Hello,

For the record, I've had blood drawn before with no problems
whatsoever, and I do not consider myself a needle-phobic, or
blood-phobic.

Two days ago, I was in the ER at my local hospital with a high fever,
and a nurse came to draw my blood for a diagnostic test. As a note,
just before she began the procedure, she ordered me to swallow 800 mg
of ibuprofen (Motrin), in regards to my fever.

She then inserted the needle, and missed my vein, dug around a bit and
then found it. That was painful in itself, but it happens often when I
get my blood drawn, so I expected it. But after the blood was flowing,
the blood draw was very painful (even though it should be painless),
and I was saying "OW, that hurts!" over and over, but the nurse kept
pushing the needle in harder and harder. Finally, the two test tubes
were filled, and she was about to remove the needle, when I suddenly
started to feel very faint, and "snow" was filling my field of vision.
Next thing I know, I am "waking up" from having passed out, and still
feeling very faint.

I am not needle phobic or blood phobic, and I was watching the whole
time. It was only when she was about to remove the needle that I
passed out, and there was no gradual onset of anxiety or sweating or
anything. Just an intense pain at the site of the blood draw,
throughout the whole procedure.

What was going on here? Why was the blood draw so painful, and how did
it cause me to pass out?

Thanks,

Corrine

P.S. Yes, I have a huge bruise at the site of the blood draw.