I must be getting old: A rant

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I just got off the elevator with yet another person cracking their gum, mouth wide open. It wouldn't have been so bad except she was nicely dressed in a suit, and her hair was neatly done. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Daily, I see people walking around with their mouths open cracking gum, unbelievable displays of cleavage and I am often overwhelmed by the scent of either perfume or heavy colognes. I'm giving a pass on the spiked heels and the long fake nails which may or may not be neatly groomed. In the past, we nurses have been harsh on ourselves about unprofessional appearances but honestly, this is a much larger problem. Again most of the people I see like this are either wearing suits or lab coats; physicians are definitely NOT immune from this slobbishness. Is professionalism emphasized anymore? I guess it wouldn't even bother me except I hate the sound of gum slurping in my ear and I don't think I should have to hold my breath on the elevator in order to indulge someone's need to slather themselves with perfume. Whew! I just had to get that off my chest.

Alright, I admit it...I have gum in my mouth nearly all the time at work. I don't snap it, I don't pop it and I certainly don't blow bubbles. When I interact with patients or staff it gets thrown to the back of my mouth so no one sees or hears it. I haven't been told off...yet. I just like it and it keeps by breath fresher than it would be otherwise.

As for cologne...don't wear it. I don't go to work to pick up girls, I have no one to impress there with my odour. My natural musk (plus deodorant) is enough.

Coincidently, I don't wear a thong either and I keep my bra straps hidden;)

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

Gum popping by rude passengers used to drive me CRAZY when I was riding the trains to and from work. People are just so inconsiderate these days. You'd think they were brought up in barns. My gum-popping days in public abruptly ended one day when I was doing it during class and my teacher punished me by making me write 500 times: "I will not chew gum in Mrs. P---'s eighth grade math class". Of course it happened on a Friday and RUINED my weekend! :o

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

I don't wear cologne.

Just musk. And only as after shave.

I quit chewing gum when I quit smoking.

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My son has a body odor problem bad enough that he has to shower every day, even if he's not working and just lounging around the house. I knew he was using a body spray at work but I didn't realize how bad it was until he came home early the other night. I was putting Little One to bed and I smelled him in the hallway when he went to his room to change. Came downstairs and he was in his pj's and I could still smell it and I started sneezing like crazy. Poor kid, he's never used any kind of scents before except for deodorant and didn't know to use the spray sparingly....he sprayed himself from head to toe while he was fully dressed!!

We had a quick lesson in proper application and he listened to strong suggestions from both Dad and Mom to give it up entirely!

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I absolutely cannot stand people who bathe in cologone. I have had it send me to the ER for not being able to breathe before. I had to ask one visitor to leave because you could smell her all the way down the hall and the smell of her cologone made me and another nurse so sick. We also had pt with resp problems. I have VCD (vocal cord dysfuntion) and this is my biggest trigger.

My mom had her gall bladder out. She was supposed to go home the same day, but the nurse in preop was wearing a perfume that induced migraines for my mom. She had a migraine after OR and was puking and unable to eat so they kept her. My whole family is sensitive to smells. I just think it is a real turn off to smell like you fell into a bottle of cologone. We had one RT at the hospital I was working at and I could tell she had been around because I could smell her perfume. We tried nicely to tell her it was too much. She never got the hint.

The gum chewing thing is also disgusting.

So Sharon you aren't getting old. I feel the same way and I am 27.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Blech. Can't stand strong perfume. We have one nurse that overwhelms me with her perfume....another who chews gum constantly but for some reason gum doesn't bother me.

Undies (male or female) hanging out of pants, can't stand it. My 17yo brother drove me crazy until he finally wore his pants to where you couldn't see his boxers. Credit a better girlfriend!!;)

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Specializes in midwifery, NICU.
I gag at the site of women docs, NP's, PA's, and other professionals walking around with bare legs and strappy sandals. Ack! It's a hospital ladies!

Given, they are wearing professional clothes and labcoats, but the bare skin so close to the floor gets to me. Act! Think about what you'll be bringing home with you!

:uhoh3: ...so..do you never roll up your scrub pants when its too hot??? Our NICU can be a roasting hot place to be in for 13 hours, you will find half the staff with rolled up scrubs, near a fan, trying to get some air about our legs! mind you...no sandals etc..just training shoes! FAB look! :lol2: :lol2:

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Specializes in PICU, surgical post-op.
:uhoh3: ...so..do you never roll up your scrub pants when its too hot???

Since I work PICU, I tend to wear bright colours and "happy" socks. More often than not, you'll find me with my scrubs rolled up to showcase this, at the request of a patient or sibling. They call me pippi longstocking. =)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Sharon,

No you are NOT getting old.

The world is getting ruder by the minute.

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

Wow, how did you all know about my pet peeve? I hate the whole gum chewing, popping, snapping thing. It totally drives me bonkers! My job consists of quite a lot of computer and phone work in a very crowded room. My nearest office mate loves her gum....she says she's always worried about bad breath. Personally, having someone breathe down on me with a mixture of hot breathe and minty gum makes me want to vomit. She really is a sweetheart of a person though. Most of the time I say nothing, but last week someone else was working with us in our office-cave. All I heard was snap, snap, crackle, pop...I held it in as long as I could, but finally just had to tell her to stop it, that she was driving me crazy.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

A few random thoughts:

I don't want to see your belly button

I don't want to see your crack

I don't want to know you are wearing a thong

I don't want to hear you snapping your gum

I don't want to hear you talking disrespectfully to professors or arguing with them, "That's like, like just your opinion professor X!" said in snotty tone while gum-popping

Freshman girls wearing PJs to morning classes is ridiculous

Yes, it has been an adventure for me to become a college student at the age of 33. I feel like an uppity LOL sometimes. But most of these youngsters are like, like, so like sweet actually.

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Our Louisiana down home girl Britney Spears always has a mouth full of gum. In her intervews you can see it sticking out between her teeth when she smiles.

Nasty, nasty, nasty an disgusting!

Isn't she in Rehab?

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