Share what helps you get through gross situations!

nursemelani · Jan 10, 2006

For smelly stuff, breathe through your mouth, not your nose.

When doing a fecal disimpaction (sp?), double glove, and repeat silently

"I am a nurse, I can handle this".........

Bipley · Jan 10, 2006

I was reading another thread where someone gave some good advice about dealing with gross smells. Keep a small jar of Vicks with you to put around your nostrils. You can't smell anything, but Vicks! That will definitely help me! I was wondering if anyone else has any tricks to help us get through some of the "not so great" parts of the job.
~Rockstar~

Yeah, I was one of the people that suggested that. Just a note, a small jar of vicks is bulky and hard to carry. It comes in a tube like chapstick and easier to stuff up your nose. LOL! But really, it is easier and less obvious when it is in your pocket.

Other tips... it really depends on what your weakness is. Mine is smell. I smell barf and I have to hurl. I smell pooh and I have to hurl. During OR when they burn off bleeders it's human BBQ... I have to hurl then too. I just can't stand smells. For some it is when they see something and with time you really do get used to that. Some can't stand the feel of certain things so trying various types of gloves work. If females have long fingernails and you have to put your finger up someone's rear put a piece of cotton on the tip of your finger under the gloves before ramming it up there, the patient will appreciate that. But don't let your nails grow so long you perf something either.

So it really depends on your individual weakness.

Bipley · Jan 10, 2006

When doing a fecal disimpaction (sp?), double glove, and repeat silently "I am a nurse, I can handle this".........

Right, and hope it works!!!!!!!! HAHA

irshnrse · Jan 10, 2006

A good sense of humor always helps me!

leslie :-D · Jan 11, 2006

there's very little i have problems with....it honestly doesn't bother me to disimpact (unless i go back to that 1 time where projectile liquid stool splatted onto my face, neck, MOUTH :imbar ); the smell of a gi bleed doesn't bother me.....but changing colostomy bags does make me heave. even as i mouth breathe, i keep imagining that i'm ingesting 'feces germs' into my airway. :rolleyes:

i've seen plenty of fungating wounds whose appearance and odor could make one faint. but i can handle those too. just those darned colostomy bags...

leslie

Still Riding · Jan 11, 2006

Sometimes you can wear a mask that way the Patient can't see you gag.

Add that the vicks and it fixes my problems.

chadash · Jan 11, 2006

Along with mouth breathing, I push my tongue against the top of my mouth just above my front teeth. I swear, colostomy bags from heck cannot permeate this technique, even if it is all in my head….

L&Dwant2b · Jan 11, 2006

there's very little i have problems with....it honestly doesn't bother me to disimpact (unless i go back to that 1 time where projectile liquid stool splatted onto my face, neck, MOUTH :imbar ); the smell of a gi bleed doesn't bother me.....but changing colostomy bags does make me heave. even as i mouth breathe, i keep imagining that i'm ingesting 'feces germs' into my airway.
i've seen plenty of fungating wounds whose appearance and odor could make one faint. but i can handle those too. just those darned colostomy bags...
leslie

Oh how I feel your pain with those colostomy bags. It was my turn to show my instructor that I could change an ostomy bag. Well I had gotten my lady all dressed and she had her bed bath. Her regular nurses said they usually did her chnages in her chaiur because the longer she stayed in bed the more agitated she got. Well I guess I kept her int hat bed toooooo long when I returned to her room with my instructor my patient was covered with poo, it was all over her face, her CLEAN clothes, all between her fingers, she had ripped the whole thing right off. The room reekded the hallway reeked she had 2 other roommates that left to tgo to the dining room because they could not take the smell. Not mention this patien would contract her arms and her hands. So I had a hard time cleaning the poo from between fingers. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Bipley · Jan 11, 2006

(unless i go back to that 1 time where projectile liquid stool splatted onto my face, neck, MOUTH :imbar );

So tell me, what DOES poop taste like??

LOL... sorry, couldn't resist.

VeryPlainJane · Jan 11, 2006

face mask...face mask.......FACE MASK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

leslie :-D · Jan 11, 2006

So tell me, what DOES poop taste like??
LOL... sorry, couldn't resist.

is this my cue to tell you to eat sh*t?:rotfl: