I begin an RN program in August. I have worked hard in school and can't wait to start but... the one thing that does have me worried is what if I'm changing a diaper or something and the smell makes me gag??
Some of you may be cracking up right now! But I'm really nervous about that.
I'm not a complete wimp, I do have a son and changing his diapers never bothered me, but I would just feel so badly if a patient were to see me looking green!
Oh my gosh - I am so glad you brought this up. I'm ok with most bodily fluids, but I am a sympathy puker. I'm sure that I will have a story or two to share in the future.
I begin an RN program in August. I have worked hard in school and can't wait to start but... the one thing that does have me worried is what if I'm changing a diaper or something and the smell makes me gag??
Some of you may be cracking up right now! But I'm really nervous about that.
I'm not a complete wimp, I do have a son and changing his diapers never bothered me, but I would just feel so badly if a patient were to see me looking green!
Any advise or words of wisdom out there?
Thanks in advance!
The only thing that made me queasy was my OR rotation. DON'T LOCK YOUR KNEES!!!
There was a lady in nursing school with me who threw up and peed her pants at the same time when helping to wipe a pt. This was all with the nursing instructor in the room! We had such a laugh about that at one of our celebration dinner after our finals...
I don't mind the puke or the sputum so much as the sound that the pts make when they are trying to get it out and it won't quite come up. I guess it's the retching sound :barf01: That gets me, I just excuse myself and get them a wet towel or rag to wipe their mouth with and that usually lets me recover.
The other night I had a pt pee on the floor, one poop on the floor (very watery, it went all over) and one throw up, all in a row. I just delt with it and thought how lucky I was that it all happened at 6:15 and in just one short hour I could go home!
If it happens, it happens. It is an involuntary reflex of the body and there isn't anything you can do about it. Some people are just more sensitive to sights, smells, and even the thought of sights and smells than others. Heck, I heaved several times just reading this thread.
Nothing is as bad as a GI bleed IMHO. Once I had a patient with a massive GI bleed and was having trouble holding it down since he had explosive diarrhea several times that day.....At lunch I got a pack a listerine strips on the advice of a 'seasoned' nurse - we all know those things burn the hairs out of your nose....well the patient was MRSA too, so I had to clean him up for the umpteenth time and I went too put a listerine strip in my mouth, i didn't want to touch them so I kind of tried to shake one out and ended up with the entire pack in my mouth, put on a face mask with shield and went into the room. Took about 20 minutes to clean the patient and change linens and every time i exhaled the listerine set my eyes and nose on FIRE. tears were running down into the mask and snot was dripping from my nose. I thought my instructor and staff were going to rupture something laughing at me.....BUT i couldn't smell the GI bleed (or anything else for the rest of the day)
for me when i have to do smelly produceres i spray coline on my chest and i keep my chin down on my chest so i can get the smell of the coline.it helps a lot.good luck
Okay, I have this "aversion" to breathing through my mouth when in a really smelly situation. I know that sounds stupid, but the thought always runs through my head "if I don't want the smell going in my nose, why would I let any of the same air in my mouth." I know you can't taste the bad smell, but it's a mindset. Guess I've got to work on that, because I think I have an even worse aversion to vomit. No, that's not really an aversion but a severe gag reflex. I almost puked while cleaning up my cats vomit last weekend.
First let me state...I can handle any body secretions except anything that comes from the mouth. Now on to my story.....
When I was in nursing school, I worked at a CBRF. One of our residents was suffering from vomiting. He would vomit in the wastebasket. Usually no prob. Combination of holding your breath and breathing through my mouth got me through it and most of the time I was able to glove up ahead of time. However, when some of his vomit landed on my ungloved hand, I started gagging. I couldn't help it. I had to stay w/ him because he was standing and I was afraid he would fall (he was 90 yrs old). Well, we ended up taking turns vomiting into the wastebasket. Between his heaves, he just laughed at me. It was awfully embarrassing at the time but his laughter got us both through it. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
So the moral of the story...if it happens, it happens. You are human before you are a nurse.
great story....lol...i was truly laughing reading this. =)
Okay, I have this "aversion" to breathing through my mouth when in a really smelly situation. I know that sounds stupid, but the thought always runs through my head "if I don't want the smell going in my nose, why would I let any of the same air in my mouth." I know you can't taste the bad smell, but it's a mindset. Guess I've got to work on that, because I think I have an even worse aversion to vomit. No, that's not really an aversion but a severe gag reflex. I almost puked while cleaning up my cats vomit last weekend.
That is the exact same reason I can't breathe through my mouth when faced with a nasty smell. My mind just says "Ewww! You're not smelling it now, just EATING it instead!! LOL
I just tend to work quickly and don't breathe deeply at all through my nose.
The worst was the first time I smelled c-diff. That is something you never forget, and I think any nurse or LNA will tell you that!
Specializes in Peds Cardiology,Peds Neuro,Pedi ER,PICU, IV Jedi.
I begin an RN program in August. I have worked hard in school and can't wait to start but... the one thing that does have me worried is what if I'm changing a diaper or something and the smell makes me gag??
Some of you may be cracking up right now! But I'm really nervous about that.
I'm not a complete wimp, I do have a son and changing his diapers never bothered me, but I would just feel so badly if a patient were to see me looking green!
Any advise or words of wisdom out there?
Thanks in advance!
Working in the field and hospital I've found that you can use almost anything to help ward off the smell of nast patients or conditions...use a simple mask and under it you can use just about anything with a strong smell...even baby lotion...oh, and the nausea's not so bad but vomit?? That's a different beast entirely - I myself HATE when drunk people used to vomit in my ambulance, bc I'd want to as well...eww.
Previous posts are correct...just put something under your nose (and mouth if possible) to ward off evil toxic fumes.
I don't know how it works in nursing school ( I start this summer) but I know just having kids really helps with the whole gag thing. I NEVER used to be able to handle puke or poop but my daughter gets really scared when she is sick so instead of facing her away when she throws up she just ends up throwing up on me. Gross I know but I am glad for the experience in the bodily fluids. I don't suggest going out and having a baby though just to get used to bodily fluids.
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auntiebugsy
2 Posts
Oh my gosh - I am so glad you brought this up. I'm ok with most bodily fluids, but I am a sympathy puker. I'm sure that I will have a story or two to share in the future.