As a Nurse what are some things that make you sick?

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Hey all!

Just wondering what are some things that make you quezzy? ie body fluids, poop, ect? and as a nurse do you feel bad about it since its your job to deal with it? Just wondering if i should feel bad if i see something and say eeww ( not outloud of course)

Thanks for any comments

Josh.P

Specializes in PACU, CARDIAC ICU, TRAUMA, SICU, LTC.
How did you feel the first time you had a PT expire?

Having been exposed to death working as a CNA long before I began my nursing adventures, I found that the death of my first patient working as an RN was not difficult from an emotional standpoint. What was difficult was the fact that it occurred on the overnight shift so I had minimal resources, despite the fact that I was working in a large inner city hospital. Thank God for the nursing assistant and LPN who were on with me that night...they guided me through the myriad of paperwork. I was a new grad at the time (out of school

Sorry that I have digressed. Anyway, I remember turning the body, and out came this swoosh of air from the top and bottom orifices. It freaked me out! The nursing assistant ran out of the room, yelling for the LPN.

Despite this, I have encountered many pt. deaths over the last 30 years. The person was once someone's loved one, and that is the part you must never forget. That is my story, Josh.

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Specializes in student; help!.
When someone d/c's their own foley. Or that little popping sound when inserting a chest tube.

D/c as in not deflating the balloon first, or just doing it themselves? I had do mine b/c I came home with it. Easy peasy.

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Specializes in ER, CRITICAL CARE, COMMUNITY HEALTH.

Assisting an orthopedic trauma surgeon in reducing an open femur fracture. Just seeing an open femur or any fracture reduced is a little nauseating! I've seen people come in from car accidents with their foot turned totally backwards and the doc asks if someone could just stabilize the knee while he/she turns the foot forward. It's just freaky!!!

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

NG tube drainage

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Specializes in Emergency, CCU, SNF.
D/c as in not deflating the balloon first, or just doing it themselves? I had do mine b/c I came home with it. Easy peasy.

Definitely when they just pull it out on their own...still inflated. Sitting there in the bed, waving it around, usually still has that little ring of goop on it...ewww.:eek:

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there are not many things that make me feel sick in that squemish way, but there is plenty that makes me absolutely disgusted. Such as injuries that i treat that are a result of domestic violence and child or sexual abuse. These injuries always disgust me no matter how minimal or severe they may be. Other than that i think that i have gotten used to everything else, although the odd bit of infected wound being drained, or abscess getting drained still makes me a little green for a while there, especially if it is a nasty case of infection.

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I am a CNA in a nursing home. I have a stomach of steel. I can literally wipe an ass while holding a chocolate bar. But, the one thing I can not handle is spit. A resident once pulled out her dentures and sucked a glob spit off of them back into her mouth. My partner and I gagged for 5 minutes behind her recliner- I'm glad she was deaf.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I am a CNA in a nursing home. I have a stomach of steel. I can literally wipe an ass while holding a chocolate bar. But, the one thing I can not handle is spit. A resident once pulled out her dentures and sucked a glob spit off of them back into her mouth. My partner and I gagged for 5 minutes behind her recliner- I'm glad she was deaf.

Spit, yes-- and dentures get to me! There is another thread going about "yucky" stuff that has like 1400 replies. The ONLY one I remember was the one about the little old lady who took her dentures out and started chomping on the food stuck in them "like a BBQ rib".

The other- ear lavage- aka ear wash- I did a lot of those when I worked in Family Practice. It was the cylindrical hunks of wax about the size of a wine cork with little tendrils of something (roots?) floating in the basin . . . ay- yi- yi!! :eek:

Bless you for taking good care of your residents! :)

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Im hoping that when the time comes for me to "get my hands dirty" I wont think about it too much and can just focus on the pt's best interest.

I've always had problems with saliva and mucus...I can't handle watching people spit, sneeze, or blow their noses. When I had a trach patient in clinical, I was sure I'd be horribly grossed out and trying not to puke. However, I was too busy watching her O2 sat to be grossed out by what was coming through the suction catheter. One morning I went into the room and found her with mucus all over her trach collar and leaking onto her chest...the only thought I had was, 'OMG, that's GOT to be uncomfortable,' and I got busy cleaning her up. Afterward I realized it wasn't so bad, but the next time I saw my nephew sneeze I had to excuse myself from the room. Go figure.

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