Many years ago a friend of mine insisted that her husband get his blood cholesterol checked. At that time it involved taking a sample of blood. He was horribly afraid of needles. He clamped down on his vagus nerve so badly by stiffening up his abdominal region that he slowed his heart down so much that he passed out. The paramedics were called; he awoke to them starting an IV line which freaked him out even worse. He actually stopped his heart briefly while it was being monitored. The paramedics administered a bunch of drugs and took him to the hospital where they kept him for three days. Fortunately, he had insurance because even 40 years ago 3 days in a cardiac unit cost a small fortune. The cardiologists finally decided there was nothing wrong with him other than his extreme fear of needles and his unusually effective vagal reaction. He was told to avoid injections and IVs in the future.
You would think a wife would know this behavioral trait about her husband, but maybe the situation just never came up before. That’s a very personal thing one may not want to share with just anybody, even less so with woman you’re trying to impress while dating.