I have definitely gotten a little dizzy and light headed a few times. I noticed some common themes of when that happens:
- Empty stomach – If you’re feeling pretty hungry, just go eat lunch. Don’t try to power through. It makes for lower quality observations, and queasy feelings.
- Not enough water – Definitely bring a water bottle when shadowing.
- Overthinking – This is a big one for me. Sometimes when I’m watching a surgery, I start to think, “This is a live animal”, or, “listen to the sound the skin makes when it gets cut”. Don’t get in your own head. I like to watch from what I call a scientific viewpoint. The anatomy, and art of surgery is fascinating.
I actually had one day where I think the only reason I didn’t pass out was my embarrassment imagining it. Granted, if you do pass out, don’t let that stop you from coming back. Each vet I shadow tells me it has happened, and it’s completely understandable. Just step out of the surgery room if you feel like you might. It was the first surgery I watched that wasn’t a spay or neuter. It was a bladder stone removal. I really didn’t want to miss it, but it was well after lunch time, and I had been watching surgeries all morning. I was experiencing everything I listed above. I was really hungry, and my head hurt a little bit from not drinking enough. I thought too much about the fact that the vet had just cut into the bladder and was scooping out weird little stones. I stepped out, got a drink and sat down.
Everything went dark and quiet but I focused my mind really hard on repeating song lyrics, to try to keep my mind functioning. It felt like a long time, but after less than 10 minutes I was able to go back in and watch the suturing and take a look at the bladder stones. Nobody said anything about it to me and it hasn’t happened again.