I need help with smells

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 28, 2009

I didn't either, not in my early career, and definitely not before then. Before I got into nursing, all I had to do was try to clean up after one of my kids vomited, and I'd be down there on the floor yacking right along with them Now I can handle just about anything, except GI bleeds.......that smell haunts my nightmares!

That was me as far as the kids. I have a very sensitive nose, when I was pregnant it was 10 times worse. I have been fortunate that my kids have been generally healthy, vomit gets me more than poop (well normal kid poop). My husband on the other hand has ruined is sense of smell from his work and can't smell a lot of things, so when the kids would vomit if he was home he had to clean up or else I was having to keep running to the bathroom to puke myself no matter how hard I tried to stop it. I wondered how this is going to effect me getting into nursing. The site doesn't bother me at all or cleaning it up, just the smell. I plan on always having the vics with me.

HappyBunnyNurse · Mar 28, 2009

I too have a very strong sense of smell. I can always smell things my roommate says I am imagining. It drives her crazy until a few days later when she starts to smell it too and finds the forgotten fruit or whatever. Also smells stay with me, I just can't get desensitized. This is a curse and a blessing for a nurse. I can get a small whiff and suspect a infection before others have a clue. On the other hand things like c diff can be overwhelming. I have heard of using menthol cough drops but have never tried it myself. My own favorite remedy is to open a alcohol prep and take a good long whiff. It really cleans the old nose hairs. Lol.

linda1959 · Mar 28, 2009

Someone mentioned "remembering" the smell (whatever is was) as you drive home. I always believe that sometimes it just gets in your nostrils, and the only way to get rid of it was with a good, hot steamy shower with scented bath gel.

As for the posters problem, I always carried a strong peppermint gum in my pocket. It keeps you chewing, which keeps you breathing through your mouth, and keeps you swallowing, with helps with the nausea that might come from certain smell, and you have the added help of the scent right by your nose. This was a tip 30 years ago from a nursing instructor who was teaching myself and another student how to disimpact someone, and the other student was just on the edge of losing it!

That pocket gum has helped me millions of time (can't stand the smell of vomit).

HappyBunnyNurse · Mar 28, 2009

As far as getting the smell off your skin I am a big beliver in baking soda. I add a half a cup to my bath water. Sometimes in equal portions with scented bath beads. It gets rid of the smell and softens your skin. I would also add it to my laundry before I transferred to an area that provides scrubs.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 28, 2009

I too have a very strong sense of smell. I can always smell things my roommate says I am imagining. It drives her crazy until a few days later when she starts to smell it too and finds the forgotten fruit or whatever. Also smells stay with me, I just can't get desensitized. This is a curse and a blessing for a nurse. I can get a small whiff and suspect a infection before others have a clue. On the other hand things like c diff can be overwhelming. I have heard of using menthol cough drops but have never tried it myself. My own favorite remedy is to open a alcohol prep and take a good long whiff. It really cleans the old nose hairs. Lol.

There has been a number of times I would smell an electrical fire or shortage and everyone looked at me crazy and than 10 mins later would get all worried because they finally smelt it. It was worse when I was working my desk job pregnant. I would get so nauseated by the pot lucks teams would have and it would be on the other side of a large building. My co workers would come in and tell me to use my super powers and tell them what was brought in LOL

llltapp · Mar 28, 2009

two worst smells of my career:

1. a piece of gauze left lodged next to the cervix for about 4 months after surgery in a little old lady.

2. a mentally retarded child molesting inmate whose toes were so engrossed with a fungal infection they were liquifying and the socks he had on (probably for a month) were stuck to them.

These two smells made a GI bleed seem like roses. I still have PTSD from those cases. I just breathed out of my mouth. It was hard not to wretch.

netglow, ASN, RN · Mar 28, 2009

two worst smells of my career:.........
It was hard not to wretch.

Wow... you know, was going to quote your whole thing, but, couldn 't stand to read it again myself. :barf02:

You just need to quit nursing and write passages for horror novels or something with all that stuff, you'd make some big $$! :chuckle

bld24 · Mar 28, 2009

Try chewing a brand new stick of peppermint gum. I've always had an iron stomach, but I've found my achilles heel in the smell department. It's called the biliary drainage bag. I can smell it right now and I left the floor almost 3 hours ago. I'd take 2 pts with C-diff, 2 with GI bleeds and unlimited gangrene never to have to smell this again!