scared out of my mind....

ok girls i have a huge fear of blood work, i get really nervous and fant very easily. Our first visit a month ago i thought i was going to get blood work, and i fainted in the waiting room, then we went for the sono last week and i was fine bc i knew i was not getting it done, but i have another appt. on Saturday morning and i am making myself sick over it, what or how many test do they do at first and how many throgh the preg.? my dr . has told me nothing, so i am assuming saturday they will tell me more, tia and is there anything i can take to make myself calm before i go in for these test?

TIA

Re: scared out of my mind....

I also have a huge phobia and have fainted during blood work. Explain your feelings to the nurse, hopefully she will understand and try to make things as comfortable as possible. My nurse let me lay on the bed, she used a very small "butterfly" needle and talked to me the whole time while I looked away.

They will take the most blood from you during your prenatal panel. Usually you will have another blood test around 18 weeks (the quad or triple screen) and then you will have a glucose tolerance screen around 28 weeks when they will take blood. Just keep reminding yourself that it's for the baby's health!

Re: scared out of my mind....

The only times they took blood from me was that first one where they took a bunch of vials, a finger prick at the ultrascreen (but you may not need that - I was told to have it because I'm 35), the AFP (only took a little bit for that), and the glucose test.
I'm ok with getting blood taken, so I don't have much advice, but I always look away when they do it - I can't look. Maybe if you concentrate on the fact that these tests are for a very good cause (the Baby ) it will help?? Have you told your doctor/nurse how nervous you get? Maybe they can give you some advice or something to help you get through it.

Re: scared out of my mind....

i told the dr. on the first visit that i have a huge fear and is there anything i can take, she said no and then she stated this is going to be interestnig,,,, THanks alot meany head! anyway the nurse was great and very nice about it, DH does not understand and is like suck it up i will blind fold you and you won't see anything so there, i am going to call them today so i get an idea of what happens on saturday.. Thankss again girls!

Re: scared out of my mind....

Re: scared out of my mind....

I have a huge fear of blood. I mean, REALLY bad, so bad that I used to send my body into shock with all the stress I put myself under. Not only would I pass out everytime I saw blood or had it drawn, I would start shaking. When I was in college, I had blood drawn by my doctor, passed out adn started shaking and he FREAKED OUT and sent me to the hospital from then on to get blood drawn. At one point, they sent me for all these tests to make sure it wasn't neurological! Finally when we realized it was simply my nerves, my parents sent me to a biofeedback specialist, who taught me methods to relax right before I had my blood drawn. I'll tell you this, my pregnancy and delivery completely and totally cured me of this phobia - in the end, when the day came to deliver, my fears and concerns for my baby outweighed any prior phobias I had.

But, until that day, getting blood drawn at every ob/gyn visit is terrifying, I know. Some things that help - drink soda right before your visit, or OJ, just something with sugar. The reason why you pass out is because you work yourself into such a frenzy that your blood sugar drops and you pass out. Keep your blood sugar elevated by drinking or eating something sugary. Next, tell the nurse that you pass out when blood is drawn - they should take you to a private room and let you lay down while they take the blood. Don't get up until you feel 100%. Third, while she takes the blood, have her or someone else TALK to you. I find that works very well - it distracts me enough that I don't obsess about the needle and get completely grossed out.

Good luck!

Re: scared out of my mind....

Posted by Bxgell2

I have a huge fear of blood. I mean, REALLY bad, so bad that I used to send my body into shock with all the stress I put myself under. Not only would I pass out everytime I saw blood or had it drawn, I would start shaking. When I was in college, I had blood drawn by my doctor, passed out adn started shaking and he FREAKED OUT and sent me to the hospital from then on to get blood drawn. At one point, they sent me for all these tests to make sure it wasn't neurological! Finally when we realized it was simply my nerves, my parents sent me to a biofeedback specialist, who taught me methods to relax right before I had my blood drawn. I'll tell you this, my pregnancy and delivery completely and totally cured me of this phobia - in the end, when the day came to deliver, my fears and concerns for my baby outweighed any prior phobias I had.

But, until that day, getting blood drawn at every ob/gyn visit is terrifying, I know. Some things that help - drink soda right before your visit, or OJ, just something with sugar. The reason why you pass out is because you work yourself into such a frenzy that your blood sugar drops and you pass out. Keep your blood sugar elevated by drinking or eating something sugary. Next, tell the nurse that you pass out when blood is drawn - they should take you to a private room and let you lay down while they take the blood. Don't get up until you feel 100%. Third, while she takes the blood, have her or someone else TALK to you. I find that works very well - it distracts me enough that I don't obsess about the needle and get completely grossed out.

Good luck!