HELP! Masking the smell of feces!

Nursing Students General Students

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I am a first-year nursing student in my second semester of Clinical rotations. My biggest fear in pursing Nursing was not being able to contain my disdain for foul smells. Last night was my first true test on how I might be able to handle said situations and in my eyes I failed massively. I can stare at and watch some of the most grotesque things but the minute the smell hits my nares I'm donezo. Last night I was simply the holder/pusher while my classmate did the actual dirty work but even that almost had me on the verge of vomiting right where I was standing. I tried thinking of a million other things than what was perspiring. I even attempted to breath through my mouth, however, my jaw was clenched shut for fear of what would happen if I opened my mouth. All humor aside,(or not) I walked out feeling defeated and questioned if I am capable of being a "good" nurse. I'm begging for advice/tips/encouragement. Anything to take with me next week to clinical's!

-Sincerely.

Wintergreen lifesavers or altoids.

What a good idea. Thanks.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical / Palliative/ Hospice.

I put Carmex in my nose during my entire first year of hospital nursing... ha ha. It really does get better.

Specializes in Emergency and Critical Care.

menthol/vicks works pretty good they even use it in the morgue.

Specializes in Med Surg, Perinatal, Endoscopy, IVF Lab.

I don't like vicks. I find that it OPENS the nasal passages and makes me smell it all worse. I prefer a little air freshener on the inside of a mask.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

In our clinical group, our 1st instructor always had lavender oil and spearmint lifesavers. Both help cut down on the smell, at least if you have some warning about cleaning up said foul odor and can take the time to use!

Specializes in Cath Lab.

I buy little tubes of regular chapstick that come in different flavors that are really strong and if I walk into a room and know I'm going to need it, I excuse myself with the patient and say "I just nweed to put some chapstick on real quick" and I rub it right below my nose. Patient's have never caught on and think I'm just putting it on my lips.

It doesnt completly get rid of the smell but it does take the edge off. I wouldn't recommend anything minty because it seems to open the nasal passages and makes the smell worse.

Banking off of the original poster's topic....I had a unit manager as a tech pull me into the office and say I was being rude when I cough when cleaning a patient. I have a bad gag reflex. How do you deal with that scenario if faced with it again?

It also seems to only involve feces with me as well. It doesn't matter if it's a patient, changing a cat litter box at home, the stench from the dairy farming cows behind us, or even getting off the can myself.

Every person in health care has something. The aids I work with cannot deal with vomit...but I'm fine with it. I knew a doctor who could not deal with bugs in a person and one night had to deal with a child and a cockroach in its ear. Everyone has something. If you have a gag reflex to feces....how do you control it or deal I think a unit manager in that situation if asked to explain yourself?

try this awesome invention invented by a nurse to cover smells stankbusterpen.com just scribble on the outside of your mask before you put it on works wonders.

Feces? That's the CNA's problem. After you graduate, it will be up to you whether or not you want to work in a setting where you have to deal with feces.

Feces? That's the CNA's problem. After you graduate, it will be up to you whether or not you want to work in a setting where you have to deal with feces.

Feces is not just a CNA problem.

If I'm wearing a mask I use either peppermint oil or Vicks. If not, I put as much peppermint oil as possible up my nose. (Smells are also my Kryptonite). If I have to mouth breathe I put the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth and just barely part my lips (makes it slightly less obvious).

Best of luck to you! I totally understand where you are coming from.

Bunny's gotta harden up..

Get hold of a suitably-sized fresh road kill subject,

& keep it nearby, while it ripens..

..'til you figure you can hack most anything else..

Hey, just wait 'til you have to deal with bowel oncology patient issues..

Seriously though, that stomal deodorant is pretty efficacious.

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