the smell of code brown

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

Hello to everyone,

I am a new CNA and I have a very hard time dealing with any bm. I do not have any kids and it grosses me out, makes me want to gag. Any help would be appreciated.

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LOL. I can't help you with that:nono:

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Specializes in assisted living & memory care.

Umm i think it is just something you have to get used to.I have honestly gaged 3 or 4 times. i just get in there and get it done!! and i dont find breathing just through my mouth very helpful either, to me its like tasting it. yes it souds weird but that is just how i feel.:p Now vomit is a diferent story all together! lol good luck! :)

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Specializes in LTC.

Well obviously no one likes the smell of poo. We're not supposed to like it. It came out of your body for a reason! lol. Some of the residents have room sprays that you can use to cover up the smell. Aside from that, you'll get used to it. There's really no other way to deal with it that I know of. Some people swear by putting Vicks in your nose, but as a nursing home CNA I can't imagine discreetly doing that all night, especially with how busy I am running in and out of rooms like crazy. Plus most poops are a surprise. You end up smelling them before you see them.

If someone's smell really grosses me out, I try not to look directly at the source too much. For me it seems like looking at the poop makes it worse. You do have to look at it to see the size and whether it's formed or loose, but after a quick glance, cover it up! Flush it, put the seat down on the commode, throw a pad on top of the bedpan, or roll it into the brief. It really makes a difference because it not only gets it out of sight but it stops the smell from coming out continuously. Then when you're emptying the commode or bedpan by yourself you can gag all you want.

Also if you know someone's bm has a tendency to stick to the bedpan or commode you can smear a layer of vaseline on the bottom first so it slides right out.

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Thank you for asking this Rob! lol. Im starting my CNA classes soon, and I know this is in the job discription. I always wondered about it. I can pretty much handle gross smells, but Ive never had to deal with this paticular thing.

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A lot of my insructors tell us to breathe through our mouth but I'd rather breathe through my nose and smell it then breathe in the particles and little air floating poopie pieces in my mouth. LOL

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I agree with what the others said, don't open your mouth, try not to look at it and remember room spray. By far though the worst smell ever is the colostomy bag. Worse then vomit worse then someone with the runs worse then anything. If you get one of those prepare to keep your face tight and try not to breathe.

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Specializes in LTC, Home Health.

I know how you feel. I have been a cna for 5 years now, and I still can't get used to the smell. Let's face it, poo stinks. Some people dab a small amount of toothpaste just underneath their noses to ease the smell. I dab a bit of scented oils under my nose so I will smell that. Some use scented lotions. I keep my mouth closed, do what I need to and get out fast. When I am done, I rub some scented oil on my uniform too. If the smell is pungent enough, it can follow you for a while. Do you use air deodorizer? If so, spray that before and after you change the resident. Season permitting, I open windows too. I do not have the stomach for foul odors and I have a child! Even her poo doesn't stink as bad as the poo I had to clean at work!LOL :barf01:

Take deep breaths before and after.

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I am an EMT and we had a homeless person who would frequently have someone call the ambulance. Another tech told me to dab a little vicks on the outside of the nostril and all you will smell is vapor rub. It has worked for me.

Good luck!

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Oh man I had a patient with a colostomy bag during clinicals. It was me and another student. I told her and the resident I had to get more wash rags and just stood in the hall and breathed. Collected myself and went back in. This might help starting out. Good Luck! That's a great question by the way.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
A lot of my insructors tell us to breathe through our mouth but I'd rather breathe through my nose and smell it then breathe in the particles and little air floating poopie pieces in my mouth. LOL

You're not whiffing particles, you're whiffing a gas.

To each his/her own, though.

Me, I do the mouth-breathing thing.

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
Umm i think it is just something you have to get used to.I have honestly gaged 3 or 4 times. i just get in there and get it done!! and i dont find breathing just through my mouth very helpful either, to me its like tasting it. yes it souds weird but that is just how i feel.:p Now vomit is a diferent story all together! lol good luck! :)

I thought that I was the only one who felt like that, that mouth breathing almost makes me taste it. (YUCK!!)

The worst to me is a patient with c dfff positive. I don't think there will ever be a smell that bothers me as much as that does. Sometimes I try to focus on a certain point in the room, or something on the patient - the iv site, ect.

One thing that I have used off and on is Vick's vapor rub. I just put a little bit under my nares, and it usually blocks it out.

Anne, RNC

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