Fainting question (fear of needles)?

Ok, so i have an ultimate fear of needles.. I was close to passing out last time i had blood drawn from my arm, i have to do it again today and the thought of it makes me weak.
I was lying down last time on a bed when i had it taken from me and i nearly fainted. Will lying down completly prevent me from fainting or will it just minimalise the chance? If i were to faint what would happen also?

I have the same problem and have fainted and they just got me to wake up and gave me some water.So now the only way i can do it is to lay down to get blood drawn or get a shot so if i do pass out i am laying down.

dave?

I dont get the fear of needles thing. If they had to like use a snake to draw blood then maybe id be a little nervous, but its just a little needle. You will hardly feel it if at all.

Just look away and dont think about it. Talk to a nurse to get distracted.

Just relax and look away. Don't watch them take the blood. Focus on something on the wall or somewhere else in the room. Talk about something to the nurse. Or, close your eyes and picture yourself somewhere that you really enjoy. Do you like the beach or going camping, etc.? Picture yourself in your favorite place. If you faint or start to faint they will probably use smelling salts to bring you around. I almost fainted after a procedure I had done last week and she used smelling salts and then gave me some juice. Mine wasn't from fear, it was from the procedure but I'm sure it would be the same.

Lie down, and get your legs elevated on something. Like the other poster said don't look at the needle.

How did your fear develop? Did you have a bad experience when you were a kid? Sometimes that's the key to breaking the habit of being afraid.

A good tech can do the blood draw with little or even no pain, and I think the anticipation of pain is part of what drives needle fear.

If this is a problem for you consider getting a little counseling for anxiety. The stress reduction techniques for anxiety can be helpful with situational fear like blood draws.