Okay so being a cna.. we come across some really unpleasent smells (i'm still in school, but in the clinic)
Second or third day at the clinic we had a resident who we cleaning up her diaper, and who also had 3-4 bed sores. FIRST TIME I SAW IN PERSON. I thought i was fine with it, but being so close to her- next to the bed. The smell of the BM and rotting skin or the bed sores, couldn't take it, and almost threw up and fainted. Thankfully I didn't, but man was I close. Not a good feeling lol.
My point for this blog is... What are was to help with the smell? Breath through your mouth? I don't know, any tips??
I am currently in CNA class and hope to be in nursing school by August. If I can stand cutting a dead decaying dog out of the underpart of my trailer, I think I can stand a little poop and pee smell! GROSS!
Had my first "code brown" yesterday - and, got to handle my 2nd one by myself, too!
Anyway, what I've been doing is using cough drops & breathing through my nose - some gets through, but the menthol attenuates the signal, so to speak.
What was getting me wasn't really the smell so much as the idea of what I was doing - and, as others have mentioned I just reminded myself that I signed up for this, and to suck it up & do it.
Nice side effect was that the battleaxe instructor finally got off of my a** - guess she's finally figured out that I can handle it. All I can say is, she ain't seen nothing yet - bet SHE'S never field-dressed a gut-shot deer!
don't you love the people that say just deal with it...oh brother, how helpful - do they have brains? When I have to deal with odors, mouth breathing does help as does going as fast as I can get get rid of the offending matter. The longer you are exposed you will become a little bit desensitized due to the physiology of the smell receptors.
I tell myself that whatever suffering I am going through as a caretaker pales in comparison to the patient's. If I am disgusted by a smell, that is nothing compared to the wound, infection, diarrhea, severe lack of hygiene, loss of dignity and privacy etc. that the patient has to go through. This person needs care. Nausea is a luxury. Eye of the tiger.
Boerne Lou
30 Posts
It is great! We all need to maintain standards, police eachother and not comprimise sincerity.