CDiff Smell?

Sorry if this sounds gross but I keep reading on these msg boards that one of the worse smells in nursing is from a pt with CDiff after they go to the bathroom.

How does it smell differently from a normal pt?

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

The c-Diff smell is just 'special'. Can't really put it into words...smelt GI bleeds whoever said 'metal/nickel like was dead on...

Can sometimes smell sepsis and impaction by people's breath odor .. ahhh I'll miss the ER when its my time to go :monkeydance:...

Interesting... when my son was about 15 months he suffered from constipation and also had a poopy smell to his breath. I never made the connection.

[Pompom]

It is true, there are certaint things that have a distinct odor, my nose can spot C. Diff way before any lab confirmation. Neuro breath, YUCK!, GI Bleeds, YUCK! There has been some recent research lately about dogs that can sniff out cancer too.

[xptp29a]

It is true, there are certaint things that have a distinct odor, my nose can spot C. Diff way before any lab confirmation. Neuro breath, YUCK!, GI Bleeds, YUCK! There has been some recent research lately about dogs that can sniff out cancer too.

I'm curious about neuro breath. What does it smell like? What is it a result of?

[Retired R.N.]

I think C. Diff smells like a mixture of Texas road kill in the summer plus the dirty feather odor of the vultures that come to strip the edible parts from the rotting carcass.

[Azriel1331]

No idea what neuro breath smells like....

[Goodoldnurse]

Any time you get the chance to be around someone who has had a head injury they will have this (bleach) smell eminating from their mouth! You cannot get rid of it no matter how much you do mouth care :trout: . Have no idea how to discribe it, but it is there! I also had no idea that cats could get that smell (mine did after a stroke!).

So, if you want to find out, go immediatly to your unit that cares for patients with head trauma and get a good whiff!!!

[tictac]

I'm a student, and this thread is scaring me more than most others I've read so far. Oh, how I look forward to experiencing my first CDiff, neuro breath, GI bleed, and fecal impaction patients. NOT!

[dansamy]

I have virtually no sense of smell. Thank god!

(It's also why I like really spicy food. I can't smell it, so I have to taste it.)

[jimthorp]

(It's also why I like really spicy food. I can't smell it, so I have to taste it.)

I don't recommend this as a diagnostic tool.

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

After working in the lab for four years, I can practically diagnose an E.coli UTI by smell alone. It is the same with C. Diff. in stool samples and C. Albicans and S. Aureus on plates (provided there is enough of a sample).

I like to show off my skills at parties (J/K LOL). We really do develop some pretty unique abilities in health care, don't we? :)

[MsLady06]

It is true, there are certaint things that have a distinct odor, my nose can spot C. Diff way before any lab confirmation. Neuro breath, YUCK!, GI Bleeds, YUCK! There has been some recent research lately about dogs that can sniff out cancer too.

thats really interesting about dogs. where did you read that?

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

thats really interesting about dogs. where did you read that?

I've read about it as well, here are a couple links:

ScienceDaily: Can Dogs Smell Cancer?

Dogs Can Smell Cancer - CBS News