next day, I had a baseball size bruise on my arm, complete with many pretty (and not so pretty) colors. Hmmm....maybe that's what it was?? It was definitely nearly unbearable pain...but I didn't have a bruise the next day. Although I don't bruise easily, so maybe that had something to do with it?? :whoknows: That pain sucked ass though...man it was painful!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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