“I’m pregnant and came in to get lab work done. They were taking blood, and that kind of thing doesn't usually bother me—so no big deal, right?
All of a sudden, my neck is tingling and I’m feeling pretty warm. My vision started tunneling, and I remember saying, ‘I'm going down.’ Everything went black and that was the last thing I remember.
I woke up to the overhead speaker calling a code to the lab. I thought, ‘I think that's for me? I think I'm the code!’
When I opened my eyes, I was throwing up in a trash can someone must have brought me, and there were eight people standing around me ready to help. One guy was taking my pulse; one listening to my heart—there were people holding onto me, and I still had no idea what had happened.
They said I was out for like maybe three-to-four minutes, which was a little concerning, but reassured me everything was fine. I was there for a fasting lab due to a glucose screening, so that means I hadn't eaten in 12 hours. If you’ve never needed a glucose screening, they give you this lovely orange super sweet drink, then you go into the lobby where you have to sit and wait for an hour before you go back to have your blood drawn. After they checked me out and cleared me to go home, they attributed the fainting to a combination of fasting, dehydration, and the glucose test.
I just want to share that Michael and Dale, the phlebotomists drawing my labs, were just so kind through the entire process. They would not let me stand up—they were like, ‘It’s okay, you're going to stay here for a little while. Everything is going to be okay.’ One of them rushed off and brought me back some crackers, orange juice, and a banana, saying, ‘Okay, what do we need to do to make sure you're feeling better?’
I was just so moved by the fact they were so helpful. They were asking things like, ‘You're going to go home to eat, right? We want you to go home and make sure you get some rest. You’re going to need to sit down and take it easy.’
I’m still embarrassed just thinking about it. Having eight people watch you pass out and throw up is really not what I envisioned for my day!
Right after I woke up, I just kept saying, ‘I'm so sorry’ and ‘I'm really sorry for inconveniencing you.’ I was just so embarrassed because I had no idea what was happening and I woke up puking into a trash can, but they were just so attentive and kind.
And they just kept saying, ‘Don't be sorry! Don't be sorry! This can happen sometimes. You're alright and you're fine now.’ They were just so sweet and kind. They went above and beyond, and I couldn't believe that in the middle of everything that was going on in the busy lab.”
- Emilia Gutierrez, patient