Cleaning up vomit

Nursing Students General Students

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hello all, i am new to this forum and am just now starting prerequisites for nursing. everything about nursing excites me except for one thing: cleaning up vomit. i've done it plenty of times with my kids, but the smell of it makes me want to vomit, too.

is there anything you do as nurses to keep the gag reflex under control? or do you basically have to just get used to it and eventually it doesn't bother you?

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

Don't think of it as vomit!Just another body fluid, breath through your mouth and use cold water to mop it up eventually you can bring your gag reflex under control the trick is not to think too much about it!!

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

Yeah, the sound of retching is usually what ends up doing it to me as well......I tend to just visualize it as not my own, dump it as quick as possible, try to relax.....trash/dirty dishes make me retch more than actual vomit...LOL

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

Breathe through your mouth.. this really helps me...

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I've found that you just get used to it. This was a big concern of mine, and my very first day of clinicals found me with a patient who barfed throughout my whole shift. I spent a lot of time cleaning up barf, holding a pan while she barfed, giving her bed baths, and did I mention holding the pan while she barfed? :)

In any case, one thing I've learned can help (but that I'd save for the times you need to empty colostomy bags), is a face mask with a bit of vicks vaporub smeared under your nose. Totally kills the smell.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

I use to hate vomit and poo too. Like everyone else said breath through your mouth. Someone told me if you smile you can't gag but I can't picture myself smiling while I'm wiping someones butt or cleaning up vomit. Also clean it up every chance that you get. I use to work as a patient sitter and the first patient I sat with a older woman with C-diff and had N/V from one of her meds. Everytime I had to clean her bed pan/basin I would turn on the sink and shower to cover my gags. She heard me once and asked if I was ok. I told her I choked on my saliva and it was made me gag. I have no problem doing it now but I'm not excited enough to smile about it even if it'll stop me from gagging. The only thing that'll still make my stomach flip is trach snot. The whole procedure in itself gives me the willies and the snot doesn't help one bit.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

hi, caliwannabenurse, and welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

i've been an rn for over 30 years. i'm having a hard time trying to remember the times i've had to clean up vomit. unless you end up working in a place like the er you are not going to see hardly any vomiting patients. the reason is because we notify the docs immediately if someone is nauseated and the docs order something so the patient doesn't puke. vomiting is traumatic for patients and we really don't want them to be doing it. all kinds of complications can occur because of vomiting. therefore, everything possible is done to avoid it from happening. hope that puts your mind at rest on this issue.

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Thank you all. My eventual goal is to be a nurse for Labor & Delivery or the Newborn Nursery, so hopefully I wouldn't have to deal with vomiting too much. But I realize I may not get my first pick of what department I want to work in, so I try to be a realist and prepare myself for what I may be dealing with. I will definitely remember the Vicks Vaporub thing.

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Cali, not to scare ya, but when I had my last baby, a laboring mom that arrived at the hospital the same time I did, was vomitting through her contractions! Ha, ha, bring the Vaporub! :lol2:

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So I know I want to be a nurse, but I have problems dealing with vomit. I can't stand the sound or the sight of it. I know this will become a part of my job. Is there anyone out there that can give me some tips on how to overcome this. Please Help.:banghead:

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Specializes in Telemetry.

lol i have the same fear i work in telemetry very rarely do i see vomit or hear vomit, and if i do one of my co workers deals with it for me.... i am a bad emetophobic....but i made it as a nurse i have been a nurse for 4 years, progressive care certified and acls certified......everyone has their thing most people dont like vomit,,,,but other people like me and it sounds like you have a down right FEAR of it....but you switch off i can do anyrthing but the vomit....so i do the poop and the suctioning that some people dont like for a consitent trade off!

dont let that fear stop you from nursing i am telling you it can be done.....and you will see signs of vomiting well before they vomit In order to step out of the room and call for backup!

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Thanx a bunch. I have a friend that is a RN and she told me the same thing. I have read some post about this topic and it sounds like I won't be able to deal with the trach suctioning. We will see. Thanx

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