Gross Me Out ? Contest | Nurses Week

Nurses General Nursing Contest

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Month-Long Nurses Week Celebration Starts Today! Nurses Week Contest #6

You ever had those moments that you just want to barf? Of course you have! In this glorious Nurses Week contest, I want you to make us do just that. ? Is that too disgusting? 'Cmon. This will be fun. Share your 'Oh gross' moment and you can win a $100 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of allnurses Ebooks! 

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Contest Rules

You can submit any story but only those that follow the below rules will be considered for the $100 Amazon Gift Card.

  1. Open to registered allnurses.com members only. (Free and quick to Register)
  2. Each story will be reviewed for originality.
  3. You must share your stories below.
  4. You can submit more than one story.
  5. One winner will be announced.

This contest is sponsored by allnurses Ebooks.

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2 Votes
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Posted by tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN,

How Gross Can We Get??? Thanks to all who participated in the Gross Me Out Contest. This contest just goes to show how many gross situations nurses have to handle.  While we try to remain professional at all times, some of these stories made me gag and made me remember some of my own gross stories.  As a student and new grad nurse (back in the day), I had a very sensitive gag reflex.  I never quite "lost it" in front of the patients, but at times had to make a quick exit to the nearest bathroom. Anyway... AND THE WINNER IS... angeloublue22, BSN, RN   who submitted this gross moment in the life of a nurse.  YUCK!!  Thanks for the memories...  Congratulations angeloublue22!  Watch for a Private Message with instructions on how to retrieve your prize.  Enjoy your prize! While this contest has come to an end, you can still participate in the final contest that will remain open until June 4.  The allnurses Nurses Month Article Contest - What Would Florence Nightingale Say if She Could See Us Now?  has the largest prizes of all.  5 winners will each receive a $200 Amazon Gift Card.   Get your article(s) submitted now. The sooner you submit your article, the sooner others will be reading and being inspired by your article, and the more views and likes you will receive. Who knows...You could be one of the 5 lucky prize winners.
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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

This isn’t as gross as some stories, but it’s funny so here goes.

My first job out of school was in a fairly nice nursing home, working nights on both SNF and long-term care units. It was busy with just me in charge of up to 90 residents, but I had good CNA and med aide staffing so it was doable. 
 

One of our residents on the LTC unit was a woman I’ll call Margaret. She was basically bedridden but alert and oriented, and she had a sharp, irreverent wit that made us laugh even when we probably shouldn’t have. She also had a habit of pooping only once a week, even though she ate and drank normally; but despite our pleas, Margaret steadfastly refused bowel care. Said she didn’t want the “Hershey squirts” as she called it. So obviously, when she finally did have a BM she had enormous ones that practically filled the bucket of her  bedside commode.

One night, I was eating my lunch when a CNA brought Margaret’s bucket into the break room. In it was perhaps the largest bowel movement I have ever seen...and it was in the shape of an exclamation point! I couldn’t help myself, I went in to see Margaret and describe what had transpired, along with yet another plea to allow us to make it easier for her to “go”, but she wasn’t impressed.

”Exclamation point, huh?” she said. “Damn. I was going for a bow, but didn’t make it.”

For once, I was speechless. 

9 Votes
Specializes in care manager.

I was working in an ER and a patient brought in by ambulance.  This woman was bed ridden and relied on her family to take care of her.  

My supervisor thought this was a good initiation as a new employee.  I was told to dress in full PPE.  This is the time I thought Oh crap what I am going into.  

This poor woman had maggots all over her genital area and it was determined that they were actually more beneficial than not, so they were left alone...???

7 Votes

So I am prepping a body with another nurse to go to the morgue. We have to turn the body to its side and for a min I forget it's a dead body and think "what the heck" because I hear "mmmooooAAAAAAWWWwww".. gas escaping.. freaked me out.. the other nurse was more experienced so she didn't get spooked.. if it was me holding it I'd have dropped the body back down LOL

3 Votes
Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatrics, Wound Care.

Had a patient, I was helping turn to look at his underside.  But, when I put my (gloved) hand to his mid-back, felt a lot of wetness. I wondered if his peg tube was leaking. No. Was clear and slimy. Realize his gown was damp. All the way up to his trach. Lifted his gown and got the visual of the huge sticky slime from gown to chest.

Not much later, his nurse was doing care, and the patient had a nice solid cough. And missed her PPE..... She screamed. Loud.

2 Votes
Specializes in IMC, CVSD, Unit Manager.

This was while I was a CNA during Nursing school. I was a home health CNA, and I had a bariatric patient who was <500lbs and bed bound. I was taking him off the bed pan, and as I was removing it...he farted and fecal matter shot all over my scrubs. I ran to the bathrooms gagging. Let alone I was 45 minutes from home, and had no change of scrubs with me. Let alone earlier during the same shift I was giving him a bed bath. I was washing the guys balls, and as I'm doing this he gets a erection and confesses to me that he is gay. Also that I'm the first person he ever came out to. I did not return to this patient's home.

5 Votes
Specializes in Medical-Surgical, General, PACU.

I was rostered to work in Recovery that night and asked to look after this young man who weighs +/- 250 kg and can barely fit in a hospital bed and too large to even roll on to his sides. he hasn't been passing urine the whole day, and when I offered a bottle and volunteered to hold it for him since he just can't reach that part.. (and it's too tiny that all I can see is a hole on his b***s) anyway, he tried to manoeuvre the bottle himself thinking he was being helpful, the urine ended up splashing in the air.. in the curtains, on his bed and bed sheets, monitors, pumps, ended up splashing on my clothes, eyes, face and ewww.. on my mouth. It was really salty. I ended up with a rash on my face because his urine was maybe too acidic as he didn't pee the whole day. Had my second shower that night in theatre and I think, I developed a trauma with urine bottles.

5 Votes
Specializes in Homecare.

I was pregnant with my first child, and was working in a home as a pediatric private duty RN.  I was super sensitive to smells and it didn’t take much to make me nauseous. I had to go to the bathroom, and just prior, the child’s uncle who lived in the home, had just left the bathroom after taking a major BM. I immediately ran out of the bathroom to the baby’s room and vomited in his trash can! I called my husband crying, to tell him I don’t think I can handle work anymore! I was a tad emotional, hormonal, but made it through continuing to work up until I was 8 months. I could tell many more gross stories, but I’m sure we all could as well.

3 Votes
Specializes in FNP.

I'd just graduated from a NP Program and my OB/GYN talked me into coming and working for him (I'm a psych nurse). One of my first patients complained her periods for the last 4 months were unusually light and feared she could be pregnant. She saddled up in the stirrups and the most un- gawdly odor filled the room. Being very new at this, I was sure there must be a dead fetus in there. I wiped my tearing eyes and held my breath and went in with a pair of hemostats. I pulled out 4 ronchy- imbedded tampons. I put them in a bio hazard bag and ran out of the room. When I came back and told her what I retrieved, she was puzzled how her husband didn't notice during sex or oral sex. BTW...My OB/GYN career ended shortly after that.

7 Votes
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
44 minutes ago, Toni Sparks said:

I'd just graduated from a NP Program and my OB/GYN talked me into coming and working for him (I'm a psych nurse). One of my first patients complained her periods for the last 4 months were unusually light and feared she could be pregnant. She saddled up in the stirrups and the most un- gawdly odor filled the room. Being very new at this, I was sure there must be a dead fetus in there. I wiped my tearing eyes and held my breath and went in with a pair of hemostats. I pulled out 4 ronchy- imbedded tampons. I put them in a bio hazard bag and ran out of the room. When I came back and told her what I retrieved, she was puzzled how her husband didn't notice during sex or oral sex. BTW...My OB/GYN career ended shortly after that.

Throughout my career I've had a few surprises like that, and continue to be surprised about how people can "forget" stuff in there: drugs, tampons, condoms, nuva ring... I hope I never find out what else! 

5 Votes

I'm a student and haven't seen much yet, but this is my gross experience.

At clinics an RN says she's injured and can't help clean her patient, so she sends in me, my friend, and the CNA. I can smell the room from the end of the hall.
The patient is an obese, bedridden geriatric patient who hasn't had a bowel movement in over a week. He's nonverbal and incontinent, and has had GoLYTELY. There's liquid poop under him, and he's not wearing a diaper. We roll him and find the poop has gone through the chux, the bedsheets, and the waffle, pooling on the mattress and onto the floor. It's on the patient's whole body  - his arms, his back, his legs, etc. We use up all the wipes and half the towels in the unit as he keeps pooping as we clean. The CNA says it's the most poop she has seen in her career. She uses the wall suction, and the canister is filled to the brim with liquid poop.

5 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

My first nursing job was in longterm psych, on what we called a "back ward".  We had a gentleman (Patient A) who ate all kinds of non-food items, such as cigarette butts.  He also ate several cups of other patients poured medication once when someone left the med room unlocked and was unfazed.

Patient B was found to be choking one evening right after dinner.  It turned out he had slammed an entire slice of bread down his throat where it stuck.  We were able to retrieve bits of the bread but not the bulk of it and were not able to save him.

While we were on the dayroom floor doing CPR, with the bits of retrieved bread strewn around us, Patient A swooped in and gobbled up the pieces.  Aspirated bread out of a dead man's throat.   It was nearly 40 years ago and I still don't eat bread pudding.

10 Votes
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