What is the grossest thing that's happened to you???

[PrincessAlexis]

I really want to know what is the grossest thing that has happened to you as a nurse. Has poo or vomit flung at you? I'm super curious. Thanks to all ^_^

[eymilin]

I watched in horror as my gastroschisis NICU patient projectile vomited into her dads mouth! He then proceeded to dry heave in the sink... poor guy couldn't throw it back up.

[eymilin]

Gagging just reading about this... the guy drinking the sputum. Ick.

[coppycatt]

Back in my ICU years....

We had a patient with pancreatitis. During the fluids being administered prior to surgery for the "cool down", somewhere between the 9th and 11th liter of fluid (been a while now, can't remember for sure). The patient had flash pulmonary edema and as his SpO2 was dropping along with his BP and heart rate we immediately stopped the fluids and started CPR. I had initiated compressions and soon after he was intubated. At the moment of intubation my face, arms, and chest were sprayed with fluid from his lungs. Even sprayed into my mouth and eyes and I likely inhaled a bit as I had been administering compressions for quite a few minutes. Luckily one of my coworkers was able to collect a blood specimens for testing. I am still so thankful that everything came back negative. Sadly, the gentleman didn't survive...and he had been a previous coworker at our facility who had fallen into bad health a few years prior to the event. It was devastating to all involved. But, it didn't keep it from being "gross". Just...gross/sad.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

During nursing school, I helped clean up a patient that had a bowel obstruction. He had diarrhea going around the obstruction and it was explosive. I would describe the odor has fermented poop. It was hands down the worst smell I have ever encountered and it took every ounce of self control not to gag when I was in his room. Once I left his room, I went to the med room and began dry heaving. Poor guy was as sweet as can be so I would have felt awful if he knew how grossed out I was.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

Having to wipe up pseudomonas infested sputum

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Afghanistan. Whole thing was a new level of disgusting.

[0.5GPA, ADN, CNA]

I had to help hold a combative pt down while they inserted an IV. He retaliated by urinating everywhere on purpose. Then, while I cleaned him up, he jacked himself off while staring at me.

You win

[NottaSpringChik, BSN, RN]

Has to be the woman who ate her own feces and licked urine off the floor. She also pulled out her hair and smeared the feces and hair all over the window of her door, which was pretty horrifying to look at. Bath salts victim. Was insane and violent for approximately 24 days and then cleared and seemed to be a very nice person. We never told her about ALL the things she did.

[Catherineann, BSN, MSN, APRN]

I had a known Hep C+ current IV drug user in the ICU with a new tracheostomy and still on a ventilator. We helped her up to a bedside commode with the vent tubing popped off of her trach. and spewed (Thanks to that positive pressure) bloody, nasty sputum in my face and eyes. I immediately flushed it out and went to the ED for baseline labs. Thankfully she was only + for Hep C and not others. My subsequent lab tests turned out fine. Phew! Wear those goggles!

[Wiscrna]

Happened to a co-worker. I was doing trach care on a patient. Coworker walked in, being Chatty Cathy. I was half listening, finishing up suctioning out the trach. I pulled the suction catheter out, and before I could hook up the circuit, the patient coughed once, hard, and out shot a thick wad of green phlegm. Came out like a Japanese bullet train leaving a tunnel. Arced straight toward Chatty Cathy, who hadn't stopped talking.

*MATRIX TIME COMMENCES*

I watch in slow motion as this thick wad of blood-flecked green snot takes a flight plan that goes straight into my buddy's mouth. Perfectly timed, perfectly positioned to enter that mouth like a March Madness free throw - nothing but net. Neither tooth nor lip disturbed the perfect parabolic arc that described the path of this meaty snot globe into my friend's mouth.

*BACK TO REGULAR TIME*

My friend IMMEDIATELY and FORCEFULLY showed me exactly what she had eaten over the past 36 hours.

Worst part? She kept coughing and hacking because SHE COULD FEEL the mucus plug in her posterior oropharynx. You know how you can feel snot in the back of your throat, so you hock it up and spit it out? That's what she kept doing.

With someone. Else's. Snot ball.

I'm standing there in shock, gloves on, ventilator alarming, patient bucking and coughing, watching one of my best friends vomit all over the end of the patient's bed, all over her shoes, all over her uniform, coughing and choking and gagging, and all I can think is, "Awesome."

Some days I miss being an ICU nurse.

[Davey Do]

Let's give Wiscrna a round of applause for a graphic, well told story!

And welcome to AN.com!

[snowflower2016]

I had a confused patient one time who pulled out her FMS (fecal management system) and was sucking on it when I returned to the room to do my hourly rounds. When I tried to take it out of her hands and mouth as gently as possible, she fought me and it flung feces on my hair, my scrub top, and and on the wall. I washed my hair in the sink and wore paper scrubs the rest of the night. Not only that but she had feces all over her mouth and face. Ugh.

OMG! THIS! Made me gasp and gag!