Nurse, treat thyself

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

After slamming my finger in my car door and spewing a stream of obscenities, i have been awarded with a beautiful subungal hematoma and the throb that goes along with it. Yay... So here I sit with a lighter in one and and a paper clip in the other but I just can't bring myself to do it...

I got me to thinking about the things that I can do to others and not myself as a nurse. Anyone have any to share?

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Specializes in School Nursing.
after slamming my finger in my car door and spewing a stream of obscenities, i have been awarded with a beautiful subungal hematoma and the throb that goes along with it. yay... so here i sit with a lighter in one and and a paper clip in the other but i just can't bring myself to do it...

i got me to thinking about the things that i can do to others and not myself as a nurse. anyone have any to share?

do what ?? puncture the hematoma ?? ouch !! :cry:

praiser :heartbeat

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.

I can not even watch someone draw my blood. My stomach does that little flip thing. However, I have no problem drawing someone else's blood, giving injections, or starting an IV. Good luck getting the nerve up to take care of that hematoma. I do not think I could do that for myself either.

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Specializes in ER.

Ng tube insertion- not that I've ever tried to put one in on myself, but I can't put anything past midnose without suffering severe heebi-jeebies. I tried to stay still for an NP swab once and finally just had to pass. If I ever need an NG I want lots and lots of Versed.

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Specializes in Telemetry, CCU.

I don't like to watch anyone puncturing my skin/veins for blood draws. I hate when I get a cut or scrap that needs to be washed out, it hurts!!! Oh and the 2 times I checked my blood sugar, I wasn't really a fan of the lancets, so that is another thing I wouldn't really like on a daily basis.

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Specializes in private duty/home health, med/surg.
After slamming my finger in my car door and spewing a stream of obscenities, i have been awarded with a beautiful subungal hematoma and the throb that goes along with it. Yay... So here I sit with a lighter in one and and a paper clip in the other but I just can't bring myself to do it...

I got me to thinking about the things that I can do to others and not myself as a nurse. Anyone have any to share?

I'm pretty sure most things I do to others I couldn't do to myself, just because I'm not that flexible. It's not a matter of the heebie-jeebies or anything like that. Heck, I pierced the 2nd set of holes in my own ears when I was a teenager, and no, I didn't have the piercing gun!

BTW, use a lance on the hematoma -- a paper clip is just going to make a dent & hurt worse!

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You know that months from now that nail will fall off. Just don't add a nice infection to boot. But what a pain in the butt to be an RN, needing your hands and dealing with that.

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Specializes in Making the Pt laugh..

I can't handle throat swabs, if I had to do it myself I would chicken out and just swab my cheek. Last time I had a throat swab they hit my gag reflex and I vomited everywhere. Use the back end of a needle, the hollow bore helps drain the heamatoma quicker, and if there is enough pressure it makes a pretty fountain.

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.
After slamming my finger in my car door and spewing a stream of obscenities, i have been awarded with a beautiful subungal hematoma and the throb that goes along with it. Yay... So here I sit with a lighter in one and and a paper clip in the other but I just can't bring myself to do it...

I got me to thinking about the things that I can do to others and not myself as a nurse. Anyone have any to share?

i have done this to myself. twice.

and i felt so much better.

once, when i was in medic school, i cut the top of my thumb off in the meat slicer working @ cracker barrel. so i just put my little peice of tissue in a baggie with ice and tied a tourniquet around my thumb, then proceeded to drive myself to the ER where they were thankfully able to suture me up.

i remember being @ the station when i first started and one of the guys going, "watch this", and proceeded to start an IV on himself and hang a bag of ringer's after a night of drinking.... and another guy used to draw his own blood all the time just to prove to people he could.

i've given myself shots, PPDs and have actually managed to save an IV on myself that a nurse had missed.

nothing bothers me, really.

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I've done post-mortem care on others, but for some reason I've never been able to do it to myself.

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Specializes in Making the Pt laugh..
I've done post-mortem care on others, but for some reason I've never been able to do it to myself.

I am sorry fins but that is so soft, I can't understand why.:yeah:

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