That can't happen to ME! I'm gonna be a nurse!

It happened. It really did. I was so embarrassed! I was so mad that I was bitterly laughing at myself for about two hours after. And this is why:

I ALMOST FAINTED IN THE HOSPITAL! 

Can you believe it? I have only had that light headed, voices fading, ears ringing feeling ONCE before in my whole life. And it was because I was in a lab, trying to cut my finger enough to get some blood for the test we were doing. 

Today, I have no idea what set it off. I was in the Emergency Department this clinical. I had just finished watching the Tech put in the IV (and fish around for a while before it actually went in the vein) and draw out the 5 vials of blood.  But I had seen that multiple times already in the hospital.It may have been because I only ate a dry piece of bread and a peach for breakfast. I think it was the combination of me saying something stupid to the tech while she was putting in the IV and getting embarrassed, seeing her fish around in the arm for a little while to find the vein, and me not eating a very good breakfast.
The Nurse I was following asked me to help her put in a catheter. I had just barely started feeling my blood drain from my face and my fingers get a little tingly but I tried to will myself out of it. It didn't work and I told her I needed to sit down for a minute. Good thing I did because all the sudden my face went completely white, my vision kinda got blurry, and sounds were getting fuzzy. She looked at me and said "Yes! Goodness, your face is as white as your scrubs! Let's take your blood pressure." So, she grabbed the cuff of the patient's arm and got my blood pressure. It was 84/52. Normal for me is about 110/60. She was appalled. She called for a wheel chair and then I was appalled! 

So...I got wheeled into a room, placed in a bed, hooked up to the monitor, and made to be horribly embarrassed. I had to eat cookies and drink juice and sit in there for about 45 minutes. And the whole ER knew that the student had almost fainted. Humiliated? Yes. Frustrated? Yes. Had any control over that? NO! I was willing myself so hard not to get dizzy and faint and it didn't work! But, because that happened, I found out from almost every other nurse/tech/ER Doc that it had happened to them once when they were in school too. So that made me feel a little less embarrassed. But still. 

And so it happened. I hope that that will be my "once upon I time that happened to me ONCE!" story. And I now have much more sympathy for people who say they can't handle needles or the sight of blood. I guess sometimes getting faint is out of our control.

Edit:
I forgot to say that after this had occurred I put in an IV, filled those vials with blood, pulled out 4 IV's, and helped a patient get changed, dressed, and cleaned up enough to go home. And I was fine. Just so you know. :)