[maggijo]

Are there any nurses out there who have a fear of vomit, the stomach bug, etc.? Are there other things that really gross you out that you encounter as a nurse?
I was on magnesium sulfate with my last pregnancy to stop preterm labor and it made me throw up and I swear the nurse was grossed out. She got out of there as fast as she could.
Anyway, can I become a nurse if I am afraid of vomit? I know I will see it a lot and have to deal with it and clean it up, but is anyone else dealing with this?

[collegebound]

This is a biggie for me. I can handle just about anything, except vomit. Even the sound of it starts me gagging. I have two kids and every one said it wasn't as bad with your own kids. Boy were they wrong!!! I just hope I won't make a fool of myself in NS because I know at some point I will have to deal with it. Hopefully, we can get some experienced advise about this one--I'll need all the help I can get!

[Larry77]

Everybody has their "one thing" that really gets to them. Me it's the pt's with traches who cough up that gnarly ball of sputum...ugh. A close second is the nasty yeast infected rolls or ladies parts....ewww. Now emesis...piece of cake

[Nurse`Chief~Chickie]

Yup, theres always the 'one' thing!
Mines sputum. I hate to say it , see it, clean it, chart it. eeeccchhh.
You'll get used to dealing with stuff you think is gross, I was afraid of needles, being stuck and sticking. Now I totally dig IV starts n drawing blood!

[Ginger35]

For me, I would have to say that the vomiting really depends on the kind of wrenching and smell. Sometimes I am okay and other times I am right there with the patient ready to chuck with them.

What I really can not take are the colostomies or ileostomies....I can not even stand to have a look at them, let alone change the bags with the undigested food mixed in - eeewwww (ileostomies). I will trade anyone with a trach any day for one of these. But that is just me.

Blood, guts, goobers, poop, and some vomit - I'm okay. But for me - I would have to say that the ileostomies are the worst!!!

As mentioned above - everyone has their one thing!

[sanctuary]

Yup, sputum. I'll do emesis, stool, blood and wounds, but when someone wants to show me what he just hacked up from the bottom of his bellybutton, I have to really focus on being professional. Can't stand hearing anybody do that soft-palate "gnnnn" sound to pull nasopharengeal drainage down either.

[vamedic4]

I'm with those of you who hate vomit...nassstyyyy!! My very first call as a new EMT (20 years ago) was for a drunk driver...she vomited on my shoes. I stunk the rest of the night...and to this day I can't stomach the smell!
Poop? No problem, Funky Body Odor? That one gets me too. We also have a lot of families around here who have a real problem using soap on their feet...ugh....

[slou!]

This topic has come up a lot, and I am glad!
Seriously everyone knows I have a horrible "fear" of vomit. Well, I am getting better at it. I am trying to because I know I can't NOT be around it if I am a nurse! I am a pre-nursing student so I have time. lol what I started off doing was every time there is a "clean up" needed at work, which actually happens more than one would think, I do it. I may run away gagging through out the middle of it but it's better than running away gagging at the sight of it and leaving it for someone else to clean up! This seems to be helping and I think it is all I can currently take. I was actually embarassed at first with this, because I thought "how can I be a nursing major and can't take vomit?" but I guess I will just have to deal. Know that you are definitely not alone, if you search you will see this is actually a common topic, suprisingly but reassuringly

It could be worse though, you could have a fear of blood! Yes, a girl on my floor is actually a nursing major and can not stand the sight of blood and refuses to look at it. She tenses up everytime someone gets a papercut, even. I think she might come into a bit of trouble in clinicals and beyond!

[jo272wv]

I know that this is a real problem for some nurses, but I have to laugh a little at the situation. I do not have anything that truely makes me sick so I do not know what you go through. I find it amazing that we can clean up urine, bm, sputum, but get sick with vomit or any one of the other.

For all of you that do get ill over these, my heart goes out to you when you have to clean it up. Good luck and keep up the good work.

[banditrn]

The first time I had to clean BM, I thought I'd die, but I have to say that after all these years, very little bothers me - except those people who bathe in perfume or aftershave.
As long as I have gloves on, I feel invincible.