DS(16) unexpectedly felt faint watching brain surgery clip. Now thinks his plans to study medicine are over. Any advice from medical people please

[ScottishG]

DS(16) is a non complaining, non squeamish sort. Tends to take most things in his stride. He is seriously considering studying medicine. I have watched many pretty gory medical documentaries and shows with him and he is very interested and not put off by surgery, blood etc. Quite the opposite . The more gory the better!
He has come home from school quite worried. In a psychology lesson a clip of brain surgery was shown. He knew it was being shown and had no worries and found it interesting. Apparently, part way through he started feeling "weird" Everything he describes sounds like he was close to fainting and his friends noticed he was very pale. He avoided watching any more of the clip and put his head on the desk but didn't feel properly better until after having a snack at break time. He now thinks he might not be able to be a doctor because of this, particularly as it was so unexpected. Can any medical people advise please? Are all doctors, nurses etc totally unaffected by gore or is it sometimes an issue? I think he also found the experience unpleasant as has never felt faint before and wants to avoid it happening again.

Yes urbanbeetler, I think irregular eating patterns might well be an issue for him. Fortunately, he is very aware of the need for regular food so no doubt will have lots of quick to eat bars and snacks.

I was a theatre sister for years and used to cut open chests for a living. No bother there at all. Show me a partially torn off fingernail and I run screaming.
Things also seem weirdly more gory on telly too. He will probably be fine.

I am a medic, fainted during my first gory operation (hip replacement) aged 16 on work experience. The other guy with me fainted about 2 minutes later. Didn't put me off really (nurses in theatre acted like they were v used to this!) though I am not, and never wanted to be a surgeon!
I remember nearly fainting on one other occasion at medical school during a bone marrow biopsy and there may have been another occasion but I think that was it.
Very common, esp if hot and you haven't eaten!

My Mum was a theatre nurse and says that the only thing to really give her the grues was eye surgery, oh and toddlers with snotters streaming down their face!

I was always rock solid, no squeamishness at all, till one day I had to change a vac dressing on an infected stump and as I touched the stump some pus shot out of one of the drainage holes like water out of a fire hose and splattered me on my plastic apron. The patient reacted by scratching the hole with long witchy fingernails.

How I kept going......Makes me feel faint all these years later.

But I've been fine ever since!

Have just read all of your comments to ds. I can't tell you how reassuring they were. Also much amusement at your more gorey anecdotes! He told me the classroom was very hot today and he craved sweet stuff after the faintness, so I don't think the brain clip was the only problem. He also acknowledged how he will need to be vigilant about regular eating if he does pursue medicine and work crazy shifts. I will put myself in charge of sourcing suitable snacks!

Great update OP .

I used to work in theatre. You just become desensitised, although I nearly passed out when my son fell off his bike and needed stitches on his chin.

Honestly, it happens to the best of us .

Sorry Yvbmioasp, cross posted with you; didn’t mean to appear insensitive about your son!

We have a lot of "workies" at the vets - passing out or at least having to leave the room to get some air is considered a rite of passage.

Echo reasurrance pp have given. Also, even if he has/ developed blood-injury phobia with fainting, CBT is a very effective treatment.

I once witnessed a cardiologist giving advice to a young patient who had fainting episodes, he said to squeeze your fists as if squeezing tennis balls, the idea is to raise your blood pressure (a drop in blood pressure is the main cause of common fainting and would explain why he went pale). He could try this technique if he ever feels faint again, it might help.

Nurse here, first day on a ward, watched the doctor insert a chest tube and fainted, then first day in theatre and nearly went again (left quickly and sat on the floor, head between my legs) as my fIrst surgery was an amputaion of a leg. 32 years later I'm still going, nothing much fazes me, except manky feet, I get a bit sick in my mouth at those. But no longer faint at blood and guts.

I once had to sit in a chair and 'supervise' while a student did a dressing as I felt really faint. Happens to all of us at some time!

Dentist here. I have felt faint watching surgery both on screen and in real life. I’ve never once felt like that when I’m the one holding the knife. You just don’t, you’re too busy planning / concentrating / communicating with your patient / assistant / work experience student.

Oh, and there’s more to medicine than surgery. There’s also more uses for a medical degree than being a doctor. Harry Hill and Lee Nelson both trained as doctors.

I remember being told if I went to theatre to stand next to a wall so you could slide down it!

I used to be like that at his age. Since then I've been able to watch two surgeries being done on me.

I remember being told if I went to theatre to stand next to a wall so you could slide down it!

If you've ever fainted you'd know there's often little way to control it, you just sort of . . . go. I had warning once and by the time I twigged it was too late.

He more than likely will be fine.

Before I started midwifery training I would certainly have considered myself as squeamish. I’m still not thrilled at watching too much blood on tv and sometimes have to look away. I had a needle phobia and still can’t watch if I’m having blood taken. I still have a tooth phobia and can’t look at loose or chipped teeth.

But I can take blood from people. I can deal with people having massive haemorrhages, I can suture nasty, deep tears.

I think he will find he not only gets used to it but there’s an element of knowing you need to be professional and also you’re concentrating too hard on what needs doing to freak out.

I’m also not keen on spiders and once a massive spider fell out the ceiling into a baby’s cot. The dad was freaking out and because I had my professional head on I picked it up calm as anything and threw it out the window. At home I’d have been shrieking!