[all_dressed_in_white]

This thread has been a great comfort to me, knowing that im not alone, so thankyou everyone who has contributed.
I havent even finished uni yet, but already having physical and mental health problems, they flare up and seem to make study/work placement and casual home care work almost impossible. Im terrified of not being able to cope in my first year out. But knowing that it seems pretty common does offer some strange ironic kind of comfort.
By the way, the Mum thing. I totally agree. I havent had children yet and constantly feel less capable because of it. Mothers have already had to master extreem stress, multitasking, time management, liability and care. I almost wonder wether i should take time off and have kids before entering the workforce, because i truely do believe it makes nurses just so much stronger and resilient.

[Morettia2]

I noticed that my IBS has been at an all time high, GERD too, I have constant stomach aches, acid reflux to the point where I wake up and my mouth is black from back flow of acid in my stomach during the night(happened to me as a kid so it didn't sacre me), vomiting, constantly in the bathroom after I eat the smallest thing..and well somethings that my GI doc. would kill me if he knew. I have put my self on a bland diet, but I have been dealing with this IBS for almost 19 years. And I made the mistake of confiding in a co-worker..then everyone asked me if I was pregnant I SAID NO, they persued the face and I had to announce to the entir staff that I had my PERIOD..that shut them up.. I am almost 11 months into my first year. I was first Dx as a kid at 9 y.o., I am 27 now..it acted up in college a bit probably from the drinking I did.hehe..but I noticed the last month or so, it's awful. I have been at my job like I said for about 10 months. It was fine up untill a few weeks ago, no big event triggered it, BUT I think that the fact that my family is in another state andI have't seen them in 2 months, b/c of my schedule and I just found out my best friend at work got another job at another hosp. in another state and is moving, maybe is what triggred it....

[november551]

I work with a nurse that drinks half a bottle of pepto-bismo everyday before work - and the other half at lunch time.

One time she got pulled to a different floor and she was telling me she had to drink 2 bottles of it that day.

I dunno, I never really had psychosomatic health problems like that when I started.

[Morettia2]

Originally Posted by november551

I work with a nurse that drinks half a bottle of pepto-bismo everyday before work - and the other half at lunch time.

One time she got pulled to a different floor and she was telling me she had to drink 2 bottles of it that day.

I dunno, I never really had psychosomatic health problems like that when I started.

uhh...I could never drink that much pepto. You poop black when you drink pepto.

FUNNY story off topic, but my dad a few years ago was really sick and was convinced he had a GI bleed b/c he had black stools. I had told him that he had drank pepto, and if he bothered to look on the bottle it says "may cause black stools", I even went to the point of highlighting it on the bottle with a marker.He was not having any part of what I was saying. So he called his MD, the MD sent him home with a FOBT to do at home. He did it and OF COURSE it was negative. The MD said to him, "It is from the pepto you were drinking, it causes black stools". My dad said to me, "Oh I guess u are right, wow nursing school is really paying off", My dad never doubeted my advice agian, and espically since now he thinks that RN=home doctor...hahaha I love my dad, he's like Clark Grizwald from National Lampoons Vacation..hahaha

[janfrn]

I'd be far more concerned with salicylate toxicity than I would be with black poop. The maximum recommended dosage per day is 240 mL or 16 tablespoons of the regular strength or half that for the extra-strength. The economy-size bottles of regular Pepto Bismol contain twice as much as that, the maximum strength three times. There are a significant number of other meds that interact with bismuth subsalicylate that could cause serious problems. This nurse is treading on dangerous ground and could find herself barfing up blood, or worse.

[november551]

Don't ask me, I'm just going by what she told me. I haven't actually witnessed it. Maybe she's exaggerating. The fact of the matter is that she gets a super upset stomach every day before work. I'll certainly bring it to her attention though.