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A couple years ago I took my kids to get a flu shot at a CVS. 30 seconds after my oldest had gotten his shot I felt him go limp standing against me and he colla

A couple years ago I took my kids to get a flu shot at a CVS. 30 seconds after my oldest had gotten his shot I felt him go limp standing against me and he collapsed against me and went to the floor. Sheer panic immediately set in and I was on the floor with him calling his name while he ever so slightly convulsed and came to wide eyed 10 seconds later. The CVS employee was the utmost professional, he calmed me down, repeated this is normal, and had me hold his head and legs as he came to. He put my son in a chair, had him sit there for a while and 20 mins later we were in the car. I felt bad when my son actually apologized to me when I told him how terrified I’d been.

BrianB 3y ago
I've fainted more times in my life than I'd care to admit. After a while, it's not the 'blood' you are afraid of. Instead it's the idea of fainting and causing a scene that becomes the source of anxiety. For me, anyway.
- mfwit 3y ago
  This. So much this. Fainted for the first time, because of a nose bleed, in front of my high school physics class, literally.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
  Sadly agree. I wish I could control it
  - 0x00_NULL 3y ago
    Nothing to be ashamed of. Your Vagus Nerve, the main signaling nerve for your autonomic system, can go off automatically and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. When it happens, sit down in a chair. If you can lean back and put your feet up, that’s better and the episode will resolve more quickly. These episodes will come and go quicker as you are prepared for them. My wife has had to these for years. The only treatment we’ve found helpful is transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with a tool like a Neuvana Xen - or you can go the expensive prescription route. We were actually treating her gastroparesis with this and found that modulating the signal worked for all sorts of misfirings - like when getting shots. TLDR: You can’t avoid them, but you can mitigate them by sitting in a chair, leaning back, and bringing your feet closer to your heart. If anyone is watching, it just looks like you are trying out the recline function of the chair. If your Vagus Nerve issues are bad, you can try tVNS (under the supervision of your doctor, of course).
    - derefr 3y ago
      Oddly, putting my feet closer to my heart (such as when washing my lower legs in the shower) seems to unplug my sinuses if they’re plugged. Related mechanism?
      - jjulius 3y ago
        Would this be because your head is closer to your feet, or (and correct me if I'm picturing this wrong) because you're putting your head upside down?
        0x00_NULL 3y ago
        I’m guessing they meant when they lean over, but the movement should be what does it. This movement uses gravity and the pooling of blood to force the liquid out of their sinuses - probably only temporarily though. Does it work the same way if they were to lean over the bed? If so, that’s the answer. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21778-nose https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21778-nose There is a number of sinus decongesting massage moves that work well. These use pressure and blood flow to force the liquid out of your sinuses and then uses gravity to take it away. I use these to help relieve sinus pressure. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sinus-massage/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sinus-massage/ But, to answer the original question, this is only related tangentially. Laying down, picking up your feet, and breathing generates a signal in your Vagus Nerve complex that essentially overrides the fainting signal. It’s still there, but you’ve added a new stronger signal to dominate the nerve and the fainting signal starts to fade. Simple meditative breathing does the same, but usually not fast or strong enough to stop you from syncope. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-does-the-vagus-nerve-do/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-does-the-vagus-nerve...
        derefr 3y ago
        > I’m guessing they meant when they lean over, but the movement should be what does it. Oh, no; the motion I'm referring to doesn't involve moving my head at all. I meant that I raise my right knee while balancing on my left leg, to scrub my right calf by bringing it into reach. (Is this not how most people clean their legs in the shower?) Doing this — and holding the pose for at least a few seconds — almost always unplugs my right sinus. (And only the right sinus. Have to raise my left leg to unplug my left sinus!)
  - yolo3000 3y ago
    There's some triggers I can control. I've fainted in the bathtub because of steam, so I'm careful not to have too much steam. I've fainted a few times while getting blood drawn, what works for me is when the person keeps talking to me and has my focus the whole time. I've fainted when there's too little oxygen in the room, so I just get out. I've fainted during flights, so I eat, drink, turn on the fan and point it to my head, make sure I'm not overheating if the sun hits me directly, go to the toilet, keep myself engaged. When I faint my eyes stay open, but my mind is just gone, last time I was out for one and a half minutes.
- barbazoo 3y ago
  That sounds hard. Luckily I only fainted a few times in my life but the last one was most vivid as in some time had clearly passed and I was injured. That scares me now thinking under what circumstances it could happen again.
- sasaf5 3y ago
  Same here. I am not even afraid of it anymore, at least not consciously. It's actually fun trying to hold tight onto consciousness--an existential rodeo sort of thing. In any case, I just accept it and make sure I am sitting/lying down.
- katsura 3y ago
  All too familiar feeling. One time I was traveling by bus, I didn't sleep enough the night before, plus the sun was shining on me and people were talking loud around me, so I started to become anxious and just passed out. The doctors couldn't find anything, so they just told me to sleep more. But the worst part was that after my first episode I couldn't even sit in a car because I felt anxious and dizzy every single time even if I just thought about it. It's been 2 years since my last episode and now I don't feel that anxious anymore, but it feels like there is something in the back of my mind telling me that it can happen again.
leethomas 3y ago
They said it's normal to faint after receiving a flu shot? Hasn't heard of that happening to people before. What was the explanation?
- toast0 3y ago
  Normal maybe isn't the right word, but it's an expected possibility, the FDA has a page about it [1], and that's one reason FDA recommends patients be observed for 15 minutes after a vaccination, especially for types they haven't had before. [1] https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/fainting.html https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/fainting.html
  - snvzz 3y ago
    Somewhere in EU, I (and everybody else) was told to wait 15m before leaving the area after the vaccine. This is no doubt because of the possibility of such events.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- V__ 3y ago
  It's not the shot itself, it's the injection/getting stabbed. I think I fainted four or five times in my life due to injections/blood draws. I have to lay down look away and control my breathing otherwise I'm gone. It is a pain in the ass and I get light anxiety from it.
  - Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
    Same. I also realized I can't get acupuncture due to this, I will just faint
    - derefr 3y ago
      I’m curious if there’s a refractory period. (I.e. if you faint and come to after the first needle goes in, then maybe you’re “past it”, and the rest won’t bother you?)
miriam_catira 3y ago
Yep, fainted so, so many times... Always seems to happen after getting hurt on or near a nerve for me - or after a blood draw. Was scary the first time, embarrassing and annoying every time since then. :) Had a nurse explain that the best way to prevent it is flexing / tightening the legs, to force the blood up out of them. Seems to work, at least for me.
- BrianB 3y ago
  That works for me too. A cardiologist told me it is because it gives your body a reason to keep the blood pressure higher. He also advised drinking lots of water every day.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
  Is it while standing or laying down? I don't faint if I lay down. Also if I pass a crisis without fainting, I get immunity for a good while
- teeray 3y ago
  Fighter pilots are trained to contract their solar plexus by making a “hut” sound to do something similar when they’re passing out. I was going to try this the last time I was fainting after a blood draw, but was interrupted by the phlebotomist imploring me to breathe slow and deep—I think this just sunk me further into it.
  - lukas099 3y ago
    Valsalva maneuver against a closed glottis. As someone prone to blacking out when standing up or after a set of heavy squats, figuring this out has been very useful to me.
imetatroll 3y ago
I became faint, I would say, after I got my first covid shot a couple years ago. It wasn't immediately after the shot but within the 15 minute time frame post-injection when they would have you wait around to see how you feel. It was a strange sensation and there was a place where I was allowed to lie down. I don't know why it happened and it hasn't happened since with further vaccinations. I am glad they were so kind about the whole process.
- unsupp0rted 3y ago
  I had Botox in my fingers of both hands. After the second set of fingers I became faint. The Korean clinic lady (doc? technician?) said “needle shock”. I give blood and get vaccinations easily. But yes, this Botox was rather painful so maybe “needle shock”
m463 3y ago
As a kid I watched the needle go in my arm as blood was drawn.... and all of a sudden tunnel vision and almost fainting. Had to be walked to the car. So I figured out watching blood come out of me causes me to feel faint, so I don't watch. I've seen blood and other person's blood, but my blood seems to be some special case. What I've figured out is - if you are bleeding, maybe your brain helps you collapse to the ground in a faint, where you will be level, have a low heart rate, and not bleed out all your blood through a wound. Could this be the evolutionary reason we faint at the sight of our own blood?
- seniorivn 3y ago
  now it's just a trait of scared monkeys, if it wasnt for development of civilization, it could be deadly. Lucky us, first communities of monkeys learned how valuable non deadly dominance can be, which allowed smart but not very good at aggression to survive, and over the years develop additional ways of dominance, rather than just pure strength.
- tux3 3y ago
  Maybe a convincing way to play dead, plausibly just a bug, but if the idea is not bleeding out there are already sophisticated mechanisms to regulate tension and heart rate. Dropping on the floor is not very helpful. It's never a good time to just collapse and risk crashing your head on a rock.
- katsura 3y ago
  Interestingly, when they take my blood with a needle, I almost always faint. But if I have a nosebleed, I have no problem at all - I can look at it dripping, I can look in the mirror to clean myself, nothing happens. So, there must be some other things at play here.
  - bavell 3y ago
    Yeah, I have to look away for shots and hate having blood drawn but if I get a nasty scrape with blood gushing out - meh, no problems at all looking and poking.
sethammons 3y ago
Two of my kids experienced this vasovagal syncope response during injections. It is terrifying; they appear to go into a seizure, convulse, and are unresponsive for up to half a minute. Terrifying.

BrianB 3y ago

I've fainted more times in my life than I'd care to admit. After a while, it's not the 'blood' you are afraid of. Instead it's the idea of fainting and causing a scene that becomes the source of anxiety. For me, anyway.

mfwit 3y ago
This. So much this. Fainted for the first time, because of a nose bleed, in front of my high school physics class, literally.
Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
Sadly agree. I wish I could control it
- 0x00_NULL 3y ago
  Nothing to be ashamed of. Your Vagus Nerve, the main signaling nerve for your autonomic system, can go off automatically and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. When it happens, sit down in a chair. If you can lean back and put your feet up, that’s better and the episode will resolve more quickly. These episodes will come and go quicker as you are prepared for them. My wife has had to these for years. The only treatment we’ve found helpful is transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with a tool like a Neuvana Xen - or you can go the expensive prescription route. We were actually treating her gastroparesis with this and found that modulating the signal worked for all sorts of misfirings - like when getting shots. TLDR: You can’t avoid them, but you can mitigate them by sitting in a chair, leaning back, and bringing your feet closer to your heart. If anyone is watching, it just looks like you are trying out the recline function of the chair. If your Vagus Nerve issues are bad, you can try tVNS (under the supervision of your doctor, of course).
  - derefr 3y ago
    Oddly, putting my feet closer to my heart (such as when washing my lower legs in the shower) seems to unplug my sinuses if they’re plugged. Related mechanism?
    - jjulius 3y ago
      Would this be because your head is closer to your feet, or (and correct me if I'm picturing this wrong) because you're putting your head upside down?
      - 0x00_NULL 3y ago
        I’m guessing they meant when they lean over, but the movement should be what does it. This movement uses gravity and the pooling of blood to force the liquid out of their sinuses - probably only temporarily though. Does it work the same way if they were to lean over the bed? If so, that’s the answer. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21778-nose https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21778-nose There is a number of sinus decongesting massage moves that work well. These use pressure and blood flow to force the liquid out of your sinuses and then uses gravity to take it away. I use these to help relieve sinus pressure. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sinus-massage/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sinus-massage/ But, to answer the original question, this is only related tangentially. Laying down, picking up your feet, and breathing generates a signal in your Vagus Nerve complex that essentially overrides the fainting signal. It’s still there, but you’ve added a new stronger signal to dominate the nerve and the fainting signal starts to fade. Simple meditative breathing does the same, but usually not fast or strong enough to stop you from syncope. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-does-the-vagus-nerve-do/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-does-the-vagus-nerve...
        derefr 3y ago
        > I’m guessing they meant when they lean over, but the movement should be what does it. Oh, no; the motion I'm referring to doesn't involve moving my head at all. I meant that I raise my right knee while balancing on my left leg, to scrub my right calf by bringing it into reach. (Is this not how most people clean their legs in the shower?) Doing this — and holding the pose for at least a few seconds — almost always unplugs my right sinus. (And only the right sinus. Have to raise my left leg to unplug my left sinus!)
- yolo3000 3y ago
  There's some triggers I can control. I've fainted in the bathtub because of steam, so I'm careful not to have too much steam. I've fainted a few times while getting blood drawn, what works for me is when the person keeps talking to me and has my focus the whole time. I've fainted when there's too little oxygen in the room, so I just get out. I've fainted during flights, so I eat, drink, turn on the fan and point it to my head, make sure I'm not overheating if the sun hits me directly, go to the toilet, keep myself engaged. When I faint my eyes stay open, but my mind is just gone, last time I was out for one and a half minutes.
barbazoo 3y ago
That sounds hard. Luckily I only fainted a few times in my life but the last one was most vivid as in some time had clearly passed and I was injured. That scares me now thinking under what circumstances it could happen again.
sasaf5 3y ago
Same here. I am not even afraid of it anymore, at least not consciously. It's actually fun trying to hold tight onto consciousness--an existential rodeo sort of thing. In any case, I just accept it and make sure I am sitting/lying down.
katsura 3y ago
All too familiar feeling. One time I was traveling by bus, I didn't sleep enough the night before, plus the sun was shining on me and people were talking loud around me, so I started to become anxious and just passed out. The doctors couldn't find anything, so they just told me to sleep more. But the worst part was that after my first episode I couldn't even sit in a car because I felt anxious and dizzy every single time even if I just thought about it. It's been 2 years since my last episode and now I don't feel that anxious anymore, but it feels like there is something in the back of my mind telling me that it can happen again.

leethomas 3y ago

They said it's normal to faint after receiving a flu shot? Hasn't heard of that happening to people before. What was the explanation?

toast0 3y ago
Normal maybe isn't the right word, but it's an expected possibility, the FDA has a page about it [1], and that's one reason FDA recommends patients be observed for 15 minutes after a vaccination, especially for types they haven't had before. [1] https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/fainting.html https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/fainting.html
- snvzz 3y ago
  Somewhere in EU, I (and everybody else) was told to wait 15m before leaving the area after the vaccine. This is no doubt because of the possibility of such events.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
V__ 3y ago
It's not the shot itself, it's the injection/getting stabbed. I think I fainted four or five times in my life due to injections/blood draws. I have to lay down look away and control my breathing otherwise I'm gone. It is a pain in the ass and I get light anxiety from it.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
  Same. I also realized I can't get acupuncture due to this, I will just faint
  - derefr 3y ago
    I’m curious if there’s a refractory period. (I.e. if you faint and come to after the first needle goes in, then maybe you’re “past it”, and the rest won’t bother you?)

miriam_catira 3y ago

Yep, fainted so, so many times... Always seems to happen after getting hurt on or near a nerve for me - or after a blood draw. Was scary the first time, embarrassing and annoying every time since then. :) Had a nurse explain that the best way to prevent it is flexing / tightening the legs, to force the blood up out of them. Seems to work, at least for me.

BrianB 3y ago
That works for me too. A cardiologist told me it is because it gives your body a reason to keep the blood pressure higher. He also advised drinking lots of water every day.
Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
Is it while standing or laying down? I don't faint if I lay down. Also if I pass a crisis without fainting, I get immunity for a good while
teeray 3y ago
Fighter pilots are trained to contract their solar plexus by making a “hut” sound to do something similar when they’re passing out. I was going to try this the last time I was fainting after a blood draw, but was interrupted by the phlebotomist imploring me to breathe slow and deep—I think this just sunk me further into it.
- lukas099 3y ago
  Valsalva maneuver against a closed glottis. As someone prone to blacking out when standing up or after a set of heavy squats, figuring this out has been very useful to me.

imetatroll 3y ago

I became faint, I would say, after I got my first covid shot a couple years ago. It wasn't immediately after the shot but within the 15 minute time frame post-injection when they would have you wait around to see how you feel. It was a strange sensation and there was a place where I was allowed to lie down. I don't know why it happened and it hasn't happened since with further vaccinations. I am glad they were so kind about the whole process.

unsupp0rted 3y ago
I had Botox in my fingers of both hands. After the second set of fingers I became faint. The Korean clinic lady (doc? technician?) said “needle shock”. I give blood and get vaccinations easily. But yes, this Botox was rather painful so maybe “needle shock”

m463 3y ago

As a kid I watched the needle go in my arm as blood was drawn.... and all of a sudden tunnel vision and almost fainting. Had to be walked to the car. So I figured out watching blood come out of me causes me to feel faint, so I don't watch. I've seen blood and other person's blood, but my blood seems to be some special case. What I've figured out is - if you are bleeding, maybe your brain helps you collapse to the ground in a faint, where you will be level, have a low heart rate, and not bleed out all your blood through a wound. Could this be the evolutionary reason we faint at the sight of our own blood?

seniorivn 3y ago
now it's just a trait of scared monkeys, if it wasnt for development of civilization, it could be deadly. Lucky us, first communities of monkeys learned how valuable non deadly dominance can be, which allowed smart but not very good at aggression to survive, and over the years develop additional ways of dominance, rather than just pure strength.
tux3 3y ago
Maybe a convincing way to play dead, plausibly just a bug, but if the idea is not bleeding out there are already sophisticated mechanisms to regulate tension and heart rate. Dropping on the floor is not very helpful. It's never a good time to just collapse and risk crashing your head on a rock.
katsura 3y ago
Interestingly, when they take my blood with a needle, I almost always faint. But if I have a nosebleed, I have no problem at all - I can look at it dripping, I can look in the mirror to clean myself, nothing happens. So, there must be some other things at play here.
- bavell 3y ago
  Yeah, I have to look away for shots and hate having blood drawn but if I get a nasty scrape with blood gushing out - meh, no problems at all looking and poking.

sethammons 3y ago

Two of my kids experienced this vasovagal syncope response during injections. It is terrifying; they appear to go into a seizure, convulse, and are unresponsive for up to half a minute. Terrifying.