What Freaks You Out?

Goofball · Jul 2, 2001

Originally posted by Zee_RN
[ once she took a patient off a bedpan and it was full of BIG intestinal WORMS. I think I could handle leeches before BIG INTESTINAL WORMS!!!!). AAAAACCCKKK again! [/b]

Zee, I think you win this whole thread. I've never seen worms come out of anyone. i did once take care of a 20+-girl from Mexico in a coma who died that same shift, who the Drs. said had worms in her brain.But that's different kind of worms,

I think seeing the intestinal ones would make you swear off eating spaghetti forever.

nosilanurse · Jul 3, 2001

I once worked in a nursing/longterm care home where one woman would spit on everything and I mean everything, siderails, floor, walls, beding, everything !! We always wore gloves when working with her, I could have lost it many of times working with her. Also the sound of someone horking up a big lugy. AAAAKKK

:eek:

Also the smell of melena:o

Ted · Jul 3, 2001

green phlem!!

ted fiebke, rn

swacht · Jul 3, 2001

I've been a nurse for 10+ years and I can deal with almost everything that has been posted so far. Here are three on my list:

1. The smell of "wet" gangrene

2. The smell of a lower GI bleed's stool

3. Any thing that is stuck to an emesis basis that can't be simply dumped out, ie semi dried sputum or emesis

To all of us who have responded to this thread, I bet we are the ones who have been asked by loved ones, not to discuss certain things at meal time.

darby · Jul 3, 2001

Originally posted by dawngloves
I have a feeling the winner will be mucus. Gagging just thinking about it. I've seen 20 year veterans turn their heads while suctioning a trach! The noise alone! Slurrpp!

you hit the trach on the head,god bless us all, the vietnam war wa s the end of my stamina,the pieces of shells,mortar,powder,napalm,there is nothing but a crisp line of burned out,oh well i guess you have ever or not but the field hospital was my learning experience,memories whatever you call,or recall most of the civilian nurses will never have to remember or see, i am rambling i know but i am proud to be an american on this 4th of july,god love all...darby.

susanhrn · Jul 5, 2001

:eek: Crispy Critters that lose their crunchy body parts during dressing changes!

The only time I ever fainted was when a 98% partial & full thickness burn patient (used to be 2nd & 3rd degree) had a couple of crisped (black) fingers come off with the dressing. Next thing I knew I was on the floor. Poor patient mercifully died the next day. Came close to fainting when I suctioned actual lung tissue out of a smoke inhalation/burn patient. Tell you what, that's some rough looking (and smelling) stuff.

2LTCnurses · Jul 5, 2001

ANY teeth thing is GROSS! We have acouple of really yucky trach's right now on our floor in LTC......I can suction and go to lunch....no problem. The WORST is when they throw up and the teeth are FLOATING in the emesis basin!!!!!1 AHHHHHHHH!!!!

When I worked Med Surg we had an admit come in with maggots in a filthy diabetic ulcer.......that gave me the creepy crawlies when I had to clean them out!!!!!! :eek:

Goofball · Jul 6, 2001

Originally posted by hudson_rn

The only time I ever fainted was when a 98% partial & full thickness burn patient (used to be 2nd & 3rd degree) had a couple of crisped (black) fingers come off with the dressing.

Dang!!!!!!!! :eek:

Catsrule16, RN · Jul 14, 2001

I definitly agree with mucus as being the number one gross out thing in nursing. Still grosses me today.

Passed out twice in my career and not from lugies...

Had to do chest compressions on an 80 year old. 1st compression I felt ribs break under my hands... next thing I know the code is over and I'm in the corner. The patient was revived only to expire 2 hours later. Gave the family time to get there. Something about knowing I broke ribs scared me.

In Nursing School, I had to do dressing changes on a bilateral AKA amputee who's wounds had dehissed and gotten infected. The patient had pseudomonous in the wounds. Took the old dressings off, the odor filled the room and I hit the floor.

bizzkitt · Jul 14, 2001

Well, I'm not a nurse , yet, but eyeball injuries or surgery turns my stomach.

GERINRS · Jul 14, 2001

What the grossest thing I've seen has to be tunneling wounds with green stuff in them. Also, when Alzheimer's patients fingerpaint with their poop and pick the corn out of it to reeat it. Gross!!!!!

Share, share, share people! [/b] :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

sandigapeachlpn · Jul 14, 2001

okay these aren't as good as some but two things come to mind since i have been in nursing. the grossest things were in a small 3 md family practice in a very hick town. oh btw i love little hick towns. anyway, the people in the surrounding area pretty much treated us like their mini er. i was called to the back for an emergency that had walked in the back door. they had him come in the back because of the nail sticking out of his back. he was working on site building a house ;on the roof and somebody close by got careless with their nailgun. the nail was 9-10 inches in length and was embedded all the way up to the head of the nail. i am way upset looking at our 3 dr's and gently suggesting that he needs to 911 out of our little office setting. the poor guys afraid to breath, sit, move, etc. then my brilliant dr's inform me that they want me to xray him before he goes, it will help out the er! i have never been so freakin' careful during a cxr.

the next one i will never forget was a guy that cut sheet metal for a living. he calmly ambulated back to the triage area and told me he had cut his finger. i noticed of course that he had a big towel over his hand. he showed me the wound. it was relatively clean. and i felt that i had handled it well explained that since he was alone with no escort that we would have to send him by 911. then he pulled out his finger---what was left of it and handed it to me from his pant's pocket.

:eek: