What freaks you out?

Trach lugies! Nothing worse!

Okay, I guess I'm done with lunch now. Several things give me the heeby-jeebies (or the gaggies). In no particular order:

--vomit (esp. the smell)
--lower GI bleeds (definitely the smell)
--some mouth care, as discussed on another thread, esp. brushing crusty old stained dentures [dry heave]
--any abdominal wound so large that I can fit my arm up to the elbow in it and it takes 24 rolls of Kerlix per dressing change
--anything where I have to use a flashlight (or wear a miner's helmet)to see what I'm doing, as in the previous dressing change or putting in a Foley in some large elderly women ["I'm going in--if I'm not back in 30 minutes, send in a search party"]
--any sputum that isn't crystal clear
--anything to do with fingernails, like removing a nail or evacuating a hematoma--I get sympathy pains

Sometimes it's the weirdest things that freak you out. The first time I helped a neurosurgeon put in a ventriculostomy at the bedside, watched him freeze the scalp--no problem. Drill the burrhole--no problem. When he threaded that big knitting needle through the scalp to secure the catheter, the veteran ICU nurse standing next to me and I both went, "Eeeewwwww!" The surgeon started laughing and said, "Okay, NOW you're going to get grossed out?"

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!

I knew a nurse that couldn't handle dentures! She told me it was worse in the old days before gloves and people would just pop 'em out and hand them to ya!

Funny thing, when growing up, my great grandmother lived in a long term setting. I remember the smell. I used to call it "old people smell". When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the only thing I knew for sure, I couldn't be a nurse. My first job as a nurse?........ Nursing home. Funny how things work out....The grossest (is that a word?) thing that I ever encountered in this job? A little old lady who deteriiorated so quickly, it still freaks me out. One day she walked around, catatonic like, the next, bedridden. Despite meticulous skin care....she became covered in large fluid filled blisters, almost overnight. By about week two, there was a cavity around her coccyx area that tunneled in so deep, you could clearly see her spine. The dressing changes were terrible. I left that job shortly after........ mud

I don't believe i'm going to tell these stories, but here goes....

I lost it TWICE in my whole career.... both in nursing school. I HATED ob/gyn & peds [no surprise that I'm a Gerontological nurse]. I BEGGED my teacher to NOT make me watch a live child birth. Of course, she taught me who was boss, and sent me into the delivery room with another classmate, Kelly. I kept telling Kelly, I was going to 'lose it' and she kept telling me: "no you're not, you're fine....now shut up." I backed all the way up [until the wall prevented me from backing up further].... then the baby came out, and so did my lunch. I think the patient was offended, I know her husband was- the Dr.'s & nurses just looked at me with disgust. Kelly was upset all she could say was 'you always embarass us- no matter where we go!'

The second time was during a circumcision of a newborn. All I could remember was the baby's screams echoing in the back of my head, finally, I recall a 'wave' of green cascade over my visual field, and I felt like I was asleep. I heard my teacher yell 'oh my God, there he goes.' She tried to grab me, but dropped me. The next thing I remember was being on a stretcher looking at the stained ceiling tiles.

As you can imagine,when I get together with nursing school friends, the conversation ALWAYS comes around to.... "Do you remember when Tim..." and then I know what's coming next.

lets see I do fine with just about what ever is thrown at me with excetion of those nasty gag reflexing luggies that dont come out. But once in our small town ER we had this farmers wife come in with an unable to void problem she was nasty hadnt bathed in years senerio I was working with an agency RN (this was back when I was a Tech) when we went to cath her we found chicken feathers the nurse lost it. and I was traumatized for ever. ewwwyyaaaak

This is a great thread! I must admit that as a student so far one of the worst for me has been the GI bleed pt with the blood that just kept coming and coming! Unbelievable smell- even the guys were shaking their heads over that one. Also, I hate dealing with NG canisters. That just does not seem right. I keep thinking of what it would be like if that stuff slipped out of my hand and hit the floor...

As a Respiratory Therapist/RN/EMT i have seen it all and i can honestly say i must have an iron stomach!!! Nothing bothers me. I can talk about or even be in a procedure and then go get lunch. All the other nurses on the floor come to get me to suction their patients. Sputum definitely is the one thing that grosses everyone out!!! I'm sure i'll find something to turn my stomach in time.

These are all hilarious. I am still laughing over Rex's chicken feathers! Mucus is what freaks me out. Walk9, you Respiratory Therapists are very gifted people. What used to freak me out was when I had to take this elderly lady's glass eye out every night to clean it. You had to stick your finger in the corner of her eye and pop it out. I finally got used to it and it was no big deal. I couldn't wait to train the next nurse to do this.