AIBU to feel shaken after being criticised for blacking out at the airport?

[doorss]

Last night I returned back from a foreign holiday last night. I went with my parents and my godmother

At the foreign airport, DM cut her leg badly somehow with the either a luggage trolley or the barriers around the trolley park. Blood going everywhere. I have a phobia of blood and blacked out almost immediately. A couple of passengers ran into the terminal getting help. Whilst DF and GodM were getting tissues they had in their hand luggage. Another woman went up to my GodM and looked at me saying I’m a disgrace.

DM got first aid attention and was taken around the airport with assistance (airport was quiet). I recovered.

The four of us had a coffee, past security, and I went to the toilets with GodM. The woman who said I was a disgrace was there. She had a go at me. I said I have a blood phobia. She said I don’t care!

This woman’s attitude was horrible. I am not sure which flight she went on. She could have been on my flight- sitting on the opposite end of the plane.

I am still shaking from this woman’s attitude. I may not see her again.

I am still shaking from this woman’s attitude. I may not see her again.

She was rude, people don’t faint deliberately. but you’re also giving this too much headspace, if you’re shaking and dwelling about a woman you will never see again, even if she had been on the same plane you could have ignored her. There’s all sorts of assholes in life, don’t let them occupy your mind for longer than need to.

Even people used to certain situations can feel "off" at times. I have a job which I didn't think I could cope with. I can but on a couple of occasions have felt sick as a result

Fuck her op. She's a dick...I bet she goes home and screams for someone to take a spider out of the bath

Do you have health anxiety generally? I only ask because this is a very detailed answer for something very insignificant.

If it is showing up elsewhere please go to your GP now and get help while you're still young enough. Health anxiety is very real and can have a major impact on lives so if you have an inkling that you do have it or anxiety in general, nip it in the bud now so it doesn't become a bigger issue.

Adrenaline would kick in. I think you’re being unreasonable and your example is pointless.

Well that's shitty of them, not like you can help blacking out is it

Surely if you black out at the airport they’re going to give you medical attention and get you to a hospital, not let you on a flight?

What do you mean 'I may not see her again' - why would you expect to see a random stranger you encountered at a foreign airport again?

I have a very stupid question - how do you deal with periods? I've always wondered how any woman can have a phobia of blood.

Why are you giving so much energy to some pointless opinions of a random stupid woman?

It’s a shame you didn’t tell her to ‘fuck off’ when she stuck her beak in initially, instead of explaining your phobia to her. It was none of her business after all.

Unfortunately, it gave her the confidence to carry on berating you when she saw you again.

Hypnosis will definitely cure your blood phobia and a good hypnotist will help you learn to become more assertive and less of a walkover. I strongly recommend you do some research to find a good practitioner.

My friend used to have a blood phobia before she had therapy for it and she said she would only use tampons and look away. Not sure how she dealt with her period coming early or the very beginning though. I’ve seen black panty liners and always thought they were stupid because you can’t see if you’re still bleeding but I guess they’re probably perfect for the blood-phobic!

You're not a disgrace.

However this is something you can look to work on.

Ultimately it means you are becoming a casualty every time, and that means people will have to deal with you because unconsciousness is an emergency. They don't know it's a faint if they just see you collapse.

It's no way for you to have to live when there are many different therapies and treatments out therr to help.

This. I used to be a blood donor and it wasn't uncommon to see new donors come in, see the stuff going on and go down like ninepins. I remeber seeing a rugby team come in once and about half of them flaked out.
OP there will always be idiots in the world please don't feel bad about what one stupid individual stranger said.

What did your GM say to this dick of a woman? I hope she put her in her place.

I totally feel for you, it’s a horrible condition and you feel awful during and after. I have done the same on many occasions, as child and adult including waiting with relatives on at least 2 occasions for an ambulance to arrive after accidents and visiting people in hospital.
One method I heard of very recently, is to clench and release the muscles in your stomach and/or legs etc, this keeps the blood pressure up. I recently tried it and it worked.
Ignore that horrible woman, she’s not worth worrying about x

Outrageous! Not only is it none of her business, but you can't help it if you faint. I occasionally faint both with blood and because I have low blood pressure. I never got anything other than sympathy and support.

Forget about this experience - she was wrong.

An inconsquensial person you encountered in life . Dismiss it . Hope your mother recovers, it's awful when damage is done on the legs takes ages to heal .

What that woman said to you was unjustified and uncalled-for. But to be “shaken” by it after the event is a bit delicate.

There are so many dicks in the world talking total rubbish, plenty on MN for example.
Horrible situation for your party without some random moron making contents then carrying on with after the event.

How dare she! That was completely uncalled for.

Ask yourself this - have you read up on how this happens?

Fainting at the sight of blood is a reflex known as vasovagal syncope, triggered by an overreaction of the nervous system. The sight of blood causes a sudden surge in anxiety followed by a sharp drop in heart rate and blood pressure, reducing blood flow to the brain and resulting in fainting

DH has fainted twice with DD in hospitals. He does not do it on purpose. He can't help it.

Instead of helping in a crisis, that woman actively sought to make it worse. She isn’t owed you mental energy.

Going forward, I do think you should seek out CBT and exposure therapy. Most of the time I think people should get a pass for phobias. A phobia can limit a life, but so can many other medical conditions that can’t be changed. If only the person is impacted, it shouldn’t matter. However, if you are a parent, this is a particularly bad phobia to have.

Im saying this as a person who has two serious phobias, slopes and claustrophobia. No one but me is hurt by my fear of slopes. I’m not coordinated enough to ski anyway so that was never going to be a family holiday. My husband is immunocompromised though, so I have had to learn to wear a mask. I still hate it and limit the time as much as possible, but I can do it now without a full blown panic attack.

your family needs you to address this one. There won’t always be someone else available to help.

She probably hadn't understood what happened and probably thought you were drunk or attention seeking.

The problem is that by not addressing it, you are making yourself become a problem when someone else needs help. So people will get annoyed. If you were a parent, you wouldn't have the luxury of such a phobia. You'd have to seek therapy so that you can at least compose yourself enough to leave the room or something. It's like men fainting when their wives are in childbirth - most people would understand but have very limited sympathy for it.

It isn't always a phobia @SpringTime4493oq1 . It is a reflex action.

I wish people would understand the difference. DH is not phobic about blood. He was in hospital for 6 weeks last year and had bloods taken most days and was fine.

But if the unexpected happens then he faints.

It isn't a phobia, and he can't help it, so no amount of CBT is going to help.

What you experienced is called a vasovagal reaction and it's not something you can necessarily control (although applied tension technique can help).

I don't think at all that it's something which should be considered to be selfish. Of course yes if you know that you have a reasonable chance of being exposed to blood etc then it would make sense to look into CBT or similar to teach the coping mechanism. But most people don't expect to see blood/injuries day to day!

That's very odd for her to have a go at you once, let alone twice.

She probably thought you were drunk.

That would make more sense but still unacceptable to have a go.