HS student with odor, call nurse?

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Lol, I can chuckle now. But a teacher just called me to ask if I had something for a (regular) student in her class who has an odor. I don't have deodorant, nor mouthwash so I said I had nothing. She said, "Really?" I said, yes, really, I have nothing. She asked if the front nurse maybe had something. I said, call her and see. She is younger with tons of snacks for preschoolers I mean high schoolers, lol, so who knows. Parents are not coming so I told her to send them to the bathroom. No orders for what I bring with allergies and stuff. Do you have stuff for odors on students. Now in elementary that's different but high school?

Specializes in Geriatrics.

I'm not a school nurse but a parent of a child that was bullied because of an "odor" as the teachers called it. My child has encopresis which is involuntary soiling. Even though it was listed as a diagnosis the teachers were clueless and honestly the school nurse was as well. As soon as I explained it to the school nurse she came up with a plan for my child, but it's one of those things that even if you keep a change of clothes handy or help them clean up it's not going to stop the bullying. The school nurses at every school my child attended (once they knew the problem) were my biggest advocates, but it still didn't help. I ended up having to pull my son out of his first year of high school because the odor problem and the bullying became physical. He now takes all his courses online.

Not saying that was the issue in your case, just putting it out there

Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

There are a variety of reasons a high school student can have an odor. Poor hygiene is one of them, and it would be within a nurse's purview to have a discussion about this with the student. Having some sample size toiletries is reasonable.

If the students do not have access to a shower after gym class, you can talk to them about body wipes or at least using a damp paper towel to clean under the arms and so forth. Perhaps you can do some talks on personal hygiene. Puberty causes stronger body odors - children don't get smelly unless they are soiled - so some teens may not be aware of the need for more careful personal hygiene as adults.

I would advise seeing the student, as other things can cause excessive body odor. You need to determine how bad the body odor is and if there are other causes besides poor hygiene, so it is important to get thorough H&P, and refer the student for medical attention, if necessary.

Here are some other things that can cause odor:

- For girls, a tampon that the girl forgot to pull out - the odor can be unbelievable and this is pretty common.

- Diet

- severe depression can cause a person to lose interest in personal hygiene

- trimethylaminuria

- diabetes

- thyroid issues - hyperthyroidism can result in excessive sweating

- kidney and liver issues

Medical Conditions That Cause Body Odor - Thompson Tee Blog | Insider Tips to Stop Sweat & Boost Your Confidence

Specializes in Geriatrics.
There are a variety of reasons a high school student can have an odor. Poor hygiene is one of them, and it would be within a nurse's purview to have a discussion about this with the student. Having some sample size toiletries is reasonable.

If the students do not have access to a shower after gym class, you can talk to them about body wipes or at least using a damp paper towel to clean under the arms and so forth. Perhaps you can do some talks on personal hygiene. Puberty causes stronger body odors - children don't get smelly unless they are soiled - so some teens may not be aware of the need for more careful personal hygiene as adults.

I would advise seeing the student, as other things can cause excessive body odor. You need to determine how bad the body odor is and if there are other causes besides poor hygiene, so it is important to get thorough H&P, and refer the student for medical attention, if necessary.

Here are some other things that can cause odor:

- For girls, a tampon that the girl forgot to pull out - the odor can be unbelievable and this is pretty common.

- Diet

- severe depression can cause a person to lose interest in personal hygiene

- trimethylaminuria

- diabetes

- thyroid issues - hyperthyroidism can result in excessive sweating

- kidney and liver issues

Medical Conditions That Cause Body Odor - Thompson Tee Blog | Insider Tips to Stop Sweat & Boost Your Confidence

Thank you !

You could ask parents or community members who travel and get 'freebies' from hotels to donate on a voluntary basis? Also perhaps if you have a church or community center may have some ideas or resources.

Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
Get this, the P.E. (gym class) no longer require or make students shower after running, sweating, etc. Wow. I guess I could pick up something but I remember the head nurse making the nurses list all items in their clinics with the responding biohazard codes in case someone needed poison control, etc. So, I am reluctant to give anybody anything but good old soap and water if I have no standing orders for it. We have low income but tons of middle class that complain alot about allergic reactions. Yikes!

P.S. We do have pads, dental wax. I keep room spray supplied by our budget but that's it. We have more OTC stash for teachers which they use at their own discretion.

In most countries in the world, people do not bathe or shower every day. Recent evidence suggests daily showering is not necessary. Our bodies have a normal and natural microbiota which protects us. Washing this off every day may have detrimental effects. In addition, not everyone gets a strong body odor if they don't shower. Some experts feel the constant washing in America, but stripping away the healthy microbes on our skin, makes it easier for odor-causing bacteria to grow. In addition, we are wasting a lot of water. Governor Jerry Brown of California is urging people not to shower every day in order to conserve water.

For those with sensitive skin, soap is not necessary. Rinsing with water is fine.

Is showering everyday bad for you? New research says yes | The Independent

3 Things That Happen When You Stop Showering For A Month | HuffPost

Specializes in NICU.

I am so glad my school

did not enforce this,I would have dreaded it,as it was there was the urban legend that if you took swim class you had to be nude,lol.

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