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.
I'm so sorry, I would have definately been cracking up! I don't say this to be cruel, but I think its great to see others getting used to things that aren't exactly pleasant. I still remember my first colostomy bag, I was the same way but the garbage can was much closer than the sink. My partner was laughing so hard, he nearly wet himself. It never phased me a bit. Now, I'm a pro (still not my easiest job) but I've learned tricks like folding the bag over at the edge helps prevent really messy finishes and double gloving also helps.
Don't be hard on yourself, everyone finds something difficult to handle at first. At least you know what your difficulty is already, now you just have to find a way to work with it. :)
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!
Great idea! Then the OP's issue with not wanting to breathe with her mouth open could be solved. She can keep her mouth open behind her mask. :)
I also like the talking-while-cleaning-up suggestion. For some reason, if I'm talking up a storm, it's harder to smell things. Probably has something to do with air flow being diverted.
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Serlait
88 Posts
Our clinical instructor suggested keeping a handful of cinnamon hard candies handy for just such events. Haven't tried it, but just a suggestion.