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Comment by jyriand | Hacker News Reader

I would love to donate blood, but it seems I'm too sensitive to blood. Not sure why. But there have been cases where I have passed out after giving blood tests or cutting myself. Would love to hear ideas how to overcome this.

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I donated a lot when my father died. Just make sure you're not looking at the bag filling with your blood. We're programmed to think that our life is dripping out through that cord but be positive and aware that this helps someone and also regenerates your blood so it has its benefits.

Don't look and prepare mentally that you're not going to die there. I know it sounds absurd but the "fight or flight" situation kicks in and, like with panic attacks, the fear of actually dying probably leads you to pass out probably.

I'm not sure that's really a fight or flight response since passing out would leave one extremely vulnerable to harm from predators, the environment.

You never had a panic attack. When the brain overloads in such situation will take the most extreme action it can, shut you down, put you to sleep so you can't feel anything probably. It won't happen to everyone but it does to many. I've had some panic attacks 5 years ago that got me close to that point. I didn't pass out but I was right there, in all instances I ended up in the ER though.

I have a friend who's girlfriend was driving one day and the car slipped off the road going towards an electrical pillar (it didn't hit it though because my friend managed to grab the wheel). Near the collision point with that pillar his girlfriend passed out, in an instant. We laughed at that situation for years. They ended up in someone's yard, killing a poor dog in his little house.

When giving blood, you could be experiencing vasovagal syncope -- fainting due to the drop in blood pressure and / or blood sugar. That's why they always hand out high-sugar juices -- hydration and sugar help reduce those effects. There are also sometimes symptoms before passing out. Here's a good article about it:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/166968-why-do-people-pass-...

However, that doesn't answer cuts. Does it happen on any sight of blood or only your blood?

I know a bit about this due to having researched after I gave blood the first time. Ends up the person was not very experienced and ended up drawing from muscle instead of a blood vessel. I was in for probably about 20 minutes with only half a bag before they gave up and sent me on my way. Walking from the parking lot to the office, I got lightheaded, nauseated, cold sweats, some gastrointestinal effects... But did not pass out. In my case, I think it's blood sugar related, as I had a similar reaction once while fasting.

Dude (m/f), don't drive after donating blood. Go with a friend or take public transportation. You're a risk to others, too, especially if you don't donate regularly and don't know how you'll react.

They park donation vans outside of office buildings, it's probable that's how he donated.

Yes, you are absolutely right. In this case, there was a mobile collection unit in the office parking lot. This is very common where I live. Sorry for the confusion.

I also had this problem and finally asked a therapist about it last year, because I was pregnant and having to do a million blood draws. He surprised me when he said the last thing you want to do is try to relax (which is of course what the nurse always tells you to do).

Instead, start tensing muscles in your body - legs, hands, wherever. This keeps the blood pumping to your brain so you don't faint.

It absolutely works. I can even watch them draw the blood now and feel fine.

That's called Vasovagal Syncope [0]. It doesn't necessarily happen because you see your own blood in a bag, but rather because of the physical implications of having blood removed from your body. Drawing slower or smaller volumes can potentially help mitigating this problem. I think it can also be seen as an indicator for other medical problems regarding your circulatory system, so it might be worth investigating further.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope

Try go with a talkative friend who can take your mind off it and definitely let the one sticking you know.

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