Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Nov
8
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“Why Didn’t You Tell Me You Were Going To Faint?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to faint?” – OB to mother having the mother passed out during a blood draw. The mother indicated she needed to be laying down during the draw and was told not to worry, it was all in her head.
There are 80 comments to this post.
OP, I know exactly what this is like. I have had countless doctors/nurses/health care professionals tell me to “just get over it” or “grow up” when I have tried to talk with them about my fear of needles. Then, I would have a panic attack and pass out. I even had one tell me not to be such a baby right before I landed on his floor. I am so sorry. Needles are an everyday occurence to them, but a major issue for us.
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Cara Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 6:50 pm (Quote)
This! Exactly! This happens to me a lot as well. Along with “just be brave!” For my last one I had my family practice doc call ahead and explain and arrange special provisions.
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Elizabeth Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 7:22 pm (Quote)
I’ve had a few that just didn’t get it. My cousin is by far the person I prefer to do it because I just don’t feel it when she does. I’ve had to specify that I have to have a butterfly needle though or they aren’t getting any blood at all. Most are sympathetic a few are ass wholes but in the end they have to do it the way you want it done.
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that’s exactly what they told me, and I still almost fainted. It’s not in your head, never is. They don’t know what they are talking about. Only few times I didn’t faint, but it’s bs about it in your head. It’s not the needles, its the fact that the amount of blood being drawn on the first blood draw was humongous for me as I am Eastern European.
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TTC Lurker Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 2:43 pm (Quote)
What’s this about Eastern Europeans? I have no problem with blood draws (I get thyroid levels checked regularly), but when I donated blood I felt so dizzy afterward that I had to lie down for at least a half hour. I’m also roughly half Eastern European.
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I faint too. I find that it’s a problem when you tell them you need to lay down because they usually have to find a room to put you in. I don’t understand why it’s such an issue, wouldn’t you rather find me a room than pick me up off the floor?
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Billie Jo Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 7:09 pm (Quote)
This is why our hospital (military) has a room IN the lab with a reclining chair (similar to the ones that are used at blood donation places).
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Jade Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 9:12 pm (Quote)
I can honestly say that I have never ever seen a blood test taken in a room that did NOT have a bed/table. I wonder if the difference is our country, I am from Australia. I am not saying that they are always all that accomodating about using it, but every single room in the pathology collection place has a place to lie down.
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What is it with medical personel and not listening about our issues with getting blood drawn? Just because you deal with needles all day does not mean that I do!
I actually don’t have a ‘huge’ problem with needles but I always tell them to take it from my wrist because I bruise horribly when they take it from my arm and it takes forever. Since discovering this ( 3years ago) I’ve had 1 person actually listen. First they treat me like an idiot who doesn’t know better and then when exactly what I said would happen happens they glare at me like I purposefully did this to waste their time.
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Kristin Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 8:11 pm (Quote)
When I was newly pregnant, I forced my doctor to check for a bleeding disorder. And when it came back negative, I had to warn every tech, every time that I was going to bleed all over the floor if they weren’t fast with the pressure bandages.
They all looked at me like I was stupid until they removed the catheter and got blood on them. Then they were all like, “Oh WOW you do bleed crazy!!”
*facepalm*
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Details Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 5:57 am (Quote)
Stop letting them do it their way. If they try to take blood out of your arm say NO and make them get their manager. It is your arm! Stand up for yourself!
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Jane Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 8:16 am (Quote)
Ditto what Details said. When they try to take blood from anywhere else, refuse to let them do it until they take it from your hand. Don’t be afraid to stand up, speak forcefully, looking them right in the eye, and if they refuse, tell them to get someone else to do their job since they can’t make a “reasonable accommodation.”
The key is to tell them as if you expect them to follow your directions. Not, “You know, if you take it from my arm, I’m going to pass out, so would it be okay if–” But rather, “You need to draw the blood from my hand, not from my arm.”
If they say, “Why?” you can tell them. If they say, “No, I’ll get it just fine from your arm,” you can say, loudly (not shouting, but get your diaphragm into it) “What’s wrong? Do you not know how to use the veins in the hand? Then get me someone who does know.”
In the end it shouldn’t matter to the phlebotomist where they get the blood from, but it matters a lot to you. The person who cares the most needs to speak out. 
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Becky Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 8:56 am (Quote)
If this helps explain Jane’s great response any, use a “teacher voice” when you tell them how they need to take blood from you. (I’m a teacher, and my husband tells me I have a distinct ‘teacher voice’ that’s separate from how I talk in other situations.)
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When I discuss this kind of thing with my kids, I call it “taking responsibility for your own behavior”.
Hey, doc, if you can’t deal with the results of your own stupidity, stop acting stupid and start listening to your patients. They know themselves better than you do, and you could learn a thing or three.
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When I was a teenager, I was having blood drawn… both my father and I told the lady I was going to pass out. “NO, she’s not, sir!” she kept saying. She made me sit up instead of letting me lay down… and she was even saying, “NO, she’s not, sir!” as my eyes were blacking out and I slumped over on her.
And then, at the beginning of my first pregnancy, I went in for bloodwork due to bleeding, and I asked for two things: 1) to lay down, and 2) an awesome phlebotomist. They sent in a trainee who couldn’t get blood out of the arm on the side of the bed not against the wall, so they made me sit up so he could stick my other arm.
Seriously, needles are a big deal to some of us! The first time I ever passed out, the nurse told me not to worry, that she has big strong firemen and football players come in and scream when she brings a needle near them.
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This one really irritates me. I can’t speak for all needle-phobes, but I know what works for me so that I can get through the blood draw, and it’s really irksome when the phlebotomist doesn’t trust me to know my own body/remember what happened the last time I had blood drawn. If I say “I need to be completely reclined, the draw has to be from my wrist or hand and not my elbow” then that’s because I’ve been through the situation enough times to know what will save them half an hour of work.
The last time I needed a blood draw, it took the lab three phlebotomists and 40 minutes to get the draw because each time someone new took a look at me, they insisted on feeling up my elbows, which makes me lightheaded and feel like throwing up. In the end, where did they wind up sticking the needle? Oh yeah, in my hand, where I TOLD them it would be easiest to do the draw!
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SculptorAlison Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 1:26 pm (Quote)
Next time try saying something like “There are two ways of drawing my blood. The easy way and the hard way. I am only going to let you attempt the easy way.”
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Well.. doc.. I just wanted to test your reflexes! Good job catching me before my head slumped all the way over on the table!!
Wait, you didn’t catch me? Well, my new provider will hopefully pass my ninja-test. I do that with all of my providers.. perform ninja-reflex testing on them prior to fully selecting them as a provider/potential surgeon. Sorry you failed the test.
If I sound a little bit ridiculous.. think about how you sound.
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I’m not naturally a forceful person, but I’ve had to learn to say, “You WILL NOT draw my blood until you find a place for me to lay down.” It’s saved me countless bruises, I’m sure. Of course, I’ve even fainted lying down, but at least I don’t hit the floor that way.
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sara r. Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 4:12 pm (Quote)
I had no idea there were so many people with this problem! I do the same thing, though. In my first pregnancy there was no place to lay down when they wanted to do my first set of blood tests. I almost hyperventilated and left the office with no needles inserted!
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Wow. Just reading the tag from Facebook, I was going to say, “Because I left my crystal ball in the car.”
But apparently the mother DID tell the doctor, but the doctor apparently disbelieves in physical responses to stress… Paging Dr. Stupid Head.
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Having worked in an OBs office for several years, I always took a mother at her word. If she said she was a fainter, I had her lie down to draw blood. If she said I feel faint, she got to lay down. What is wrong with people who won’t listen to a woman????
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Alyson Miers had this to say,
Nov 8, 2011 @ 8:12 pm (Quote)
Gee, I dunno, Dr. Douchewaffle; why didn’t you tell Mama you were going to behave like a raging asshat to her? You have a lot more control over that than Mama does over fainting. That’s kind of the point of fainting: we don’t do it voluntarily.
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How rude! You know I’m lucky that every time I’ve needed a blood test the staff was always so very supportive. I don’t faint, but my arm does need to be held down… by someone strong.
Every time a needle comes near me, I need to be physically restrained or my phobia gets the better of me and I panic and try to escape.
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I had something very similar happen. I told the OB I would faint and more than likely vomit, he told me I would be fine, did the blood draw with me sitting up, I passed out and vomited on his shoes 
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silverhawkwarrior Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 6:13 am (Quote)
Please tell us they were expensive shoes.
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Claire Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 1:38 pm (Quote)
This made me think of my submission where the doctor got amniotic fluid on her shoes. Did your doctor “politely” complain about it too?
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Jade Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 11:19 pm (Quote)
Yes my OB got all shitty with me and told me I shouldn’t have spewed (yeah like I really wanted to).
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Claire Reply:
November 11th, 2011 at 2:57 pm (Quote)
It’s funny how they think you have control over it. After waiting for them to find me something long enough I turned to Mum and said “Mum! I’m going to be sick!” She just threw the contents of a kidney dish out and stuck it under me – what was hard about that?!
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Jade Reply:
November 11th, 2011 at 5:38 pm (Quote)
LOL, that reminds me of something that happened to me years ago. I was sitting next to my sister (aged 3) in the car, she said she felt carsick, I promplty emptied my handbag and shoved it in front of her. my handbasg was never the same again but at least there wasn’t sick everywhere
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Mama Wrench had this to say,
Nov 9, 2011 @ 5:54 am (Quote)
I’ve had to get tons of blood drawn this pregnancy, every time I’ve gotten close to fainting. Yesterday I had an amazing phlebotomist who let me lay down, didn’t do the annoying “One-two-three STICK!” count-down, got 5 vials without my even feeling the needle go in, and pulled it out so smoothly I didn’t even bleed. I couldn’t believe that I’ve made it to 26 years old and never once had a blood draw that actually DIDN’T make me feel sick for hours.
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During my last pregnancy every single time I needed blood drawn I would tell them that I my veins were small and liked to move..and every single time I was told, “No problem, we can handle it.”
Then they’d stick me, and miss, and say, “I can’t get your blood in this arm, let me try the other. I can’t get that one either, we’re going to have to get a different nurse..”
Finally, I learned to ask for the specific nurse who used to work in NICU and was excellent at getting small veins on the first try. Even then I would hear, “She’s busy, I’m going to try first. It’s probably nothing.”
I would respond with, “Find out when she’s free. I’ll wait. ”
I found out later that they all thought I was just being difficult. LOL
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Kasondra Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 10:24 am (Quote)
“I found out later that they all thought I was just being difficult. LOL”
Because you totally control what your veins do…
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xanthina Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 12:10 pm (Quote)
When my dad was taken to the ER, they were having trouble sticking him. I don’t think he said he was a difficult stick. I don’t think he knew it till then, lol. In the end, it was the “NICU Nurse who can stick anyone” who got him.
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CNicole Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 12:21 pm (Quote)
My viens sometimes jump around too (usually only if I have been fasting for the draw). I went in once and told them the time before I needed a paediatric needle because of that, they said it was probably due to the fasting and would try with the regular needle first. It worked ok that time, but at least they gave a real reason and would have done it the other way if needed.
Good for you for speaking up for what you needed. I really wish “they” would listen when we tell them how our bodies work and what we need. I mean we live in out bodies 24/7, they meet us once (or once and a while) for a few minutes, who is the expert on our own body?
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My mom has the same thing – she’s got crappy veins. And I mean crappy. 10 years after her liver transplant, requiring monthly (and sometimes weekly) blood draws, she’s finally “notorious” enough at the local lab that she has her own phlebs. But if she’s ever admitted for anything it’s like pulling teeth to get the nurses to actually LISTEN to her about where to try inserting the IV.
And my own props for the Red Cross – whenever I go to give blood I tell them to lay me down before they start, and they do it without blinking an eye. I didn’t realize they were all but moving mountains this entire time without me even knowing!
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lilmrsmchenry had this to say,
Nov 9, 2011 @ 10:08 am (Quote)
I always, always, always ask for someone who has experience doing draws with either geriatrics, pediatrics or chemo patients. Then I have to be reclining, work the stress ball like it’s my job and most importantly they have to go at it with a butterfly needle because they will need the extra control it provides. I have the worst of everything. I have small veins that like to roll when you try to stick them, then end up collapsing when you finally do get them. Then to top it off, I clot so fast that it literally starts to clot during the draw sometimes so they have to throw it out. I have had several traumatic blood draws starting when I was a small child. I have only had one person get me in one stick and average about 5 sticks per draw. I have figured out what works for me. All this works up to me passing out about 95% of the time if we don’t go with my plan. If we go with what I plan I still pass out every once in a while but it goes much smoother.
On a kind of funnier/ more annoying note, once I was stuck with a new phlebotomist and when I passed out, she was convinced that I had a seizure instead. I told her in the beginning that I would probably end up passing out but didn’t believe me. She wanted to argue afterward that I didn’t because she was right and I was wrong.
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Claire Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 2:26 pm (Quote)
You should get that checked out, sounds like you have a high INR and you should find out why. Thrombophilia doesn’t seem to be taken as seriously by HCPs as it really should.
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lilmrsmchenry Reply:
November 11th, 2011 at 2:23 pm (Quote)
Thanks, I’ll have to look into that.
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I have bad-ish veins. They misbehave all the time. At my first OB’s office there was a girl that 1) wasn’t very good and 2) Thought she knew my body better than I did. I usually bleed really well (fast. I donate blood quickly.) and when she stuck me (on try number 3!) it was slow and she was confused…but I knew she’d gone all the way through. (The ONLY time I’ve bled slow was due to that…) Sure enough, my whole arm was swollen and bruised that night. The next time I went in for my GD blood draw I mentioned that she might have gone all the way through because I had this big bruise. She got all stiff and said “No, that’s because you didn’t leave pressure on it properly.” Really now? You can’t admit that MAYBE you made a mistake??
I’ve also gone on base for blood draws. They blew my vein and told me I could never have it done with the vacuum thingy. I said, “That’s funny. I’ve NEVER had a problem before.” Again, stiffness and blowing me off.
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Mama Wrench Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 12:13 pm (Quote)
Really? I always have a good — well, BETTER — experience on base versus civilian nurses. I figure anyone who’s learned how to draw blood and start IVs in a combat zone should HOPEFULLY know how to do it well and quickly (if not entirely pain-free.)
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xanthina Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 12:18 pm (Quote)
I ‘got’ a nurse fired from the Red Cross once. I was doing a platelet donation, not my first. The bag wasn’t filling quickly, it was maybe 1/4 full in the time it normally takes to fill the bag. The nurse came over to yell at me, tell me I was wasting time and resources, and should consider something other than platelet donation(IE, donate money. She finished things, pulled the needle and saw the HUGE bruise in my arm. And proceded to squeeze my arm to try and get the blood out(guess what, it didn’t work.). I have no idea what went wrong, but I knew it wasn’t my fault. I spoke to the head nurse later, and the next time I came in she let me know that the nurse in question had been let go
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Aron Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 1:28 pm (Quote)
Whoa! She…tried to squeeze…the blood…out?!? You just turned this nursing student’s stomach and that doesn’t happen too easily. Holy freaking cow! Yelling at you because you dared not to exercise your powers of control over your circulation by dumping out platelets faster? Not recognizing that hematoma for what it was? I…just…ok, but….
Well. My flabber is ghasted.
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xanthina Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 1:45 am (Quote)
Yeah. The squeezing did nothing but HURT and spread the blood in my arm farther. Being that I’ve never had a problem filling the bag(or vial) since then, I think the mistake was hers, not something I did or didn’t do.
Also, thank you for the laugh!
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All of these comments are actually making me a little sick! I mean, because I tend to faint during blood draws, too!
The last phlebotomist I had just about a month ago was so understanding! I told him I should probably lay down, and they had a table right there. Even asked me which arm I prefer (I do not care whatsoever.) I mentioned something about being a “baby” about it and it’s all in my head (trying to make excuses for myself, I guess), and he said, “No! It’s a physiological response that you can’t control. It’s okay!” He didn’t mention anything about what he was doing while he drew the blood, but just made conversation about picking out a ring for his fiance and how she wanted him to pick it out himself, but he wanted her to have a say in it, and so on. He was done quickly and I actually felt okay after it was done because I almost wasn’t aware of it! Ah, so refreshing.
I’ve got to go in for that lovely one-hour glucose test in a few weeks and I’m hoping to find him again!
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I am far from needle phobic, I am and have been a regular donor. The only time I’ve passed out was when I was pregnant. So now I’ve been telling the phlebotomist that I tend to pass out when pregnant. It hasn’t been an issue. I don’t get why it’s so hard. Even those of us who are normally ok with the stick, can have something(different blood pressure?) that causes them to pass out.
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I am not afraid of needles. They don’t hurt me, and I don’t have a psychological fear of them. I don’t faint during injections, but gosh darn it, I faint every time I get my blood drawn. It’s called a vasovagal response, and it’s involuntary. I also faint when the eye doctor does the glaucoma test when they push on your eye. Thankfully, most of the doctors I’ve come in contact with have been understanding, but there have been the handful who don’t believe me when I say I’m going to faint. OP, it’s not all in your head and you don’t need to just get over it.
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Aron Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 1:32 pm (Quote)
That’s me too. Mine isn’t too severe, so if I go in well-hydrated and having eaten something an hour or so before it *only* makes me light-headed. But if I’m dehydrated or hypoglycemic I’ll faint just from the sudden loss of blood volume. Considering that I draw other people’s blood fairly often I doubt I’m *just* (sarcasm there) needle-phobic.
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SculptorAlison Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 1:37 pm (Quote)
The optometrist I used to work for kept vials of smelling salts taped to the walls in the pretest room and the exam rooms for just such an occasion. If someone knew they had the problem he would completely recline them and wouldn’t let us do the air-puff test. It’s so not hard to be accommodating of things like this, geez.
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I’m not a fainter, I’m not afraid of blood, I’m not afraid of needles. I can easily get injections without batting an eye.
I do have a severe PTSD reaction to having my blood drawn though. It’s a trigger moment for me and I go into complete flight or fight mode. Laying down makes it worse. I feel trapped and panicky when laying down. The worst is when they say “Hold still” It reminds me of being helpless and unable to move during my miscarriage when I was assaulted by Dr. Pervert and Student Nurse was trying his best to make my arm black and blue. After blood draws I always end up crying and inconsolable. Any blood pressure readings after my blood draws are extremely high when normally my blood pressure is pretty low.
Whatever reaction a person may have to getting blood draws. Believe them. For some people, its no big deal. For others, it really is a big deal. It takes me a week to recover pyschologially from it.
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If you get enough notice to warn people, you’re not fainting. I know this because that’s how my TIAs were diagnosed!
If you tend to faint when you have blood taken and get warning, then it’s possible it’s not a needle phobia (I was so glad to find out I wasn’t phobic lol) you may also find that moments before fainting your blood slows down, maybe they have to change arms. If that sounds like you, speak to a rheumatologist/ haematologist/ immunologist, you may have a clotting problem. It’s not necessarily a TIA though.
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Jade Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 11:28 pm (Quote)
Now I am intrigued, I faint regularly and always know when it is going to happen (ringing in my ears, spots in my vision), usually have enough time to lay down/warn someone.
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Claire Reply:
November 11th, 2011 at 3:08 pm (Quote)
I won’t internet diagnose you but it sounds like your blood not flowing properly through your brain. Two things that can cause it are low BP so it’s not getting there and the blood suddenly getting thicker so it’s not flowing through.
I have mild TIAs and have since I started my periods (although we think there was an early stroke because of my face) funnily enough have gotten better since I’m not allowed to go back on the pill… We always used to put it down to fainting but when I was diagnosed with Hughes Syndrome they go through all the possible symptoms and said that the warning I was getting meant it’s not a faint and the way I described it was a TIA. They diagnose it by ruling things out (no damage in my brain so it’s not strokes, I’m not epileptic etc) so I wouldn’t tell anyone else that it’s what they have. If you’re getting them regularly enough, try taking a Jr Aspirin a day and see if they improve. Do you also find your head is sort of foggy? Not like a headache but like just not quite right. Although TBH I didn’t notice it until it went away with the Aspirin.
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This is the reason why I initially started reading up on natural birth. I was deathly afraid that I would pass out during labor.
It’s amazing how many people don’t realize that it’s a real reaction that just can’t be controlled. I think I might be getting a little better with it, but I still avoid blood draw and any feelings of numbness- it just freaks my brain out!
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I don’t have an issue with needles, but I do have a nasty valve in a spot that looks like it should be great for an IV. Inevitably they want to test it because the other nice-looking vein is scarred (old reliable), and inevitably it fails epically and they have to use the vein I told them to use in the first place. Valves HURT!!! I’m also severely allergic to every adhesive known to man and always ask for Coban. And I can’t count how many times I’ve had a tech say, “Don’t worry, I’ll use paper tape,” or “It’s just a Band-Aid.” *sigh*
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Melissa Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 5:26 pm (Quote)
(I’d love to just refuse the IV, but I have lupus and Factor V Leiden, so I’m usually stuck with heparin and other junk.)
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Jane Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 5:30 pm (Quote)
Can you get a letter from your physician stating that they MUST use the scarred vein and they MUST use Coban?
THey’ll argue with you, but if the blood draw orders come with orders from a doctor specifying how the blood draw has to be done, they may do it correctly.
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This is my submission. I’ve always been a pushover. This was my first pregnancy and I was still a meekling. Since I’ve had kids, I learned to stand up for them, and subsequently for myself. I’d NEVER let anyone do that to me now.
Yes, it was in my head. But so what! If what’s in my head makes me faint, you better accommodate.
The dumbest part of this whole story??
WE WERE IN AN EXAM ROOM WITH A COT!
She took out the needle and started pricking me STANDING UP. When I told her I need to lie down and she laughed it off, I just sat down. I can’t believe how meek I was that I didn’t just lie down. Thank you, kids, for making me grow a spine!
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CR Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 6:44 pm (Quote)
That is just ingenious. Glad your OB had common sense. I wonder why in just about every phlebotomy office, they have a desk with arms. It couldn’t possibly be there to keep you from falling on the floor if you faint? Perhaps OBs shouldn’t be allowed to have office labs, if their going to be so incompetent.
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karen had this to say,
Nov 10, 2011 @ 9:43 am (Quote)
I am probably the most non needle phonograph person out there which is good since I have HG and thyroid issues and get stuck constantly and have had countless iv’s and even a puff and midline. I can be a hard iv stick..5+ !attempts isn’t unusual. None of it bothers.me a whit. Maybe my early experience has something to do with it. I was three and needed pre-op blood drawn. The phlebotomist sat me in a folding chair. My mother suggested I needed to be restrained. The phlebotomist ignored her and stuck me in the arm. My leg flew out, nailed the wom
an right in the gut and knocked her on the floor. 
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I have absolutely no problem with needles or blood draws – but I have a problem with optometrists! I refuse to do the tests where they blow a puff of air in your eyes because I simply cannot hold my head there for it to happen. I can’t keep my eyes open for it. So I can’t get an eye doctor to give me a prescription, because they insist on doing this test, and I insist on not doing it. Whatever happened to “Which is better, A or B?”.
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SculptorAlison Reply:
November 14th, 2011 at 1:46 pm (Quote)
That test is for glaucoma. It’s an important test, but not absolutely necessary. Can you just let them try a few times? They’ll get sick of trying and give up after a few failed attempts.
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Mares Reply:
November 16th, 2011 at 1:57 pm (Quote)
My eye doc does it with drops – she numbs your eye, then touches it very briefly – because I can’t tolerate the puff test, either. She says the numbing test is actually more accurate than the puff test and she prefers it because it bothers her patients less. It’s like a no-big-deal thing and I would have had no idea she was touching my eye if she hadn’t told me afterwards.
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I do this dance every time with the lab. And, when I’ve passed out, have heard the same question.
“Oh, we’ll use a smaller needle”, “oh, just don’t look”, “oh, I had a girl in here the other day just like you, but she didn’t pass out.”
And then “you should really tell someone that you pass out” when they get me up immediately afterward to make me lay down a room over, which ends in them carrying me 100% of the time.
I do not go back to those places. (I have had 1 lab person take blood without me passing out, the one at my midwife’s office. She’s amazing.)
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Classic “blame the mother” maneuver.
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