Blood and Needles = Me Not Okay

I have this funny little story that I've never told. The only people I've told are my hubs, Cat and her hubs, and maybe our parents. Why? Because it's embarrassing. Why am I now sharing it? Because if it hadn't happened to me it would probably be one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

I went to the doctor for a shot in the arm. Simple enough, right? No, shots anything medically related makes me queasy. It was towards the end of the day so had to sit in the doctor's office for probably forty minutes before I could get in for my thirty second appointment, so I was a little worked up by the time the nurse called me back. This poor nurse was a very sweet lady who just graduated from school if I remember correctly. This was the third in a series of arm shots and I told her that the shots hurt. They aren't bad at first but then after a couple of seconds it feels someone punched me in the arm. She said it was probably because my arms are so lean and she would pinch the skin up so the needle would go into more fat and hurt less.

Okay, whatever, she's the professional here.

So that's what she does. But something went a little wrong. I heard her say, "Oops! I think I hit an artery!" And like an idiot I looked down at my arm which is now spurting blood. The room got a little dim and I think I uttered an "Oh no." She asked me if I was alright, which clearly I wasn't, and I told her that blood sort of freaks me out. She had me sit down in a chair and relax for a minute while she tried to stop the bleeding. I'm familiar with the feeling of my medical nausea though and I knew the only way I was going to be okay was if I fled the building and sat in my car with my head between my knees. Really, it works. Sometimes I get a Sprite in the parking garage too.

She reluctantly let me leave and walked me to the billing counter. I was very much not okay by the time we reach that billing counter. I was clutching the counter for dear life and my vision was blurry. I was so desperate to leave that rather than sit down and give myself a minute, I followed her out into the lobby.

It is at this point that I pass out. On top of the nurse. I was trying to walk to the nearest chair but my feet felt like they were stuck to the floor and the lights went out. I fell forwards on top of her and sort of bounced off and landed backwards on my butt and elbows. Purse and coat went flying. I never lost consciousness, I just lost the ability to see, talk and move. The entire time my brain was saying, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." I heard lots of yelling and I opened my eyes to three nurses standing over me with stethoscopes and little flashlights, ready to check my vital signs. I told them I was fine and I was just testing their emergency skills. All I wanted was to run from the building but they wouldn't let me up off the floor in fear of me falling again and hitting my head. Can't blame them. I already tried to leave once and ended up blacked out in the lobby. They brought me a cold towel, water, crackers - all while I was sprawled out on the floor of the waiting room. I've never been so embarrassed in my life. It was like one of those dreams where you realize you're at school naked. All you want to do is flee the premises.

I've come close to passing out in waiting rooms many times, but this was the first time it's actually happened. I once voluntarily laid down on the floor outside of a doctor's dermatologist's office because I started getting tunnel vision and could only hear what sounded like rushing water pounding in my ears. I also had to duck into the mail room at work once and lean against the Coke machine after getting my cholesterol tested. There was also a time where I tore my elbow open falling down the stairs at Cat's house and had to have my mommy bandage it up while I sat on the floor with my arm above my head. I was 22.

This story is also cross referenced under, "Why I Don't Have Any Tattoos."