[jojotoo]

You know, you can only smell if you breathe through your nose. Try just breathing through your mouth.

[Hnebun]

Hello-
When working in LTC facility, I always breathed thru my mouth while chewing gum or a mint at the same time....it really helped me not to gag.j

Or you could stick cotton up your nose and tell everyone you are having severe nasal problems ...ha ha!

[barbara1]

Originally Posted by lhenson

I am in desparate need for some help! I am having serious trouble controlling my gag reflex when faced with very strong odors, ie. cleaning c-diff patients, obtaining stool samples, etc. My clinincal instructor has given me an ultimatum-handle it or else- so please help with any suggestions!

Thanks!

A bit of ginger under the nose works wonders - either fresh (although not practical!) or in an oil. Perfumes tend to be dangerous since people (patients, families, co-workers) are often sensitive or allergic. Good luck!

[TriageRN_34]

I use the ol vicks thing all the time when faced with very bad odors. A little in my nares and wow...things aren't so bad!

One time in RN school I had to help a Rn change a dressing on a patient with a necrotic decube all along his spine. The smell was the most horrific pungent smell I have ever encountered! I had to hold the patient to the side and my nose was basically hovered over the wound! not to mention it was a sight that also made for gagging material!

Two other students were in the room observing, one fainted the other one threw up. So I was stuck holding this man and knew I couldn't vomit or faint or I would drop the pt! So I just thought to myself...Okay..ummmm you are fertilizing your garden...that is it...think of it as fertilizer...you can handle fertilizer (and not look at the wound). Thank goodness that helped...I just thought of it as something smelly I could handle better.

LOL...I swear though, I took so many showers after that and still smelled it...LOL! EWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Now I keep that vicks in my pocket...you never know when a smell will hit you!

[RunnerRN]

Originally Posted by jojotoo

You know, you can only smell if you breathe through your nose. Try just breathing through your mouth.

I've tried that - then you just TASTE c diff.
And trust me, once you've tasted c diff, you associate that every time you smell it. Think I need to vomit again

[Mudwoman]

Breathe through your mouth. When it is really bad, pretend you have to get something out of the linen room or something and get out in the hall and get control. It is mind over matter many times. Whatever you do, turn your back or something and never let the patient see you gag.

[NREMT-P/RN]

For the record. As a paramedic a "corpse" of several days duration in a trailer "home" in 90 degree heat will have me breaking out the SCBA - no question. First of all, the "patient" really doesn't need my services at that point and the Vicks ain't gonna touch that funk. I would try to leave that job to the coroners when ever possible, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

As a medic, I'd find myself fairly motion sick at times, add something foul in a closed space and well... I had a little success when I would use the pressure point wrist bands. (might have helped a little)?

Now, I can and have vomited several times (not proud of it, but not planned either) as a medic and a nurse - sometimes you just can't help it - so.... (its not a character flaw or weakness). I think there are certain "things" that just get us! For me its snot - generally not much smell, but ick!!! (And the idea of NEVER letting the patient see you get sick is kinda funny - I think as long as you don't vomit on the patient - its not like you can help it, really). Ease up on yourself. It happens and it generally is NOT an indication of your competence or caring!

BEST FOR ME: I have found that a mask is essential and really strong (think Altoids) mints/gum and mouth breathing does curtail some of the impulse - I think a part of "it" is mental, so think about something else (baseball, the presidents - etc) while cleaning the poo helps too.

There are some sprays that some hospitals use for odors that work okay - spray in advance is a good practice. There are other patients to think about - and they can probably smell it too! Caution: I recently had a nurse use this device that was hooked up to compressed air at the bedside as an aerosol odor control device - I thought it would kill me before the smell

Good Luck!


FUNNY STORY:

There were these 2 ladies that shared a room at a local nursing home. One of the "ladies", although capable of going to the dining room for breakfast - preferred to "dine in" her room, so she was furnished a regular tray. The other "lady" was a bit less mobile with a different diet.

Well, as the breakfast trays were passed every morning - the less "mobile" lady insisted on going to the bathroom - starting the day with a good bowel movement. (Regularity is good?, right) Eventually this "lady" decided that a bedpan was an even better option (and it really set off the roommate). So when the breakfast trays were passed she immediately requested a bedpan.

Well, the other "lady" was not going to be run off (she had a right to eat in her room!) and although a source of irritation she continued to refuse to dine in the dining room.

The CNA went to the room after the trays were "passed" and found the mobile "lady" absent from the room. The breakfast tray was untouched with a napkin note on top. "Will be back when the S******* stops!" It was spelled out in capital letters - I edited here!

Think about it. It never really stops, does it? They kept the napkin as a reminder - thought it might even make a good tee shirt slogan! (Kidding..) Personally, I think Ms. Bedpan stinky poo has won!

[lhenson]

You guys are great! I know about the "tasting" c-diff. I smelled/tasted it all evening yesterday. I kept checking my scrub, etc., to make sure there wasn't something on me somewhere. Thanks for the encouragement, too. I really felt like I was the only one in the world with this degree of a problem. I've already bought the vicks, got a anti-nausea script, and am starting the mind over matter/desensitization route. I KNOW that my instructor will give me the same problem to deal with for my clinical exam, so I've got to be able to handle it. Thanks for everything!

[leslasic]

I used to think "easier said than done", but ONLY mouth-breathing really does work! Do NOT breathe through your nose under any circumstances in a sitation where you are encountering bad smells!

I recently had a GI bleed patient, and had to get a stool sample from the bedside commode. If you've been around a GI bleed before, you know how horrible it smells.. and LOOKS! YIKES! I was able to do what I needed to do by concentrating on breathing through my mouth and sort of taking my mind away from what I was doing when I was scooping up all that ick....

Now, I'm not saying it's pleasant. No way. But at least I can deal with it without gagging.

Hope it works for you!

[AfloydRN]

I put on a mask and put 2 drops of peppermint oil in the mask. No bad smells anymore. Peppermint oil can be sent to you from the pharmacy.