What's your nursing kryptonite?

Nurses General Nursing

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It goes without saying that to be a nurse, you need to have (or quickly develop) a strong stomach. But even with a stomach of steel, nursing kryptonite can leave you nauseated and gagging, even if only on the inside. ;)

I'm only starting clinicals next semester, so granted, I still have much to see... but thus far in my life, the thing that disgusts me the most is, oddly enough, tonsil stones! How can something so small be so repulsive?

What's your nursing kryptonite?

I'm a CNA so not much can gross me out...except for old colostomy bags, patients with the wet pnemonia cough, poop from a patient that has had bad constipation, and food on dentures.

I had a patient once who had CDiff and she was on Golytly. I was in there with the RN for 3 hours (no joke) trying to clean her up and change linens. It was coming out faster than we could clean it. The cherry on top was that she had a Type 2 bedsore. Longest night ever! :banghead:

Sick children.

Enough said.

Specializes in Dementia.
stringy sticky trach secrections... blech!

I had a clinical on a vent unit.. and I'm telling you, this phlegm flew across the room w/o warning!!! Ahh!:yawn:

Specializes in Oncology, Medical.
I had a clinical on a vent unit.. and I'm telling you, this phlegm flew across the room w/o warning!!! Ahh!:yawn:

LOL this reminds me of the time a nurse found another nurse washing his hair in the utility room. She asked him what in the world he was doing and he explained he was in a room with a man with a trach, turned around for just a moment, and heard the patient cough and then felt something whoosh by his head. He immediately left the room to wash out his hair in case the phlegm got stuck in his hair xD

Oh man. For me, its C.Diff/GI Bleed stool, with GI bleeds being grosser. I also really hate doing mouth care. People's mouths are disgusting - food bits left in there for weeks, bleeding gums, etc. Obviously this demonstrates the need for good mouth care, but it doesn't mean I like doing it. I never let the patient see my feelings though.

Bodily fluids don't bother me- one of the million reasons I went into nursing. I guess my kryptonite is patients with nasty attitudes.

Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

Spit, saliva. I hate having to stand there with the kidney-basin waiting for the patient to rinse + spit after brushing their teeth. When I was little, my older sister used to come into the bathroom when I was on the commode, and she'd start brushing her teeth.....I swear it was to torture me on purpose. I yell out, "MMMOOOOOMMMMM! L____'s brushing her teeth!" Ick-ick-ick!!!!!!

Specializes in Aged Care & Post Surgical Recovery.

Can handle most of the nasty bodily fluids, excretements and exudates (but would prefer not to). What freaks me out is being followed around for most of the shift by dementia or pscyhe patients (even if they are being sweet).

Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

LIAN : yes, yes, yes! I'm with you on that one. I worked a locked dementia ward where the patients followed me and the med cart like seagulls around a fishing trawler. One lady was always trying to "sell" me something ( anything; weird things) to earn bus money to go home. Lots of "verbal-salad" conversations.Lots of singing. Lots of confrontational irritability with one another, with me as reluctant referee. Made it very difficult to concentrate. I found the whole thing extremely exhausting!:confused:confusing:crying2:tedious,and this is how I felt when I finally got off duty:jester::yeah::clown:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Specializes in Substance Abuse Treatment Services.

I can handle bodily fluids with no problem, but the one thing I cannot handle (ugh, just thinking about them makes me feel a little ill) is skin grafts ._.

Specializes in skilled nursing.

Oh god...pleghm, vomit, anything from a trache is absilutely disgusting to me. Also I was changing the cartridge in a wound vac last night and it was DISGUSTING, I almost vomited in the pt room.

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