Hi... I am a 1st semester student and I had my first clinical yesterday. I do fine with blood, mucous, pee, and such but I can't control my gag reflex when around poop. I even did a foley cath that morning on a little elderly lady who did not smell the best but when I went to help another student hold a lady on her side so that she could be cleaned up I could no longer control the gag after about 5 minutes. I feel so embarrassed and I never want to make a patient feel bad about needing to be cleaned up. What can I do to stop this and will I ever just get used to fecal odor. Becoming a nurse is very important to me I just hoope that I can move past this. It also does not help that I quit smoking 2 months ago so I can really smell now. Please help...
My "thing" is puke. I get very dizzy and faint if I ever have to be around it. So far in clinicals, I've only had a few patients that had puked and luckily it was more of dry heaves. I had to leave the room and act like I was getting wash cloths and new gowns, which I did, but I can't stand being around the retching sound. I don't mind cleaning it, just the sounds that come with it get to me. I'm really afraid that I am going to have a patient puke on me. I don't know what I will do then!
Just out of curiosity, does anyone think there is a specialty of floor nursing that has the least amount of puke involved???
And what is it with the small emesis basins? Can someone really puke in those tiny things without making a mess?
This may be silly question but what do you actually do with the Vics? I've only heard of rubbing it inside of a mask.
Ginyer
Put a little bit right underneath your nostrils (never, ever put anything petroleum based in your nostrils -- it can cause a rare type of pneumonia that is NOT curable). That eucalyptus scent will keep you from smelling almost anything else.
I plan on taking stock in the Vick's company after I graduate!
About the peppermints...you'd think having something in your mouth like that while dealing with yuck would make you vomit.
Have any of you ever vomited with a mask still on? That's probably one of my worst fears...that I'll suddenly retch and won't be able to get the mask off fast enough!
I plan on taking stock in the Vick's company after I graduate!
About the peppermints...you'd think having something in your mouth like that while dealing with yuck would make you vomit.
Have any of you ever vomited with a mask still on? That's probably one of my worst fears...that I'll suddenly retch and won't be able to get the mask off fast enough!
Sooo funny.I posted about this on another thread.....I DID vomit with a mask on. The smell was sooooo bad,( c diff patient and all over bed and floor) it was RELIEF. No Kidding.....:uhoh21:
i just heard about this new stuff called odorscreen. it was made for disaster relief workers who were around unpleasant smelling things (ie bodies). supposed to work great.
i just heard about this new stuff called odorscreen. it was made for disaster relief workers who were around unpleasant smelling things (ie bodies). supposed to work great.
My cat was perched on top of my Kozier book a couple of mornings ago (she loves nothing better than to "help" me study) and started doing the "heuck heuck" thing..man did I EVER move FAST!!
I'll take carpet over $130 nursing book any day!
Deana
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: to busy :rotfl: laughing to reply to this. I have a cat, soooooooooo know where you are coming from.
I empathize with you, this should make you laugh...I have done vents, trach's, every osomy you can think of and body fluids secretions or wounds don't bug me(well there was this one lady who INSISTED on liver and onion sandwiches and she had a very low colostomy bag, but thats for another day ! ) The one thing I have to turn my head for as I clean, the one thing I gag while doing are cleaning dirty FALSE TEETH !!!!!!!
I have begged pca's, swapped for people with diarrhea just so they do all my false teeth pts. Weird? yes...but I recently discovered it's likely genetic, my grandmother has been an RN for 53 years and the only thing she freaks on are false teeh....even her own, my mother has to go over every night and clean them for her.....so don't feel bad.....:rotfl:
P.S when u r up to it, I will tell you the story of the RN clinical instructor who decided she would cure my phobia
Just curious- I dont know if anyone has addressed this in the thread so if they have-forgive me. Do those of you that have children and are used to cleaning up poop find cleanng poop at your job easier than those that do not have children? I am a pre-nursing student- finishing up my prereqs.
Chew gum. Strong, minty gum. The smell helps offset the ...stench! Also, if you are doing clinicals somewhere that offers a peri spray, USE IT! The smell of that stuff is strong enough to over-ride a manure truck! Anyway, I think we all have our hangups... certain things that we can't deal with very well. Don't worry too much about it. Good luck!
Nurse2B2005
189 Posts
My "thing" is puke. I get very dizzy and faint if I ever have to be around it. So far in clinicals, I've only had a few patients that had puked and luckily it was more of dry heaves. I had to leave the room and act like I was getting wash cloths and new gowns, which I did, but I can't stand being around the retching sound. I don't mind cleaning it, just the sounds that come with it get to me. I'm really afraid that I am going to have a patient puke on me. I don't know what I will do then!
Just out of curiosity, does anyone think there is a specialty of floor nursing that has the least amount of puke involved???
And what is it with the small emesis basins? Can someone really puke in those tiny things without making a mess?