Okay, nursing veterans...help out this newbie nursing student. I've talked with a number of nurses and NPs and, in the course of conversation, an alarming number of them have told me I will encounter more poo in my clinicals and first year of nursing than I ever imagined was biologically possible. Are they right? I fear they are.
Go ahead, warn me. Terrify me. Tell the stories you definitely can't tell at dinner parties. Make sure I know exactly what I'm dealing with. Any and all stories of grossness are welcome--if I'm gonna do this, I really, REALLY need to know.
Specializes in Hospice & Palliative Care, Oncology, M/S.
Changing the diaper of an Alzheimer's patient can be challenging. I always wondered why gloves are not longer or why glove companies don't make 'special' gloves for such challenging situations. Anyone have to 'reach in' to clean and find you and your gown is contaminated? Ah, the joys of being a nurse. If you can't laugh at the situation, it will be a difficult profession.
Best to all and stay well/safe :redbeathe
You're not kidding. LOL I really wonder who's going to invent the combo gown-and-gloves.
I had a wonderful gentleman who would make us wonder if we needed an umbrella each time we ushered him into the bathroom. "Projectile" doesn't begin to cover it.
Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).
I've already told my worst poo story elsewhere in this forum (it involved a fecal management system and a well-intended though ultimately flawed decision by my preceptor not to change the bag until change of shift...), but I dealt with ungodly amounts of poo in my year of Accelerated BSN, and still do in Emergency. C. diff poo is a classic, and one you'll learn to diagnose a mile away. Likewise dead bowel poo. Tube-feed poo is another wonderful olfactory assault, rather akin to infant poo (it's even the same mustard-seed consistency in some cases).
In any case, I'd heartily echo the recommendations to keep spares of everything easily at hand. Poo has a special affinity for student whites. If you're going into a situation where you suspect poo may be lurking, leave as much of your equipment at the nurses' station or outside the room as you can, and disinfect everything you brought in once you're out. It's also not a bad idea to keep a travel size soap or shower gel in your bag in case of a poo emergency - that way you can grab a washcloth and a towel out of the linen cart and sponge-bathe yourself if you have to.
On a closing note, my second-worst poo story: I had the misfortune of a patient, overflowed to CV-SICU from SICU, who truly hit the poo trifecta, being tube-fed, C. diff and VRE positive and suffering from necrotic/ischemic bowel (they resected him three times, and what little intestine he had left was hanging on by its proverbial fingernails). There were just rivers of blackish-green liquid effluent coming from this poor individual; no amount of diapering or blue pads would contain the disaster for longer than an hour. We all thought we would vomit just walking past the room. Result: complete bath and linen change q1, and beg and plead with the resident to write orders for a FMS...
Had a patient that pooped in the sink of his bathroom, then packed the poo over the drain and turned the water on. His room was at the end of the hallway, and by the time we saw it the water was flowing into the hall and down the stairs!!
It was during NS clinicals that I saw my worst code brown...liquid stool literally from this lady's ears to her toenails. How she managed that I will never know. She was such a sweetheart and really embarassed. The other student and I just cheerfully started cleaning her up and chatting away with her. Afterwards she told us with tears in her eyes "thank you for not making faces at me like I am disgusting". Apparently to one of the nurses or aides, not sure which, she was more of a problem than an actual human being. She was horrified that this was happening and she could not control it, and the simple act of us helping her without complaint touched her deeply.
This taught me a valuable lesson that I try to always remember: these are PEOPLE, not just problems, tasks, or to-do lists. Body language reads loud and clear, so watch your facial expressions, tone of voice, etc.
Dear God in heaven. I thought it would be bad but this is pretty bad. Thank goodness, as you all say, you get used to it.
My poor squeamish family. I fear I'll be permanently disinvited to holiday dinners if I can't control my mouth.
Keep 'em comin' if you've got 'em!
My daughter is an RN, currently working on her PhD in Nursing. My sister in law is an LPN in peds. There are many times at Christmas dinner, or other gatherings where we are told to SHUT UP!!!! or GO OUTSIDE TO DISCUSS THAT!!!!! We three, :nurse:, being totally oblivious that we are discussing some anonymous patient's necrotic something or other, or their unbeliveably bad case of C diff, or whatever . Some times, the family nips it in the bud, and says, "Oh, Lordy, get those three in the other room before it becomes Nurse Talk Central in here!!!" :yeah:
Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).
My daughter is an RN, currently working on her PhD in Nursing. My sister in law is an LPN in peds. There are many times at Christmas dinner, or other gatherings where we are told to SHUT UP!!!! or GO OUTSIDE TO DISCUSS THAT!!!!! We three, :nurse:, being totally oblivious that we are discussing some anonymous patient's necrotic something or other, or their unbeliveably bad case of C diff, or whatever . Some times, the family nips it in the bud, and says, "Oh, Lordy, get those three in the other room before it becomes Nurse Talk Central in here!!!" :yeah:
Haha - your family sounds like mine! Mom's a DON of OR/PACU, Dad's a general surgeon, uncle's an internist, aunt's a MSW, their daughter's a paramedic, and there's two or three drug and device reps in the mix too. It's even money whether you'll get poo stories or surgery stories on any given night at our dinner table, and holidays are just a free-for-all.
"Haha - your family sounds like mine! Mom's a DON of OR/PACU, Dad's a general surgeon, uncle's an internist, aunt's a MSW, their daughter's a paramedic, and there's two or three drug and device reps in the mix too. It's even money whether you'll get poo stories or surgery stories on any given night at our dinner table, and holidays are just a free-for-all."
Ha, that's hilarious! I'll bet dinners with company are really, um, interesting! :)
Ugh, Go-Lytely + Big lady + Active GI bleed + measly ER curtain = Really stinky ER.
Just wait until you need to roll a 300+ pound person on a stretcher to clean them up. FUN times!!
Oh, and funniest poo story was from a LOL with pneumonia and diarrhea... we had her turned and was cleaning her up, every time she coughed, more poo shot out at me. Learn to dodge.
Ooohh! Been there, done that!! As a fellow ER nurse, I can vouch for it. And it is really difficult to get poo out of the ER curtains!!
C-diff has is own smell and you will never forget it!
You hit the nail on the head there!!! Once you smell it, you NEVER forget it!! Vicks Vapor Rub helps a little, placed under your nostrils, but you can't beat the smell.
I have worked in healthcare for 10 years, mostly in an OR, but some on the floors. The worst "poo" story I have is from the OR. When a patient is undergoing a resection for an obstruction and you cauterize necrotic bowel and stool is just oozing out, it is the worst smell ever. I have seen some really nasty things come out of a body and it takes alot to make me gag.
The worst poo I have ever seen or smelled is dead bowel poo. A few times, I've had patients whose dead bowel poo was so serious that the poo came out the wrong end. That's right, it is possible to vomit poo. Containing it with an NG tube to suction is then necessary, but this does little to diminish its horror. Needless to say, when you see this happen, be sure to have a body bag handy.
:nurse:
:yeah:
Coriander, BSN, RN
763 Posts
You're not kidding. LOL I really wonder who's going to invent the combo gown-and-gloves.
I had a wonderful gentleman who would make us wonder if we needed an umbrella each time we ushered him into the bathroom. "Projectile" doesn't begin to cover it.