[earle58]

as much as i dislike cleaning up a mess, i dislike it even more, to see a pt laying in it.
i dislike it even more, to observe their horror and embarrassment.

i can now brag that i'm a pro at cleaning a pt quickly, thoroughly and w/ease.

the benefits of seeing your pt cleansed, and w/dignity, far outweighs the labor involved in the actual act itself.

leslie

[HeartJulz]

Yes I agree sometimes when they do poop-yay! when they dont then get prepared to maybe do a fecal impaction and put in a suppository ... and also another thing that is sometimes hard is when they have a colostomy, but just learn to not breath in w out passing out!

[jla623]

I have the same sentiments toward poop and I was scared to death of it. Fortunately I semi-got-over-it. I am in my first semester and on my SECOND day of clinical I had to assist 3 others in giving a bed bath to a 400 lb screaming woman with fecal matter all over her entire back. It looked like the amount of poop an elephant might produce.... While holding her up while someone else wiped, I was gagging and vomited in my mouth and ended up swallowing it. It was very traumatic. I think after doing that I can handle any poop now! haha

[baldee]

Originally Posted by jla623

I have the same sentiments toward poop and I was scared to death of it. Fortunately I semi-got-over-it. I am in my first semester and on my SECOND day of clinical I had to assist 3 others in giving a bed bath to a 400 lb screaming woman with fecal matter all over her entire back. It looked like the amount of poop an elephant might produce.... While holding her up while someone else wiped, I was gagging and vomited in my mouth and ended up swallowing it. It was very traumatic. I think after doing that I can handle any poop now! haha

Can you please give us an example of an RN analysis of the poop texture, which gave you insight into the patients health that ultimately leads to a proactive plan for a speedy recovery? Exact texture descriptions and play-by-play analyses please

[sjaubert]

Maybe its basic but a lot of nurses i work with especially new have to ask more questions. If you think us oldsters will laugh maybe we won't and so what if a few do. Specifically some pointers on cleaning crap-if it smells too bad put on a mask and use the pad or something to cover it up quickly. I also can't tell you how irritating it is for betty joe new nurse to be so immaculate in trying to clean someone perfectly who has diarrhea while i'm holding the person. I know they do this to appear so concerned but have some mercy on the other caregiver and you also get more respect when you deal with it. Crapping is a fact of life and a lot of new nurses have a tough time dealing with it. Steve

[ranaazha]

Originally Posted by sjaubert

Crapping is a fact of life and a lot of new nurses have a tough time dealing with it.

HAHA! I love this!

I think we become immune to our own smell though...

[nursemike]

Originally Posted by ranaazha

HAHA! I love this!

I think we become immune to our own smell though...

While this does seem to be generally true, I've seen occassions where patients have been offended by the odor of their own BM. (They weren't alone!) Actually, at the risk of TMI, there have been times I've asked myself, "What the heck did I eat, yesterday?" and resolved to avoid it in the future.

[Katie B]

Hey Mike...I`ve been a nurse in geriatrics (mostly) for 25 years. It is scary (the poop thing) I never had children so I didn`t have the "diaper" experience. I think everyone after I few years develops something that basically grosses them out. We`re not saints or supernatural creatures. My thing after 25 years is pee and trach secretions. I`ve had to clean out my septic drain too many times to worry about poop. The human body is a factory you`re such diaposing of the waste products....or you can wear a mask with some Vicks under your nose. As an friend of mine does with the trach.....Good luck and welcome aboard!!

[dirtysleepynurse]

i am somewhat less scared of someone else's poop, but then again the first one wasn't that bad at all...although when i first smelled it, i blurted something which caught the attention of the cna, in turn illicited a not very happy response from her, as i scared her thinking the patient fell on the floor or something. anyway it was a learning experience, however here hoping to do it a few more times just to make sure i have gotten over my inordinate fear of poop. m

[dotherightthing]

On the subject of poop...it has different meanings to different patients, in different situations and it's just part of the job.

I worked neuro at a children's hospital and came across one of the ugliest RNs I've ever met.

An autistic kid, about 5 years old-didn't respond to human contact-had a BM-got into his diaper. His nurse found him laughing and happily smearing it all over himself and the crib. It was truly a mess but this kid never laughed so it was a joy to see him.

Disgusted, she said "Uh, it's like-I can't stand this kid" and was being pretty mean with him while cleaning him up. I just double-gowned and gloved up and told her I'd clean him and his bed.

Look at it from this autistic kid's point of view. He, for whatever reason, didn't respond to interaction but he finds something brown, warm, smelly, gooey-this stimulated his senses.

That RN should have been able to deal with that. She did not last long on that unit, maybe she found a cleaner, neater area to work in.