Faint at Sight of Blood

Updated on November 23, 2006
J. asks from Seminole, FL
4 answers

I've always known that I don't handle trauma well and that I get faint at the sight of blood or even a vivid recount of a traumatic situation of someone that I know well. I worried about that before becoming a mother but I was told that it's different when it's your own child and that somehow you just handle it. Well I've recently discovered that that is only partially true for me. My daughter is 19 months now and she has busted her lip two times. Both ended up being mild injuries with just a little swelling and a tiny scab but WOW, the bleeding would suggest otherwise! The first time I was home alone and I did OK at first. I took her to the sink and held a towel to her mouth until it stopped bleeding. But once it stopped it hit me. I got dizzy and light headed so I sat on the couch. I really felt as if I was going to pass out. So I got up took some deep breaths and told myself out loud "I can't pass out!" I wasn't sure what was going to happen so I walked over to my next door neighbors house. After sitting with him for a bit outside I felt better. The second time my husband was home. We were all sitting on the couch watching TV and she just takes a nose dive off the couch. I picked her up and handed her to my husband and the bleeding started. He took her into the bathroom, I didn't feel woozy right away but I was hesitant to go in there. I started down the hall and asked how she was and closed the door. This of course made me panicked that it could be really bad. I did OK until after he opened the door (once the bleeding stopped and he had her cleaned up) but there was some blood on his shirt and then the dizzyness started. He asked me to hold and rock her so that he could get a good look at her teeth and I had to sit down. I was OK after a few minutes but this really worries me. I don't know how I will react in a situation that is much worse. I hope that I can at least continue to respond immediately to the situation but I doubt that my reaction is going to change. I feel really powerless in this situation. I don't know how to make myself stronger and able to handle trauma without feeling faint. My baby needs me to not pass out if she's hurt, especially if no one is there with us. I've wondered if there is any type of therapy could help, maybe this is realted to past trauma that I've experienced. Does anyone have any advice or similar experience?

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F.R.

answers from Pensacola on

I don't have any advice to help you get over your fear, but I do have a tip that I learned.
Keep red towels and washrags around just in case. It disguises the blood so that you don't see it and freak out. I learned this because my nephew was scared at the sight of blood. Once my sister started using red towels if he was injured, he wouldn't get scared anymore. Sometimes, I was told, it's the stark contrast of the bright red blood against something of a different color that freaks people out.
I hope this helps a little and that someone can offer better advice on how to move past it. :o)

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D.

answers from Tampa on

you could check out dianetics.org purchase a DVD and try the stuff at home with a friend or your husband. The stuff works! There is always a reason behind the stress that you experience. Some incident in the past. Dianetics brings it to view and gets rid of the harmful emotion attached to the original incident/upset.

Just an idea.

Deb

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L.S.

answers from Tampa on

I'm not familiar with this kind of thing, but something came to mind when reading your post. If you look at the two examples you gave, you held it together when nobody else was around. You told yourself that you could not pass out. And you didn't. When dh was there, you had somebody to help so you didn't have to give yourself that talk.

I don't know how you feel about prayer, but that works for me in situations I don't think I can handle. I pray for God to give me the strength and He does.

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T.O.

answers from Sarasota on

Wow, I'm sorry you've had such an impossible time with this! I know it must feel terrible for you to have to go through it, especially if you're trying to care for your own child. I have only known one other person who had a similar reaction to pain, blood, etc. She had to stop playing in her competitive softball league because everytime someone got hurt playing (including her boyfriend who separated a shoulder sliding into second) she would pass out. She eventually tried hypnosis and had some success. It wasn't a 100% cure, but she said it improved the problem more than 50%. I lost touch with her within a year or two of the hypnosis, so I'm not sure how long the effects lasted. But it may be worth looking into. The power of suggestion is amazing. Good luck and best wishes.

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