A bedbath NIGHTMARE!

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To anyone nurse who can sympathize,

Along with a million other issues since the beginning of my first semester in clinicals, I've been experiencing one particular problem that I can't seem to overcome.

One of the things we are expected to accomplish each week in the nursing home (where I am having my first clinical experience), is to give our assigned patient a complete bedbath. This doesn't really bother me. Seeing older people naked? No big deal. Talking to them? I love it. But when it comes to cleaning up the mess they've made overnight (particularly the feces), i start gagging every time and am unable to contain myself. I catch a wiff or even see a bit of the stuff in their Depends and I get all flustered and my eyes start watering. I always end up asking my partner to wipe their behinds while I just hold them steady on their side. I have yet to go through with it. Its terrible and I realized just how serious this was when about 3 weeks ago my patient at the time had a particularly bad BM.

It was everywhere and the smell! It stunk up the entire wing. Well, I caught one wiff of it and as hard as I tried I soon found myself in the patient's sink barfing my brains out.

Fortunately, I don't think the patient realized it because she has a bad case of dementia, she's nearly blind and deaf and her orientation to everything around her is well....not so good. But my partner was there of course and after she got over the fact that I had puked in the sink, she laughed about it for weeks and told nearly everyone in my clinical! She didn't tell my professor (THANK GOODNESS), but it was enough to leave me feeling pretty inadequate.

To my credit, I've never seen or cleaned anyone else's "stuff" but my own. I've never even changed a baby. So I'm just not used to it at all.

In any case...I'd prefer it if I didn't barf again. So is there ANYONE out there who has had similar issues and has found a way (preferably a quick one) to end this horrible problem.

Desperately seeking an answer,

Ashley

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Specializes in Taking one day at a time....

I heard some people carry vix with them and put some under their nose before they approach a "messy" situation. I have cherry chapstick that I always carry with me, and one day I was so desperate that I dabbed some under my nose...! I can honestly say it helped and prevented the gag reflex, which I've encountered a few times in the nursing home I was in. I hate it because its really an uncontrollable feeling.

I have a whole new appreciation for my cherry chapstick now.:up:

I hope you find a way to get over the stinky situations....:D

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First of all, your partner acted very immaturely! I am so sorry about that.

I'm sure current nursing students will come up with some great suggestions, but I have a couple. (I'm not yet a nursing student, but I have a large, elderly dog who went through a period of explosive, stinky diarrhea. Ugh!) I found it helpful to breathe through my mouth while cleaning it up (can't smell nearly as much that way, and it seems like the smell is a major trigger for you). Also, I thought of my gloves as kind of a "shield" separating me from the poop. I've heard of medical students who had to work with stinky cadavers putting Vicks Vaporub under their noses so that the Vaporub was just about all they could smell.

I hope others on this forum can help you out, too! Hang in there.

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Yah, I tried the whole breathing through my mouth thing but that made things just as bad as I kept thinking how I was breathing microscopic bits of the stuff! But I like the vicks idea...

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

In nursing we all come across SOMETHING that gets to us. For me it's circumcisions, I've seen countless bloody deliveries, all kinds of surgeries, and nasty wounds, but I can't stand the sight of a circumcision:no::no:!!! It was the only time that I felt I was going to pass out, LOL.

I totally agree with the poster that recommended the vicks, I've also heard that peppermint oil works wonders. Don't feel bad about it, your classmates will have their "moments" as well. Hopefully you will be kinder to them about it than your classmate has been to you.

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I totally agree with the poster that recommended the vicks, I've also heard that peppermint oil works wonders.

As long as it's not pure essential oil of peppermint. That would burn the skin. I wouldn't use peppermint oil unless it were VERY dilute. Actually, I don't think I would use it on the skin at all. Sorry if it seems like I'm criticizing; I don't mean to. I've just been using essential oils for years, so I'm familiar with what's good and bad about a lot of them. :)

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Also, you might want to post your question in the LTC forum. Those nurses might have some suggestions for you:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f22/

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Specializes in SICU, Telemetry.

Don't let your partner or classmates discourage you from becoming a nurse! Like a previous poster said, EVERYONE has something that gets them- I'm getting ready to graduate and I can handle just about everything, getting puked on, pooped on, bled on, you name it, but the mere SOUND of suctioning sends chills down my spine and makes me queasy. I don't mind actually doing the suctioning it's just the sound, even if it's at the other end of the unit, if I hear it I shudder. Even nurses and students are allowed to be human- we deal with gross s***t (literally!) and we have earned the right to gag every now and then! :yelclap:

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Vicks vapor rub under your nose cuts the smell right out.

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Specializes in Med-Tele, Internal Med PCU.

The Vicks Vaporub is popular, personally I like the smell but you can't get rid of it so easily. I adopted using Hall's Menthol coughdrops or Altoids for the same effect but not as long lasting.

Along the same line as the OP's question/problem. I found in first semester I had no problems even with the worst poo. I presume it was the fact that I was focused soley on the task at hand. I found this odd because I frequently gag cleaning up dog poo ... with a shovel!

Over the summer I had an externship on a Telemetry floor and after about 2 weeks it started to get to me again, I still work there as a carepartner and the problem persists on occasion (Renal Patients). It's degrading to the patient, embarrassing to me, and frankly not what I would consider professional.

Try the Vicks, Halls, or Altoids, but also engage the patient in conversation about anything else (baseball, family, the great depression) to sidetrack you from your evil thoughts of poo.

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Specializes in Infusion, Med/Surg/Tele, Outpatient.

one of our PCTs taught me the best trick - 2 droplet isolation masks/surgical masks. This has gotten me through many many stinky situations. Thank you lucy!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I always keep a couple of masks in my pocket. I don't like Vick's and Altoid's work wonders and help your breath. If a patient asks me about the mask (which has never happened) I plan on saying that it is because I have a cold and I leave it on through the entire bath. My instructor is fine with this.

Hope this helps. By the way, I think your partner was very immature and should not have blabbed to everyone else. You know what they say about karma.

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