Cat like reflexes in nursing! LOL!

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

So last night we were talking to some nursing hopefulls about the age old questions 'what is the grossest things' and we actually started up talking about how we missed getting into some of the 'grossest things". LOL! I call them the Cat like Reflexes of Nurses!

Now for me, I have had a few, but my favorite and most silly was when I was a student. I tend to make folks laugh, and that does litterally 'backfire" on you in certain situations. My first suppository was on a woman I swear had hemmorhoids the side of califlower! I had a very difficult time putting it in, and when I did...I made the patient laugh. Guess she had a bit of stimulation from the placement and some pressure backed up in the form of gas and out shot the suppositiory like a stinky gun. That one hit me 2 cms from my right eye! LOL! I now use that story as "things I learned NOT to do in nursing!"...

But then as a nurse I was administering a fleets for a lady and she sneezed with me still in position after taking the bottle out. My memory and cat like reflexes must have looked like a scene from the Matrix...and I dodged a projectile pressurized surge of brown liquid! Not one bit hit me!!!! YEAH!!!! Thank goodness I remembered fondly (LOL) the suppository incident and reflectively acted! LOL!!!!!!! That one would have been beyond gross!

So....what have your cat like reflexes saved you from?

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A demented patient scratching my face!

Unfortunately, when I raised my hand to ward her off, one of my nails raked across her wrist, and drew blood...

Cat-like reflexes indeed, including the scratch! :rolleyes:

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

How about vomit-dodging? That's my personal favorite LOL

I also once fielded a telemetry unit that a demented patient pegged at me.......I walked into the room, saw a small object coming at me at the speed of light, and stuck my hand up out of sheer self-defense. Whew! She threw that thing so hard, it would've put my lights out if it'd hit me.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

Not me, but a co-worker. We were working in an epilepsy monitoring unit. The patient had a seizure, I went to get the Ativan and she was getting the site ready. She'd squeezed in between the top and bottom rails (padded) and was sitting on the bed. I was walking into the room and saw the patient reach down with his other hand and grab himself then turn her way.

I yelled her name and she jumped up really fast- just in time; he peed all over the siderails!

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