starwarrior

I know it! This was my first time hurting a patient and it was so unexpected. I feel like I'm more prepared for unforeseen Events like this. I think this time got to me because it was my first time causing someone unexpected pain. Thanks for the honest advice!

That is a very good question. I'm sorry I don't have an answer. I know that salt can form crystals, but I am not educated on the science behind why it's an accepted practice for inflating a catheter balloon. Hopefully someone else might know. I'm interested to find out! Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I will do some research on this.

I know there are probably a million posts on here about how nurses cope with the emotional stress that comes with this career. I will do a quick search and see what pops up.

OUCH!! I'm so glad my mistake wasn't quite as bad as that one! But it is definitely more than enough to be a wake up call for me.

Thanks for your advice and the articles!

I warned him that it may cause some discomfort. From my experience (which isn't much), it isn't painful to pull out. Usually the adhesive hurts worse than pulling out the catheter. I was alarmed when it was painful to my patient, and especially when I was blood!

I have learned a lot from this situation! I am very grateful for your (and everyone else's) support!

He did have the Foley strapped to his leg. I used an alcohol swab to decrease the amount of pain the patient might experience from the adhesive.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. That would have broken my heart too! I am sensitive. I know if I don't take control of my emotions the very thing that I love will turn out to be what drains the life out of me!

The nurse was with another patient (in the next room), and my clinical instructor was with another student as they performed a task. My instructor was with me for the first few that I did. After seeing that I was doing it saftley and correctly, she gave the ok for me to do it with another student. I feel like this may have ruined the trust she has in me. I also feel like I ruined the trust the nurses have in my classmates and I.

Thank you for replying. I can assure you I am not sadistic in any way. I spent the rest of the afternoon shedding tears on and off. I still feel terrible.

I did not see how much saline was in the syringe after it was pulled out. A tech came in and assessed the situation. She said there was still a little saline in the bulb. I didn't see for my self because she pushed saline back into the bulb to show me what it looked like when inflated and how it deflates. I already understood how the process went, but I still went wrong somewhere.

I am a nursing student, and I made my first mistake. My clinical instructor gave me permission to remove a Foley catheter on a male. I've done several times before by myself. Long story short, I deflated the balloon and pulled back on the syringe to make sure all of the saline is out. After I was sure the balloon was deflated I tell the patient to take a deep breath in and let it out, and as he exhaled, I pulled the catheter. When I pulled it out I saw blood. It was not a lot but it was enough for me to be concerned about. Also, my patient was in pain. I cleaned him off and called for the nurse. And she assessed him and said that everything was going to be fine. I apologized 1000 times to the patient. He was understanding and said that it did not hurt that bad. I informed my clinical instructor of the situation. And we went through the steps that I had taken to see where it went wrong. All I could do was cry. I just harmed a patient. Later that afternoon I checked on the patient again to make sure he was feeling okay. He reassured me that he was fine, and said that I should not let this weigh on me. I feel terrible for causing the patient pain. This is the first time I've ever messed up. I thought I took all of the correct step, but I still caused my patient unnecessary pain. Please offer any advice or words of wisdom that might help me learn from this and move forward. Again I was taught to attach the syringe, let it fill with NS, and then aspirate to make sure there is no more fluid left in the bulb. If you have another technique that will prevent this from happening again, please share!