Sure, no problem

allnurses Guide · Oct 14, 2017

I get e-mails almost daily that say "Can you please talk with student about...Thanks!"
Topics I have been asked to address include long, dirty nails, over sleeping, eating right, getting enough water, and now today farting in class.
*****! Unless this kid is farting loudly to be funny there is NOTHING I am going to do. Some people are gassy. If his parents feed him broccoli and brussels sprouds I am certainly not going to tell him not to eat his veggies. Unless his gas is painful or accompanied by cramping, diarrhea, or constipation, I'm hesitant to even suggest a food diary to track the cause.
But, still, I always respond "Sure, no problem".
It is a problem. I have a stack of 300 vaccine records to put into the EMR. I am trying to arrange vision screenings. I have to follow up on missing action plans. I have two vomiting kids in my clinic today. And for the love of all this sacred it is FRIDAY.

I read somewhere that the average person fast's, passes gas, breaks wind about 20 to 30 times in 24 hours - just send back an e-mail "EVERYBODY FARTS"

Hppy

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2017

My grandpa told me once that his doctor said holding in your farts causes diverticulitis.
Now, I know that is not true, but it's a great defense for being gassy.
And I don't know what they want me to do. They called his mom, he has no digestive disorders.

Take Beano and there'll be no gas. LOL

Simethicone?

aprilmoss · Oct 15, 2017

Refer your Librarian (er, um...Media Specialist) to this book....Almost Everybody Farts: Marty Kelley: 9781454919544: Amazon.com: Books

OhioBPH · Oct 16, 2017

The kid came down and apparently has painful gas at home, and does get a pass to the restroom to fart, but on this day the teacher was too busy and he felt like he couldnt interrupt to ask for a pass. So.......I asked him to keep a food diary and talk with his mom.

Cattz, ADN · Oct 16, 2017

For these kinds of "problems". Unless it is first hand knowledge to me, I explain to the teacher that it is much more embarrassing for the student for me to talk about this kind of stuff. Since then they know that the teacher actually came to me with this "concern".

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2017

See- great intervention!!! Good job. When a teacher makes that kind of referral I ask them to come down with the student so we all can discuss the issue....

OhioBPH · Oct 16, 2017

Unfortunately in our school many teachers refer these things to a "preventionist" who does...I'm not sure what, with an at-risk for something student population. And then she sends it to me. So often it has turned into what seems like gossip. I wish the teachers who notice an issue would just pull the student aside and tell them they should come here to talk to me about whatever the issue is (often its dirty fingernails) or give them a pass to come to the clinic and write on the pass why. Instead of e-mailing around several staff and then me needing to find a class I'm willing to pull them from.

NanaPoo · Oct 16, 2017

I was asked by a first grade teacher to speak to her student about nose-picking.

I wanted to say, "let me pull out my Nose Picking 101 textbook tonight for a review then I'll be glad to talk to the precious little guy!"

OhioBPH · Oct 17, 2017

I was asked by a first grade teacher to speak to her student about nose-picking.
I wanted to say, "let me pull out my Nose Picking 101 textbook tonight for a review then I'll be glad to talk to the precious little guy!"

This one gets me. Often habitual nose picking is a nervous habit, like nail biting. If you intervene it's likely the child will pick up something else, like a previous nail biter becomig a nose picker, or a nose picker becoming a genital rearranger. Or disruptive fidgeting. A family friend asked me to talk with her son about picking his nose and eating it. I wish I could have refered her to a nervous habit counselor.