BM's anyone?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Is it just me or as a nurse do you find that everyone wants to talk you about their bowel movements? I work in dialysis which has nothing to do with GI health at all but I feel that I must have a sign on my forehead that asks "How are your bowels moving this week?" My patients come in, say good morning, and immediately dive right in to their constipation, diarrhea, immodium, and laxative issues. Why me? They feel free to burp in my face and think it's ok because they said excuse me. What is up with this? Just venting :-)

Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

I am a colorectal nurse so I am all about the pooo!! that and flatus. love them both! As the comment board on the fridge at work said "K+MgS04 is the sh!t.........I am sure that there was THE in the middle,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:lol2:

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Specializes in PACU.

Ha. I've never encountered weirdness with this (thank goodness!). The only time bowel movements come up is when discussing taking Colace or whatever with their pain meds.

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Warm prune juice and a cup of coffee. Does wonders.

Recipe to constipation success: 1/2 cup of coffee+ one oz of lactulose+ one container of prune juice + 2 little butter containers, warm it up and = poop! Unless you have some serious bowel obstruction! Then NG!
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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Oh my! The Poop Chronicles - just riveting zzzzzzzzzzzz :sleep: Now I must qualify that yes - if we have a post-op patient/person on constipating meds etc that's part of our job . . . but everyone else? :no: and the same goes for your nasty *** rash!

There used to be a very strong belief among the lay public that being "irregular" caused any and all sorts of maladies both local and systemic, acute and chronic. I've got a collection of vintage women's magazines from around 1865 on up - the ads in those from the '20s and '30s are chock full of bowel remedies - as well as tragic accounts of Mary's fiance calling off the wedding because -gasp- Mary had "B.O."

I remember when I started nursing how the elderly would be near panic if they were overdue for a poop.

Those "cleanses" you can buy now and the high colonic stuff calls to mind some of that earlier fear.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I had a friend who only pooped every 4 days. She thought this was normal and was only ever really constipated once.

The doctor told her not to worry re it when she saw him.

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