Saw my first disempaction yesterday!

Silicone · Apr 19, 2003

Originally posted by PerkyCardiacRN
Just keep the eyeballs away from me...especially the prostetic (sp?) ones.

My Dad has had a fake eye since he was 6 years old,

playing "war" and throwing rocks (pretending they were

grenades).

I got into *SUCH* trouble when I was a kid by bragging

to my friends about how *my* dad could take his eye out

and when they didn't believe me - well, I went and got it

and showed it to them. (hehehe) Grossed them all out

and one went home crying and told their mom. (sigh)

This was back when they were made of glass and quite

heavy. Dad would come home from work, pop out his

"eye", leave it on the bathroom sink in a small ashtray,

and put on the black eyepatch. He got a plastic one

a long time ago and says it's a major improvement.

I can spot one a mile away.

MandyInMS · Apr 19, 2003

gizzy...you can look forward to many years of impactions/phlegm..just part of it..in time you'll be able to eat/drink in between these joyous events and not blink an eye :)

night owl · Apr 19, 2003

As Hellllo mentioned, you get used to it after awhile, but 3rdSG is right, it does make you very angry when this person was allowed to become impacted in the first place. Had this happened in LTC at least on my unit, there would have been an investigation. People have died from this problem and it would have been negligence of the staff for not monitoring the pt's BM's. I mentioned this on a previous thread that I once read an article in a nursing magazine along time ago where there was a picture of what I thought was an amputated leg on a gurney. After reading the caption under the picture, it was a section of a man's intestine, about 2 1/2 feet long that was removed during an autopsy. Records showed that he hadn't had a BM in approx four weeks! Now why did that go on for so long without any intervention is beyond me!

Lucy RN · Apr 19, 2003

You do get used to doing those things, esp. disimpaction. Working with Hospice I have become a wiz at preventing constipation. Everyone that is on pain meds is started on a bowel protocol and I assess bowel movements every visit and if its been 2 days we get moving on it. It's much easier to keep things going from the mouth down then tryin to get it goin' from the bottom up. :)

RN-PA, RN · Apr 19, 2003

When I was early on in Nursing school, taking pre-requisites, I was in a Religion class with an RN. I asked her one time, "What's the worst thing you have to do as a nurse?" and she responded, "Disimpaction." I had never heard the word, so asked her to explain the procedure. After her description, I of course said, "That's it. I cannot be a nurse." I had no idea nurses had to do things like that!

Well, my first job for 7 months after graduation was in a LTC facility, and that's where I saw my first impaction and where I learned to do them myself. My nurse manager would always tell me if a patient was vomiting or had a fever, to check for impaction. I haven't done one in a while now, at the hospital, but my main feeling during and after disimpaction is of giving the poor resident or patient some relief! They are often very grateful when it's all finally "out".

Katnip, RN · Apr 19, 2003

Gaahhhh Silicone!!!!!!!! My eyes started to water when I read that.

dschlatet · Apr 20, 2003

Originally posted by P_RN
Just remember disimpact others as you would like to be disimpacted yourself.

Exactly! The only procedure that "gets" me anymore is suctioning trachs. :eek:

Dorothy

Caveman · Apr 20, 2003

Glass Eye....

When I was in high school my best friend had a glass eye. One day on the way to school an older guy ran the stop light right in front of the school, hit my friend's car in the rear fender, and spun it around. My friend was not hurt at all, but, being the smart-a$$ that he was, and wanting to put on a show for the gathering crowd, he removed his "eye" before getting out of the car, and started screaming bloody murder. The guy who ran the red light freaked!!! Thought he was going to have a heart attack.

nrw350 · Apr 20, 2003

Originally posted by night owl
After reading the caption under the picture, it was a section of a man's intestine, about 2 1/2 feet long that was removed during an autopsy. Records showed that he hadn't had a BM in approx four weeks! Now why did that go on for so long without any intervention is beyond me!

OMG!!!!!! THAT HAD TO HURT!!! I would think that after the first week or so, the patient themself would say something!!!!

Please forgive my ignorance, but what do you do when you have to that disimpaction or whatever it is?

obeyacts2 · Apr 20, 2003

Disimpactions dont bug me too much......used to see em all the time with hospice people I cared for...I didnt do the porcedure of course, buut I turned the patient and cleaned up after the RN. What I cant stand is suction....of trachs or with the hospice folks who have pooling secretions.... Thats my issue becuase I am a survivor of ARDS adult respiratoy distress syndrome....I remember being the one getting suctioned. I remember one time I took my Mom to see somebody in ICU at one local hospital...pt around the corner from the lady we were visiting was getting suctioned...I about came out of my shoes..next thing I know a nurse is saying are you sure your allright? LOL

Laura

Nurse Ratched, RN · Apr 20, 2003

Originally posted by nrw350
Please forgive my ignorance, but what do you do when you have to that disimpaction or whatever it is?

I won't go into detail, but let's just say it involves a double glove, some lubricant, and whoever the poor schmo is with the longest fingers. There is a technique to it because you don't want to stimulate the vagal response.

Not one of my favorite things to do, but as others have said, you just have to think about the relief you are giving the patient.

I, too, am irritated anytime someone comes in impacted. Generally it's because of insufficient fluid intake.

sixes · Apr 20, 2003

I can handle all the above what gets to me is anything that feels like vaseline, even with gloves on. My kids have fits of laughter when they have colds, they very nicely pass me the jar of vics and say could you help me with this. If the hubby isn't home I take them in the bathroom and almost die putting the stuff on. They feel better and get a good laugh