Tag: Belonephobia

Fear of blood tests? Here is the solution!!

t’s been a long time since I wrote on the blog. But I’m back, and I have news!! Something I already talked about in previous posts: Belonephobia; Belonephobia: solved!!


Well, more or less it was already solved, but I think now it’s even more so. So, for all those who suffer with the idea of ​​having blood tests, we already have a solution!!! As I have told in other posts, this is a more or less hereditary problem, which I have suffered from since childhood and which has caused me quite a lot of trauma, due to fainting (sometimes including seizures) when I had to have blood tests (fasting+nerves of going to the health center at those hours of the morning when it’s cold+people who know you and watch+staying until the end waiting for the nurse to have the time to lay you down on the stretcher…). As I already said, I investigated what solutions there could be, because getting blood tests is something more or less mandatory that we should do at least once a year, like going to the dentist or the gynecologist. Here I have been very irresponsible, I have been up to 5 years without doing tests out of fear. And well, no matter how scared one is, better safe than sorry, it is necessary to have check-ups because that way if we have something it can be corrected in time. And they can also detect a deficiency, for example nutritional, and thus we can correct it. This is not like being afraid of snakes or the plane, you can more or less live with it without trying to solve it (although, how sad must be to be afraid of the plane and not able to travel…).


Two years ago I told you that I had found several companies that are designing devices that extract blood from the upper part of the arm, like leeches (with microneedles). But they still don’t market it completely, I suppose that one day they will. I also told that two years ago I had a rhinoplasty, and it went wonderfully. As for any surgery, I had to take blood tests, and also after the operation I was all night with an intravenous inserted (the first time in my case). I also told you that the surgeon gave me a tranquilizer to take on the day of the operation. I’ve tried that before for blood draws, and I think it helps a lot. My opinion is that it makes you feel like you’re a bit drunk, groggy and happy. I’ve never taken tranquilizers for anything other than that, and I’m not in favour of drugs, but I think it’s justified if you have a major phobia. For the rhinoplasty, I also applied Emla anesthetic cream to my forearm (both arms, in case the nurse preferred one arm or the other). I applied it about 45 minutes before the extraction, covering the area with cling film (that plastic one) so that the skin absorbed the cream well. The truth is that I didn’t even notice the extraction or the IV. When the IV was removed, it didn’t hurt at all.


Well, the news now is that a week ago I had a blood test and the nurse came home. I think this is also something that people with a phobia can do and it would remove a large part of the conditioning factors that make us nervous. For example, the health center/hospital itself kind of makes me nervous, the smell makes me nauseous. Then, having to go there very early in the morning (on an empty stomach and in the cold if it’s winter), nerves, seeing people leave holding their arms, being left until the end…If the nurse goes to your home, you avoid all that. I paid 40 euros, and well, yes, it’s annoying when you could do it for free, but if you do tests once a year, it’s not a fortune either. In addition, since you are paying for that service, the nurse surely treats you better (I think I already told you that the time I fainted in the health center of my town, the nurse had made fun of me, she had called me “soul of a pitcher “and he squeezed me in the extraction area making me pass out when I was already half dizzy, he humiliated me and treated me awfully). This time I did not take any tranquilizer. The nurse arrived, I was lying on my bed with my legs up against the wall (something you can’t do in the health center) and then I lay there calmly, I got up very slowly and ate a banana sitting on the bed. She had extracted a big amount of blood and I didn’t notice it, I didn’t get dizzy at any time (I think the trick for this is to lie down for a while afterwards and then get up little by little, first sitting down, then standing up). Like the day of the rhinoplasty, I had put Emla cream on the extraction site. And about the extraction site, I THINK THIS IS THE KEY: NOT ON THE INSIDE OF THE ELBOW, NO, NO AND NO. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO EMPHASIZE IT ENOUGH.


I had always suspected that this was the key, and it already seemed to me when they drew my blood and put the IV in my forearm during my rhinoplasty. But since I had also taken a tranquilizer and had put on the Emla, I didn’t know whether to attribute it only to that. This time I didn’t take a tranquilizer, so that factor can already be ruled out. My theory is that the inside of the elbow is not a good place, even though most nurses say it is. It is convenient for them because it is very easy to puncture there, the vein is very clear there to see. But guess what, when they put the tourniquet on you, the veins swell, and the one on your forearm is perfectly visible then, too. There it hurts much less, to say the least, also being a place that is not the hinge of the arm (as the inside of the elbow is) because, as happens with the hinge of a door, we are not constantly moving it ( as it happens with the inside of the elbow), so there is no bruising or pain. It’s just pure logic. The two times I’ve had blood extracted out of there, and they also put the IVthere, I have had absolutely no pain or bruises.


So, in summary, friends with belonephobia, this is what you can do:


*Take a tranquilizer the day of the extraction (expendable).

*Hire a nurse to come to your home (it’s worth it).

*Put Emla anesthetic cream in the extraction area (the non-dominant arm is better, but you can also put it in both arms in case the nurse gets picky when looking at the veins).
*ASK FOR THE BLOOD TO BE EXTRACTED FROM THE FOREARM, NOT FROM THE INSIDE OF THE ELBOW.
I am attaching a photo so you can see the exact place I am referring to:

The place where I had my blood drawn is on the left of the second mole.

Hopefully this helps you as much as it helped me, don’t be cowed by bad past experiences or idiotic nurses (stand up for your rights!). And remember that it is important to have annual check-ups.


By the way, some women also experience dizziness after their Pap test. It has a certain logic, after all, they also “extract” something from you. It has happened to me not to get dizzy the first time, to get dizzy the second time, and not the third time. And I think the key was in the time. The times I didn’t get dizzy was in the afternoon and I had eaten before. Go always having eaten and at a time when your blood pressure is not low (preferably go in the afternoon or if it is in the morning, never fasting). In my opinion, the Pap doesn’t hurt or anything, but it’s better that you lie down for a while and get up slowly afterwards, staying seated for a while before getting up to get dressed.


Until the next post!

Belonephobia: solved!!

Hello everyone!!

In a previous post, I talked about the belonephobia that I have suffered since I was a child, a problem that has caused me to pass out after having blood tests, even going so far as to have convulsions. This problem is not “a child’s thing” as many think/scoff, since it is suffered by more than 20% of the ADULT population, leading to avoiding medical check-ups and generally lasting for life. Or not: I am not sure that I have completely “overcome” this problem (regretting it, I do not think I will ever become a blood donor) but I have found one, rather several, solutions, and recently I was able to verify that they work in rhinoplasty (that would be the subject of another post), for which, as is done in all operations, I had a blood test and an intraveous (which stayed there from before the operation until the next day). It should be noted that I had never had surgery with total anesthesia, nor had I been hospitalized or with an IV on my arm. All this added to my already known fear of blood tests, which were done on the same day of the surgery in the morning (the surgery was in the afternoon). The whole process, from the blood test to the surgery to the post-surgery, went well, at no time did I panic, nor did I get dizzy, nor did I pass out or anything. And that has been a SUPER ACHIEVEMENT for me, perhaps one of the greatest achievements of my life.

Once the context is explained, I will explain point by point the things I did to face the operation (the last thing I worried about was how my nose would look, hahaha). I cannot say for sure which of the things worked more or less, phobias have a great psychological component and, in the case of belonephobia, they have physical consequences (dizziness, fainting …), so it is difficult to know which factor can work for whom. I have been researching what could be done for a long time and I am sure that some things will be a novelty.

1. Psychological preparation: knowing what happens in belonephobia and how to avoid it. A characteristic feature of belonephobia compared to other phobias is fainting, the so-called vasovagal syncope. This occurs because the nervousness itself causes blood pressure to rise and then fall suddenly at the time of the blood draw, leading to what is fainting itself. In fact, the fear of needles is not so much a fear of needles or blood itself, but a fear of pain and especially of fainting. That is why I love and do electrolysis hair removal to myself, an activity that in some way involved the use of “needles”, and at the same time I have belonephobia. Belonephobia and fainting are usually a family issue, something that is inherited. The technique that is recommended to avoid vasovagal syncope is “applied tension”, a technique that consists of tightening the muscles of the legs, trunk and arms (not in the extraction arm) at the time the extraction is taking place, so that the maintenance of high blood pressure is artificially caused, avoiding fainting. The book where I learned it is called Overcoming Medical Phobias (available electronically). In this book they also talk about gradual exposure, a psychological technique that is used for other phobias as well. A phobia is an extreme fear. Fear has an evolutionary reason: to save us from danger, either by fleeing or fighting. In the case of belonephobia, the fear of fainting, or of the pain of extraction, causes blood pressure to rise and then fall rapidly. Gradual exposure tries to reduce or eliminate that fear. In my case, what I did was watching videos of blood draws and IV insertions. At first I got a little dizzy and had to lie down quickly on the bed, but after repeating it I improved. Also, watching the videos helped me to normalize the situation. The videos I watched were these:

Aprende extracción de sangre

Aprende extracción de sangre con palomita

Aprende a canalizar vía intravenosa

2. Having breakfast. The fact that most blood tests require fasting does not help, since many people have lower blood pressure in the morning and that , added fasting (possible hypoglycemia) and nervousness…I want to emphasize (and it is something that is seldom said) that NOT ALL BLOOD TESTS REQUIRE FASTING. In fact, I had my pre-surgery blood test after having a good breakfast, and that helped. Then I did the 6 hours of fasting(without drinking water) that must be done before surgery. In general, fasting before blood tests is required so that the resulting values are not altered, and especially to test glucose levels. But, for example, a hormonal analysis may not need to be done on an empty stomach. Neither pre-surgery blood tests, which I suppose will evaluate clotting. Glucose, I think, can be assessed with a fingertip test, which could avoid the fasting and requirement for common blood tests in people who have a hard time, by doing the glucose test with a fingertip stick.

3. Take a tranquilizer. On one of the occasions when I passed out with convulsions after a blood test, the nurse suggested that in the future I should take a tranquilizer before taking blood tests, since it would not affect the results. It worked a couple of times, then I forgot to do it or I didn’t have it (these pills require a prescription). On previous occasions, what I took was Diazepam (I don’t remember how many grams): one the night before to sleep well and another the same day before going to have my blood test. On this occasion, the surgeon himself had given me a tranquilizer (they generally do it with all patients, even if they do not have belonephobia, because being calm helps the surgery go better). It was called Lexatin and it was 3 mg. I could have taken it the night before, but I preferred to take it in the morning with breakfast, since I had surgery in the afternoon and I was afraid it would be too many hours for the effect to last if I took it the night before. When I took Diazepam, perhaps because I was taking two, the feeling was similar to being drunk, not euphoric but kind of groggy and happy, and a bit clumsy. But this time I didn’t feel any of those things, I was just calm, but more normal than with Diazepam. I recommend reading the instructions carefully to see how long the tranquilizer takes to have its maximum effect and for how many hours it lasts, and thus calculate when to take it.

4. The usual recommendations. I don’t want to miss common recommendations that are also very valid, such as asking to be laid down on a stretcher (specially to avoid hitting yourself in the event of fainting) and getting up slowly after the extraction. Also think about other things, be distracted, do not look… If you have to do the blood test on an empty stomach, have a chocolate to eat immediately after the extraction.

5. Try other extraction sites. The inside of the elbow is the most common place for extraction, because there is a thick vein that looks good and in theory it hurts little because it is quite protruding. But this is not always the case for everyone. I already had my suspicions that my problem with blood draws could have to do with the collection site, and I have practically confirmed that it is true. Surely you are familiar with the story that if you squeeze a person in I do not know what points of the neck they will faint immediately. Well, I have the impression that something similar happens to me with the inside of the elbow. And I am quite convinced because once I fainted after having my blood pressure taken, since the doctor had squeezed the inside part of my elbow with the auscultation device. One of the readers of this blog told me that blood tests can also be done by extracting blood from other places, such as the back of the hand. Looking on the Internet, I saw that young children often have their blood drawn with a “butterfly”, which is like a butterfly with a finer needle that draws blood from finer veins (like those on the back of the hand). Then that blood goes through a tube into the sample tube. When I watched the extraction videos, I was much less impressed to see extractions from the back of the hand than from the inside of the elbow. On the surgery day I told the nurse that I had to lie down, that I tend to dizziness (you always have to tell them this) and that I wanted them to extract my blood with a butterflywinglet from the back of the hand. She was somewhat reluctant; I suppose because for them the usual practice is much easier and faster. But she agreed and proceeded to do so. It did not hurt at all more than the inside of the elbow (I had asked in many nursing places on the Internet and they always told me that the back of the hand hurts more). But unfortunately, something happened, the tube broke and she had to start again. In spite of all this, I was still calm (I had taken the tranquilizer), trying to stress my legs and trunk and not looking at what she was doing. Then she told me that it was better to do it on the inside of the elbow, but I insisted saying no. And what she did was to perform the extraction in the part of the forearm that is near the wrist, towards the inside side. This is the place where they later put the intravenous line, but on the other arm. And it is a place that doesn’t hurt at all. This second extraction attempt was also made with a butterfly and she asked me to open and close my hand, because as the veins are thinner and the extraction was performed with a fine needle and a small tube, it takes longer for the blood to come out and fill the tube. But since it wasn’t painful at all, I wasn’t looking and I was calm, I was able to do it. So, the inside part of the forearm has been quite a discovery as an extraction site. Also, always on the inside of the elbow, and this time on the back of my hand (unsuccessful attempt) I had a bruise, while on the inside of the forearm, both where they extracted my blood and where they put the intravenous line, there was not bruise. My theory with this is that it is better to puncture in a place that does not move, that is not a joint. Both the inside of the elbow and the back of the hand (where there is also the problem that there are many tendons) are places of great mobility, it is very difficult to stop moving the arm or hand. However, the forearm is like a stick, like a log, I mean that it does not move, it is not a joint. That is why it does not bruise or hurt or make it difficult to keep the intravenous line in place.

6. Use Emla anesthetic cream. Emla lidocaine cream is an old acquaintance to me. I started using it for laser hair removal and then for electrolysis hair removal. It would have been very difficult to epilate my mustache with electrolysis without it. It is also used for tattoos. This cream got a bad name because some people who went overboard with its use and had a bad adverse reaction. But for that to happen to you, you have to use a whole bottle (30 gr) or more. In fact, for injections there is an Emla in a tiny version to use only at the puncture site. I had already tried using Emla on a blood draw, but I did not work very well because I did not leave it long enough and did not put plastic on it. For it to work well and fully anesthetize the skin, it must be left between an hour and an hour and a half and be covered with a plastic wrap. Once it is removed, the full effect lasts about 10-20 minutes at most, in my experience. Then it goes away. That is why it is necessary to calculate very well when to apply the cream (although the instructions say that it can be left up to 5 hours, I do not think it is very effective that way), in order to achieve a good occlusive effect with the plastic and remove it just before the extraction. This time I had done it right, putting cream all over the back of the hand, wrist and lower forearm and covering it until I had my blood test done. And later, knowing at what time the surgery would take place, I did the same an hour and a half in advance, on the other hand and forearm. I have read that Emla can somewhat change the color of the skin and make it difficult for the veins to be seen, but it was not my case.

7. Buzzy: vibration against pain. More than a year ago (I had postponed this surgery several times) I bought a device that I saw on the Internet. It is designed for children so that injections, extractions and so on do not hurt. Basically, it is a vibrator in the shape of a bee that is placed 10 cm from the place of the puncture and it is assumed that with the vibrations it prevents the sending of the pain signal. It comes with some “wings” that should be put in the freezer, since cold plus the vibrations are supposed to produce the anesthetic effect. The problem with cold is that it can cause veins to hide and make extractions difficult. On this occasion, I took the device to the hospital, but I forgot to use it for the extraction, and I didn’t take it with me either when they put me the intravenous line before the surgery. I did use it when my intravenous line was removed the next day. I was very scared about it because I had heard that it hurts a lot to remove it, and it was not like that (at least in the forearm I think it is not like that). I tried to put the buzzy in the forearm but the nurse was so quick to get the intravenous line out that I didn’t have the time. This is the gadget page: https://buzzyhelps.com/

8. Promising innovations. What I have explained so far, in combination, helped me go through surgery in such a calm way that I still can’t believe it. But during the research I did, I found super interesting innovations, which unfortunately are not yet available (or not in Spain) but which hopefully will be soon. They seem wonderful, not only for people with belonephobia but also for children and in general for everyone.

The first big innovation are devices for drawing blood from capillaries in the upper arm. As I explained before, I think for some reason vein extraction hurts more than capillary extraction, but it is also faster. I found up to three companies (two American and one European) that are developing devices that draw blood from capillaries in the upper arm, with virtually no pain. I contacted all of them, and either the device was not available (in the case of the Swiss one) or only in the United States or it was only sold to healthcare personnel. Anyway, sooner or later there will be access to this device and the fear of blood tests will be a thing of the past. Here you have the links of the three companies:

Tasso.inc

Seventh Sense Biosystems

Loop Medical

I discovered the other innovation a couple of days before my surgery. It is a kind of syringe called Jtip that injects lidocaine without puncturing, expelling the lidocaine with pressure on the skin. When I saw it I was amazed because I did not imagine that such a technique existed, injecting without puncturing through a pressure device. The effect that is achieved is the same as that of the Emla: to sleep the area so that the extractions or the placements of intravenous lines do not hurt. The big difference is that the effect is immediate: the lidocaine expelled in this way takes just 1 minute to take effect and sleep the area for about 20 minutes, compared to the minimum of an hour that you have to wait with Emla. Therefore, it would be especially suitable in emergency situations, when it is necessary to puncture quickly. If it is something programmed like what I had, you can allow yourself to put the Emla on and wait for it to take effect. In addition, the possible problem that the veins are less visible after having the Emla cream on for a long time is eliminated. Like Emla, I think this gadget could have a very good application for electrolysis hair removal. I leave here the link of the company: J-Tip. Needle-Free Injection System

I am very grateful for having found a solution to this problem that I had been enduring since I was a child. Just like when I discovered electrolysis hair removal, it has been a great achievement for me and I want to share it with everyone. Therefore, even if you do not have this problem, I encourage you to share this information with those who do or who have small children. To those who have never had this problem, it may seem silly, just as it happens to me when someone is afraid of flying or spiders, but you have to know how to put yourself in the other’s place and above all not to make fun of these type of problems, because those who suffer them have a really bad time. 

Until next post!!

*To buy the products I speak about (I only recommend products that I’ve tested):

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

*From the United States:

·Lidocaine pain relief cream: https://amzn.to/2FPFelh

·Buzzy: https://amzn.to/2ZTLvDF

*From Mexico:

·Emla: https://amzn.to/2EfCUUc

·Buzzy: https://www.buzzy.com.mx/

*From Spain:

·Crema anestésica Emla (de venta en farmacias, sin receta): https://www.sin-receta.com/medicamentos/comprar-emla-crema-sin-receta/

·Buzzy: https://amzn.to/2RUnzMh

Belonephobia

In this post I will discuss a very important topic for me and about which I have not found too much information on the Internet (apart from the fact that many people do not take it not seriously). It is belonephobia or needle phobia.

There are many phobias, and those who do not suffer any sometimes laugh at those who do. Phobia to spiders, mice, heights, enclosed spaces, crowds … I have a friend who once ran down an alley because we were in a crowded street and was overwhelmed, and she always wanted to be next to the door in pubs because she was claustrophobic. I know another who can’t stand seeing mice, even on television. Snakes make me feel very disgusting, but it’s not a phobia. Another person I know is afraid of flying and has never been on a plane (she says that she will die anyway, even if she doesn’t travel. I feel sorry for her because traveling is one of the best things that exist).

The main problem with belonephobia is that it interferes with important issues (medical check-ups) and that between 50 and 70% of people who suffer from it faint. Those who have passed out know that it is not pleasant, especially the moments before (when you start to feel bad and the most important thing is to lie down so as not to fall on the ground) and after (due to changes in blood pressure, you pass from feeling very hot to very cold and it takes some time to recover). The time that passes while you are unconscious is exactly like sleeping, the only difference is that when you wake up you are stunned because everyone is watching you, telling you “calm, quiet”, and it takes you a while to remember that you have passed out and you can start talking. It is really very distressing, at least for me, it seems the closest thing I’ve experienced to die or having an accident. Not to mention the anguish of people around you, the shame/ridicule you feel later …

Precisely because of this, people who have suffered fainting have a horrible fear of fainting, and that makes us avoid as much as possible what causes us to faint. Unless you have a health problem, very low blood pressure, a heat stroke or have not eaten for many hours, it is rare for a person to get dizzy and faint all of the sudden. In my case, all the times I’ve passed out have had to do with minor accidents, my period (as I related in the previous post) and, what I’m going to deal with today, belonephobia.

Belonephobia would be the fear of needles, of being punctured, and of blood. It has different grades. For example, in my case I am not afraid of dentists, when I had dental interventions (many years ago, now as I told in other post, I have no problem with interventions in my mouth) I saw huge needles, I have watched as the blood splashed the dentist’s glasses…and nothing, no problems. [Well, just one thing: once my heart accelerated a lot, and I was surprised because I was very calm and the dentist has never scared me, so they explained to me that local anesthesia has adrenaline and may cause that effect]. And paradoxically I have a whole experience with electric hair removal, which, although it is not puncturing, consists of introducing needles into a follicle, and I do it myself. In addition, in sessions of electrical hair removal I had local anesthesia punctured and I have not had problems either. Nor do I have problems getting a vaccine.

What is my problem then? Blood drawing. It is a Chinese torture to me. Or having a needle inserted (like anesthesia or an I.V.), although I still haven’t faced that. It’s so unpleasant when they put the tourniquet, they puncture you… There have been times that I have gotten along, especially if they do it fast (and I lie down and not looking, of course). Then I take a piece of chocolate and lie down for a while, get up and leave. But other times (especially when two tubes have been drawn) I have fainted. And I live in fear of the day that they I might need a surgery, or that I want to be a mother and my fainting problems can affect the baby, not to mention the moment of giving birth …

I talked to a doctor and told him that, perhaps, instead of the question of the extraction itself (which is not so bad, but I will never be a blood donor), the problem is the place of the extraction. They draw blood from the inside of the elbow, and for me that place is like my Achilles tendon or Samson’s hair, once I got dizzy because they pressed me with the round thing that they put on the inside of your elbow when measuring your body pressure. Maybe if they took it from somewhere else … The inside of the wrist seems even worse, but I think that in the forearm, the upper part, it wouldn’t be that painful. The doctor told me that the nurses search for places where they can see the vein, but I think there are other less painful places where they can see the vein too. I find it inhuman to be condemned to faint because a nurse doesn’t want to bother to take my blood from another site. The fact that blood is drawn in a fasting and in the morning does not help. In the morning I am at my worst moment, very low energy, and if I’m fasting even more. Although on this I learned that it is only necessary to go on an empty stomach if you are going to look at cholesterol, sugar and those things, for other types of analysis (blood count, hormonal) it would not affect being fasting or not. Nor does it help to go to the health center and see how people get in and out holding their arm, having to wait until the end to go have the procedure whilst lying (if you want your blood drawn this way you have to wait until the end) and that people look at you or the nurse laughs at you… well, for me it is a horrible experience. I also saw that there is a service of nurses who can go and do the extraction at home, the next time I have to do analysis I will try to do so, for me it would be money well spent.

Once I fainted watching a surgery on TV and another time because some friends were talking about a surgery, but happily all these issues can be avoided: the biggest problem for me is the necessity of having blood drawn for health check-ups. I also don’t know what will happen the day I have to take care of someone at the hospital (because I can’t see someone with the needle stuck in his arm, I’ve only gone to hospitals to see newborn babies). I have to admit, I don’t want to even think about it. I think that’s why I take care of my health so much …

The two possible solutions that I have found on the Internet, although for the moment I have not applied them, are hypnosis and “applied tension”. From hypnosis I heard a blogger (who I follow for cooking issues) who said she always fainted with the issue of needles, so when she decided to become a mother she underwent a few sessions and overcome it. It sounds too good to me, and I wrote to her personally, but she didn’t give me more information. In addition, she was from Chile, and what I would like is to find someone who knows about it in Spain. Another proposal I found was the one that appears in the book Overcoming Medical Phobias, by Martin M. Antony and Mark A. Watling (I found it online). In the book, the authors talk about applying “applied tension” to prevent vasovagal syndrome, which is what makes people faint from belonephobia. In the book they explain what biological and experience factors affect having belonephobia or vasovagal syndrome (it is quite hereditary), what happens when one passes out, what is the vasovagal syndrome and how it could be solved. Apart from the “applied tension”, they propose a gradual exposure to films or images of what is feared, until it is overcome, with “caregivers” who monitor if you pass out. I really already have enough problems and I’m busy enough to spend my free time watching videos that can make me pass out. So, I always postpone the attempt. The other proposal, given in Chapter 6, is “applied tension.” They explain it as follows.

To function, the brain needs a constant flow of oxygen-rich blood. Since the brain is above the head, when we stand, gravity tends to withdraw blood from the brain [hence when we get dizzy it is better to lie down and lift our legs]. Therefore, the blood needs enough pressure to reach the brain (just as in a house the water needs the pressure to get through the pipes to the floors above). The blood pressure is maintained by the muscles of the blood vessel walls, and by the rhythm and potency with which the heart beats.

When the muscles in the walls of the blood vessels contract, they narrow the diameter of the blood vessels, causing an increase in blood pressure. If those muscles relax, the blood vessels increase in diameter, resulting in a drop of blood pressure.

Blood pressure is also affected by the rhythm at which the heart beats. If the heart beats slowly, blood pressure drops. If the heart beats fast, blood pressure increases.

In summary: relaxed blood vessels and slow beating heart result in reduced blood pressure. That results in blood going to the legs (where gravity carries it) and less blood available to the brain, which deprives it of oxygen. A brain without oxygen cannot be alert and fainting occurs.

Then there is the nervous system. It includes all the nerves, organs and muscles of the body. It tells the heart how fast to beat and tells the muscles in the walls of the blood vessels how relaxed they should be. The nerve that is involved in fainting related to fear is the vagal nerve. When the vagal nerve is activated, it causes the heart to beat more slowly and the muscles in the blood vessels to relax. And that results in fainting. The vagal nerve can be activated by extreme reactions of fear, anxiety or pain, and is activated more easily in some people (those who faint) than in others.

The key to avoiding fainting would be to beat the vagal nerve by contracting the muscles in the walls of the blood vessels to avoid lowering blood pressure. People have no control over those muscles, but we have control over those of the body. Tensioning the muscles of the body (arms, legs, torso, feet, hands, neck) could help prevent fainting, as these muscles apply an external force to the blood vessels, and that way the blood pressure is increased. This is what is called “applied tension.” What they propose is to do exercises to tighten the muscles for 10 to 16 seconds and relax 30 seconds. Repeat 4 times. Make series 5 times a day, for a week. And then see if it works “in situ”, that is, during exposure exercises or in front of the needle.

I do not understand very well the concept of “tensing the muscles”, they say that it is “contracting the muscles”. Then, when blood is going to be drawn, just before, you apply the “applied tension” (but not at the moment, because it can make it difficult for the nurse to introduce the needle). I see it a bit complicated, but I understand the process. The idea is that there will come a time when you have overcome the phobia and you will not have to do anything anymore. The book is very good, I recommend it.

As I said, there are varying degrees of belonephobia and I am glad that I have not issues with dentists, that I can get vaccines… but it is something that I have to solve, and I do not know how. Above all I worry because one day I would like to be a mom. If you read me, nurses or people who have had the same problem and have overcome it, or are in the process, I would be very grateful if you could write me with advice. By the way, check this innovations for blood drawing, I’m looking forward to them to be available for the general public: https://www.tassoinc.com/press-releases/2019/3/5/tasso-raises-61m-to-bring-self-collection-of-blood-samples-into-pharma-trials

Foto
Images like this can make me feel dizzy

That’s all for today’s post, I hope it helps!

Regards!!