Nurses grossed out by spit/mucus

needdynurse · Aug 3, 2004

My mom had a double lung transplant lol we never thought about that haha :chuckle

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What pray tell is funny about the poor womans misery??? NRSUG :imbar

Priti · Aug 3, 2004

Gosh its nice to know there are others in the same boat. I can't handle mucus at all. In nursing school (way WAY back!) we had spatoons at every bedside that we had to empty and clean and I still have nightmares about that. I also worked in an ENT unit and actually doing the suctioning didn't bother me either - but watching it was gross! Weird!! I've secretly thought that was just me! I don't think there is anything out there to help you deal with it. I hold the kidney dish, basin or whatever for them and pretend I am looking but I have to look up or sideways or something. The sound of it freaks me out too. I also can't swallow my own spit for a while afterwards. What to do???

thank god 'cause i sometimes felt like i did not have what it takes to be a nurse. :eek:

i hate musus bad smelling bm and my worst fear is inserting NG tubes. i have this problem where i vomit if i see or smell someone else's. so as you said there's no way of dealing with it just look away. oh and my colleagues know of my problem so to avoid embarassment they usually deal with vomitus, thanks to them.

needdynurse · Aug 3, 2004

thank god 'cause i sometimes felt like i did not have what it takes to be a nurse.
i hate musus bad smelling bm and my worst fear is inserting NG tubes. i have this problem where i vomit if i see or smell someone else's. so as you said there's no way of dealing with it just look away. oh and my colleagues know of my problem so to avoid embarassment they usually deal with vomitus, thanks to them.

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This is fine,sounds like you work as a team,just as it should be.

Let me propose a question--What if you were sent to another unit for a day and these issues presented themselves to you,what would you do?????

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Just something to chew on.Second question -Why did you become a Nurse

when these things bother you.What did you do as a student,when these

things arose,and they would?---NRSDUG

needdynurse · Aug 3, 2004

Whew I am in the same boat....I'm getting nauseated thinking about it.:stone

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Dear Nurse: Check the color of that frothy gurgling stuff --sounds like it may be Pulmonary edema!!!! the charge nurse should know and said nurse should inform attending Doctor.A hint from an R.T at the start of shift ,place a couple of alcohol swabs into colection jar, the alcohol with break the surface tension of bubbles.This will prevent an over fill,and will make contents look a

whole lot less,and contents will pour easier-----NRSDUG/ :uhoh21: R.T

needdynurse · Aug 3, 2004

Gosh its nice to know there are others in the same boat. I can't handle mucus at all. In nursing school (way WAY back!) we had spatoons at every bedside that we had to empty and clean and I still have nightmares about that. I also worked in an ENT unit and actually doing the suctioning didn't bother me either - but watching it was gross! Weird!! I've secretly thought that was just me! I don't think there is anything out there to help you deal with it. I hold the kidney dish, basin or whatever for them and pretend I am looking but I have to look up or sideways or something. The sound of it freaks me out too. I also can't swallow my own spit for a while afterwards. What to do???

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I remember those old spatoons c cardboard inside and a little sawdust?

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I don't have to tell you the importance of checking pt phlegm,color white=O.K

color yellow.=COULD be as a result of an infection process in the lungs.

color green=definite infection,check temp and w.b.c.someone should be told

of the combination of facts--(just glance) :uhoh3: NRSDUG/RT

Philo · Aug 3, 2004

I'm starting this thread in hopes that I will read of some techniques to help me overcome my aversion to mucus. I can deal with foul BMs, emptying JPs and NG tube containers, draining clotty purulent foley bags, etc. but I have the darndest time keeping my cookies when it comes to snot! I was once helping a bilat AKA wipe his behind after the most awful case of smelly taffy doo-doo and had no problem until he asked me to dab at the clear snot dripping from his nose. I almost puked while doing so. What is wrong with me?
The usual Vicks/peppermint oil/other scent under the nose won't work here, because mucus (usually!) has no odor.
The last two semesters of clinical rotations, I have specifically asked to be assigned to a trach client just so I can force myself to have to deal with this. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) there have been no patients suitable for me at the facilities I've been at. I am approaching my last semester starting the end of August, and then hopefully I will be off to med-surg. I know at some point I am going to have to deal with this.
Is there hope for me? Does anyone have ANY suggestions?

We all have our Achilles heel mine is vomit. Seeing it, hearing it, or smelling it prompts me to vomit; and I like to work med-surg where there's lots of it. But I manage to hold it until I leave the room then I loose it. I can handle spurting blood and maggots in wounds but vomit no way.

I don't know what to tell you to do other than you have to do yur job and thats part of. Just try not to let the patient see how grossed out you are because for them that would be psychologically distressing and they are already sick.

Best of luck hope you can maintain your composure until you leave the room.:stone :imbar

Peace, Love, and Harmony

Philo

needdynurse · Aug 3, 2004

I have a vomit phobia that I hope I can overcome. Mucus, blood, poo or urine doesn't bother me but if I hear someone gag I freak out. I don't know why. I have always been this way. My family makes fun of me because they know this is a phobia I have and they're wondering why I'd dive right into a profession where people will hurl from time to time. lol Because I love it, other than that whole puke stuff. I hope I'm not making a mistake. I second guess myself sometimes but thinking about when I was a NA at a nursing home and I delt with that so I think I can handle just about anything. I'd just turn my head while cleaning it and pretend it was spilled food. ICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :imbar

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Sounds like you have your prioritiesin order.The fact that you worked in a Nursing home gives you a one up on green students.During the course or after

you graduate,you may find that suctioning and phlegm doesn't bother you as much as you think."DON'T KNOCK IT UNTIL YOU HAVE TRIED IT" R P N / R T.

JenniferNRN · Aug 4, 2004

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SUCTION JELLO=SIMILAR TO MUCOUS

Which is exactly why I HATE Jello! Bleh!!! I have to agree with the majority here...mucous, spit, snot....all the worst. I have gagged repeatedly reading this thread! I work in labor and delivery and you can bring on all the blood, poop, placenta, meconium stained amniotic fluid, and vomit and I'm fine. But give me someone hacking up juicy stuff and I'm done for.

We once had a pt who had an uncommon ailment in pregnancy of overproducing mucous. Previous shift told us that she drooled so much that she kept a towel by her face and it was soaked. Needless to say, we pretty much had to draw straws to figure out who would take care of her. Thank goodness I didn't because I don't know if I could have kept my gagging under control.

God bless those who can work in areas we can't.

Priti · Aug 4, 2004

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This is fine,sounds like you work as a team,just as it should be.
Let me propose a question--What if you were sent to another unit for a day and these issues presented themselves to you,what would you do?????
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Just something to chew on.Second question -Why did you become a Nurse
when these things bother you.What did you do as a student,when these
things arose,and they would?---NRSDUG

as i said i try my best not to look. the thing is i do not just leave the patient alone sometimes if i have to take care of them i just simply tell them of my problem so that my reaction won't be offensive to them. there was this one time is was on maternity ward the patient vomit i took care of her but when i arrived in the sluice i just started retching it does not really happen often and i try my best to keep it in i look away try not to inhale and speak and just get it over with quickly.

after leaving school i just happened into nursing that was not what i really wanted to do but right now i am in it and i love what i do so that was not a thought before entering, dealing with the dead weighed heavier on my mind than vomitus.

JudyPRN · Aug 5, 2004

I have never been able to handle vomit. If I hear/see someone vomiting, I have to move them over so I can join them. Cleaning up after one of my kids threw up was just as bad. I hate it so much I haven't vomited in years. But one of my jobs was on a cardiac step down unit. I discovered that my head nurse hated mucus so we worked a trade, I suctioned her patients, she cleaned the vomit for mine. It worked well for as long as I was there. Even after 33 years in nursing, I can't stand vomit.

missmercy · Aug 5, 2004

My hubby told me early on in our children's existance that he was not going to be able to assist in clean-ups if the guys "hurled". I was somewhat sympathetic -- but figured that he was maybe exaggerating a bit when he said he just COULD NOT clean it up. It only took one time of having toclean up a little kid mess AND a big daddy mess to absolve him from "barf duty" (his term) He cant even handle it if the dog vomits . I am a true wimp when it comes to loose teeth!!! It just grosses the daylights out of me:eek: ! I had massive reconstructive jaw surgery, braces twice etc -- so maybe that is what has triggered this aversion. Hubby thiks it is hysterical that I can clean up nasty vomit, gooey kid snot, deliver babies, get spiton, ppoped on and bled all over and yet I can not pull a loose tooth. I figure we all have our Achile's heel~~ mine just happens to be teeth. EEEEW!:)

nocturnal · Aug 5, 2004

I'm starting this thread in hopes that I will read of some techniques to help me overcome my aversion to mucus. I can deal with foul BMs, emptying JPs and NG tube containers, draining clotty purulent foley bags, etc. but I have the darndest time keeping my cookies when it comes to snot! I was once helping a bilat AKA wipe his behind after the most awful case of smelly taffy doo-doo and had no problem until he asked me to dab at the clear snot dripping from his nose. I almost puked while doing so. What is wrong with me?
The usual Vicks/peppermint oil/other scent under the nose won't work here, because mucus (usually!) has no odor.
The last two semesters of clinical rotations, I have specifically asked to be assigned to a trach client just so I can force myself to have to deal with this. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) there have been no patients suitable for me at the facilities I've been at. I am approaching my last semester starting the end of August, and then hopefully I will be off to med-surg. I know at some point I am going to have to deal with this.
Is there hope for me? Does anyone have ANY suggestions?

my only suggestion...."embrace the snot within grasshopper" :rotfl: