How to get stool smell off of your hands?

I just started working my first job as an LPN for a Home Health Agency. I have one client who I take care of in the mornings before I go to my full time office job. This client has paralysis and requires a bowel program each morning in which I have to stimulate the rectum manually, administer enemas and digitally remove stool.

I obviously have gloves on when doing this, and I've washed my hands a zillion times. I have also used 4 different types of hand sanitizer--so I KNOW my hands are clean. But my fingers STILL smell like stool! How do I get this off of my hands? I really don't think its in just lingering in my nose because my other hand does not smell like this and I can only smell it when I bring "the fingers" to my nose.

Any advice from seasoned nurses????

[CrazierThanYou]

Wow, the smell goes THROUGH the gloves? Wow....

[CrazierThanYou]

queenjean said:

Why would using two gloves affect the integrity of the gloves themselves?

I always double glove when cleaning up poo. First of all, it prevents the smell from getting on my hands. But mainly, if you are wiping and then get stool all over your glove, you have to stop what you are doing and change gloves unless you want to get stool on the clean linens and chux. So I double glove, remove the dirty gloves right after wiping, and protect my pt's clean linens.

As for shaving cream use in peri-care? Try this at home. Rub some shaving cream on your intimate folds and then wipe it off with a damp cloth. Still feeling the burn? I'll bet. THAT'S why you aren't supposed to use it. Unless it's thoroughly removed, it's an irritant. It's not healthy for fragile skin.

I have used shaving cream on my hands before, in trying to remove a smell.

Interesting. When I worked as a CNA years ago, I saw shaving cream being used for peri care every day.

A while back, I retook the CNA class and I mentioned it to my instructor. She said that regular shaving cream is nothing but soap in foam form...

[CrazierThanYou]

emnicams said:

Same thing happened to me after doing a disimpaction recently. I washed my hands twice and then scratched my nose... and got a whiff. Tried washing my hands a 3rd time, and the smell was still there. I ended up taking an Aseptiwipe and scrubbing my finger with it, and it did the trick. Then washing my hands AGAIN. (Yes, I know you aren't supposed to use those on skin, but I was desperate.)

Kind of disturbing that the odor went through the glove... yikes.

I am totally disturbed...

[Intern67]

I think this is kind of like pressure sores. Best way to manage the problem is to prevent it from happening!

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

Lol I didn't even know this was possible......I thought wearing gloves protects you....I don understand how your hand would still smell like stool......now I have to smell my hands lol.

[TX911]

Use toilet paper next time. Hey-o!