Waiting room

[Marci4]

This morning my husband and I went to the hospital where he was getting an eye laser correction surgery which lasted 30 seconds. But, before that, we waited in the waiting room for almost 2 hours and I got to experience two different situations that grossed me out. One was the lady sitting next to me who was sitting quietly until she answer her phone and open her mouth..... a terrible smell came out!!!! OMG I couldn't breathe.

The second situation was when another lady sat in front of me with two Jackson Pratt devices hanging from her shirt. You can see the tubes coming out of the bottom part of her shirt and the device attached to the upper part. Both the tubes and the devices filled with reddish fluid. Isn't suppose to be hiding?????!!!!!!!! I understand if you are in a hospital bed, but in a eye center waiting room? in the elevator? in the parking lot?

I just wanted to share with you my experience and ask you what do thing is the best treatment for bad breath and which other gross experiences you have out of context.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

That's my point: the JP should be tuck in a pocket.

Says YOU

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

She did apologize.

I think sometimes we forget how shocking medical stuff is to non-medical people.

I would hope the majority would just feel empathy and hope the person gets better.

Except OP IS a nurse!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Except OP IS a nurse!

I am thinking one who has never practiced......................

[boogalina, ADN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN]

It's not all that darn easy to deal with JP drains once discharged.

One near and dear to me was told to just "safety pin it outside the shirt at the neck." He didn't like this option, and decided to get some t-shirts and sew a pocket on the inside of the shirt, behind the chest pocket for modesty, yet easy access for emptying the drain.

Now, think what it would be like to have drains where you couldn't reach them easily, or a lack of money/sewing machine to make clothing to accommodate them to keep them out of the public eye.

We could all be a bit more charitable toward one another, including yours truly.

It's not easy being a patient, we should remember that.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Deleted.

[Z71RN]

offended by the site of a simple jp drain...the smell of bad breath literally "takes your breath away." i would have been laughing my head off at those people in the waiting room!

[Marci4]

Thank you for all the members that understand that a person could be wrong or have different opinions, likes, and dislikes. We are humans and different. I will appreciate if the repplies are a little more friendly and nice. We can teach each other and explain why somebody is wrong but without attacking or being ironic.

Nursing is my second career, my first is teaching (preschool and elementary for almost 30 years) and when my students are wrong I don't hurt them, I teach them and show them the right way to solve problems.

Once again, I apologize if my comments were hurtful., it was not my intention.

I am looking forward to writing about more topics and wish they are very welcome.

Marci4

[DeeAngel]

That horrible breath could likely be untreated periodontal disease. It can be bad enough to smell across a room when some people open their mouth and yes it can literally take your breath away. No amount of flossing or brushing is going to fix people in this condition, they need Periodontal surgery.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I am sorry Altra and Aurora77, I didn't expect those comments, they seem a little rude. I just wanted to share my experience. I am new to All Nurses and always wanted to start a topic. My expectations were some kind of responses about my 2 questions: best treatment for bad breath and things that you saw, if any, out of the hospital environment that not all people (including children) should be seeing.

I am a LPN (not working as one) and also future LPN to RN student, and I did not freak out, it was my husband who did and other people in the waiting room who were looking to the JP and putting faces of discomfort.

I'm sorry you're offended, Marci, but your post did seem pretty strange for a nursing forum.

Best treatment for bad breath depends upon the cause of the bad breath -- but in your situation it was none of your business.

As far as JPs with drainage -- I fail to see how it is that they're so offensive that people (including children) should not be seeing such things. It seems to me to be an ideal teaching moment for parents with children: here is someone that has real troubles. We should be nice and polite to them and not call attention to their drains in any negative way. Grown ups should be able to do that. Even your husband.

I am a breast cancer survivor, and yes, I went out in public with my drains after my bilateral lumpectomy and reconstruction. I sat in the waiting room of my oncologist's office with them, in the surgeon's waiting room and in the waiting room of the radiology suite. I also sat in the waiting room of an eye clinic so I could pick up the glasses I'd ordered before I knew I had cancer. People were kind to me -- no one made obvious "faces of discomfort." I'm glad I did not encounter you and your husband in any of the various waiting rooms I was in -- the two of you making faces might just have been offensive to me and as upset as I was over having cancer in the first place, I might have told you to look away or wait elsewhere if it bothered you so much!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

That's my point: the JP should be tuck in a pocket.

I don't think you're getting it. And you're a nurse? I can't believe it!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Hey, I think it's okay to back off the OP now. I've said many many things that sounded good in my head at the time. Sometimes they have escaped my lips (or fingers). Thankfully I have people close to me that point out how insensitive I can sound at times. I hope I have learned from those times to be more sensitive. Let's give Marci4 a chance to learn before she gets too ganged up on.

The thing is, people read the original post and react to the clulessness, judgement and and insensitivity displayed there and reply before they page down and see the apology.

As for my comments, not deliberately intending to hurt the OP, but having appeared in public with JPs after my breast cancer surgery, that original post made me LIVID. My comments were hoping to educate her.

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

That's my point: the JP should be tuck in a pocket.

IMO, the drains need to be wherever the patient and MD have discussed - if they have talked about it. I have seen JPs taped or pinned in a loop in different areas as to not pull on the drain or undue stress on the incision site.

Sure the patient could have put on something else to hide the drain - it might have been painful to do anything else but what he had done with it when u saw him.

Anne, RNC