Blood, Guts & Bodily Fluids?

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Do you have any issues with any of this when you first became a nurse and then eventually became desensitized?

Most things do not bother me but there are a few things that do get to me such as REAL funky odors and vomit.

I'm cool with just about everything except trachs and lung secretions. Gag reflex wants to get me everytime. Even if someone coughs up something in a napkin right in front of me.

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Mucous from a trach or a nose. Once they get to a certain age, it just about does me in to have to suction it. Not sure which is worse-- the sight of it or the sound of it. It's unfortunate that I work on an airway floor. It IS fortunate that I can hide my gagging facial expressions behind a mask.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Bodily fluids of any sort have never bothered me. I don't like cutting nails, which may sound strange. However, you never really know where those hands have been, or what the feet came into contact with......

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I'm ok with anything as long as I know where it came from.

Just a random pool of blood on the floor- Gross!! BUT, if I see it come out of the person, I'm fine.

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Had a guy a few weeks ago come into the Ed. He had been soiling himself for days, had trails of snot dried on his mustache, and was bubbling snot from his nostrils. He had been leaking from his gtube as well.

I noticed he had a wallet in his pocket as we cut of his pants, but got caught up in how soiled he was. I mean days of dried runny poo all over him, rehydrated with urine and stomach secretions from his leaky gtube. Really super fowl. Fortunately all of us had masks and shields on once we saw him spittleing and blowing snot bubbles.

Anywho we got him into bed and one of my colleagues threw his clothes in the garbage, and had housekeeping take the bag straight away. After an hour of scrubbing this guy clean a light bulb went off in my head. I asked where his wallet was. Nobody knew. I threw up in my mouth a little thinking about the upcoming task.

So I went to soiled utility, grabbed a new garbage bag and found the bag his clothes were in sitting on top. I placed that bag inside the clean one and ripped it open. I instantly started gagging.

As I stood there, throwing up in my mouth and swallowing it repeatedly, tears started streaming down my face. I carefully grabbed his pants with a pair of hemostats, painfully aware of the fact this was a good way to get a needle stick exposure, I grabbed his wallet.

I dropped the pants, hemostats and all into the bag and tied up the new bag. I stepped out and went back to his room, and prayed there was more than a bus pass and a library card in this soiled trifold wallet.

As I opened up the first fold, I see a library card. The second fold, a bus pass. Ugh!!!

As I looked inside I saw forty two dollars! Thank god. It was worth it! I placed the wallet in a belongings bag and put it on the stretcher.

Next I removed my ppe, performed hand hygiene, stepped out of the room, wiped the tears from my face and took a couple deep breaths. Oh the fresh air. Just then a float nurse walked up and asked if I wanted a lunch. "Heck yeah I did!"

He had been discharged from another local hospital earlier that day. Still had the wristband on.

He was my pt again last night :(

Whew I think I just gagged thinking about it :)

BSN GCU 2014. ED Residency ;)

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

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LOVE mucous and suctioning trachs. That gurgling sound as it's sucked out! Then the trach cough after that always needs a 2 gauze wipe...

I miss bedside nursing.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

I struggle with sputum. It just leaves me wanting to yak.

Struggle with the smell of necrosis however thats where being able to mouth breath can be really helpful.

Needles, dont mind as long as I'm the one administering the injection. If on the receiving end leaves me feeling a little nauseous

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Had a guy a few weeks ago come into the Ed. He had been soiling himself for days, had trails of snot dried on his mustache, and was bubbling snot from his nostrils. He had been leaking from his gtube as well.

I noticed he had a wallet in his pocket as we cut of his pants, but got caught up in how soiled he was. I mean days of dried runny poo all over him, rehydrated with urine and stomach secretions from his leaky gtube. Really super fowl. Fortunately all of us had masks and shields on once we saw him spittleing and blowing snot bubbles.

Anywho we got him into bed and one of my colleagues threw his clothes in the garbage, and had housekeeping take the bag straight away. After an hour of scrubbing this guy clean a light bulb went off in my head. I asked where his wallet was. Nobody knew. I threw up in my mouth a little thinking about the upcoming task.

So I went to soiled utility, grabbed a new garbage bag and found the bag his clothes were in sitting on top. I placed that bag inside the clean one and ripped it open. I instantly started gagging.

As I stood there, throwing up in my mouth and swallowing it repeatedly, tears started streaming down my face. I carefully grabbed his pants with a pair of hemostats, painfully aware of the fact this was a good way to get a needle stick exposure, I grabbed his wallet.

I dropped the pants, hemostats and all into the bag and tied up the new bag. I stepped out and went back to his room, and prayed there was more than a bus pass and a library card in this soiled trifold wallet.

As I opened up the first fold, I see a library card. The second fold, a bus pass. Ugh!!!

As I looked inside I saw forty two dollars! Thank god. It was worth it! I placed the wallet in a belongings bag and put it on the stretcher.

Next I removed my ppe, performed hand hygiene, stepped out of the room, wiped the tears from my face and took a couple deep breaths. Oh the fresh air. Just then a float nurse walked up and asked if I wanted a lunch. "Heck yeah I did!"

He had been discharged from another local hospital earlier that day. Still had the wristband on.

He was my pt again last night :(

Whew I think I just gagged thinking about it :)

BSN GCU 2014. ED Residency ;)

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

Ewwww

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I can usually eat my dinner while talking about any kind of gross procedure, I pretty much have a stomach of steel but when it comes to vomit....Yeah I probably will end up throwing up. Just can't get over it for some reason! Would love to know a trick how to!

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Get altoids mints and suck. they are strong and a major distraction from the scents. I got cinnamon and it helped tremendously. Vicks vapor rub under your nose also helped, I kept some in a contact lens case and kept it in my pocket.

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LOVE mucous and suctioning trachs. That gurgling sound as it's sucked out! Then the trach cough after that always needs a 2 gauze wipe...

I miss bedside nursing.

I can tell

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Specializes in ICU.

The only smell I can't stand is cellulitis wound drainage. :barf02:

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