Smelly Co-Worker

[Bipley]

What would you all do about a co-worker with an odor problem?

This gal LOOKS clean but she smells BAD. The beginning of the shift is fine, the middle of the shift and things get bad. I see her sneak off to the bathroom with BO Juice in hand but she still smells bad.

It isn't always body odor. Sometimes it is but it is something different. I feel weird about explaining exactly what it is, but it is usually a very strong, different odor. Please understand, this is not once every now and again, this is daily. It's a rare day that there is no odor.

To my knowledge we have never had a patient complaint, but I don't know why. She is a sweet nurse, very good at what she does, very skilled at her profession, but she stinks!

I really don't think it is a lack of showering, she comes to work and smells fine. Within a few hours it is bad.

Suggestions on how to tell her? I don't want to hurt her feelings but geez...

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

huh????

:chuckle

[LPN1974, LPN]

LPn 1974 I realize that people have smells. I don't know how to express that. I'm a home health nurse and have been into women houses insering foleys as well as in LTC. I have also done many a culture on women with yeast infection, dealt with women that have less than optimal cleanliness is why I keep saying it is one thing to care for female patients with an issue but another to work with someone that can go lady partslly rank that quick. I'm a non smoker and have a sensitive nose as well. I was brought up not to believe everything I hear or read.

Well, you can believe whatever you want, and so can everyone else.

I'm not going to debate it. As someone else told ME, in this same thread, let's just agree to disagree and let it go at that.

It's not a big deal.

We choose to believe whatever we want. I happen to believe Bipley and you don't, so that's okay either way.

The reason for this thread was to get help for someone who had an offensive odor and I think we should let it stay on topic.

Have a blessed day.....

Hmmm....maybe that was in another thread.

I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

[lyv33]

I worked in home health for about 8 years myself. There are some really bad body odors out there, but the only time that I have come across the odor that everyone is talking about was with a co-worker. I swear the odor was all around her and stayed in the room. It was quite embarrassing for everyone. She walked around like there wasn't anything wrong. Maybe she couldn't smell it. It was very obvious that it was her as the odor started at the same time that she was hired. It left when she was let go.

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

I had a co-worker like that once, and the supervisor finally said something to her. Humiliated, she soon quit the job. I just found out she killed herself.

As awful as that is and how sorry I am for this woman, I agree with rn/writer......bad timing to interject this.

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

I had a coworker with a very similar situation. After getting to know her she revealed to me she had chronic BV (Bacterial Vaginosis). She was put on Flagyl 500mg every day for almost a year. After some blood work came back suspicious she had to stop taking the Flagyl because it is thought that it can cause cancer in lng term use. Soooooo, its either smell or cancer which would you pick.....

Is Flagyl used to treat BV.....I thought it was used mostly for trichomonas?

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

Is this a joke or is this for real.... How can you smell someone elses lady parts if your at work or wherever???????? I can understand if it is a pt. or whatever..... But at work and then you say she actually left open her purse with lady partsl spray...... I think someone is blowing smoke( or lady partsl spray up our butts)... Is this a joke???????? I find this very hard to believe.... Yes I've been near people with breaTH THAT SMELLS LIKE HORSE POO, AND PEOPLE WITH BODY ODOR, BUT A lady partsL SMELL IS A LITTLE OF A STRETCH. HOW CLOSE DO YOU WORK WITH THIS PERSON.......SHE MUST HAVE IT ON HER HANDS AND MAY NOT EVEN BE WASHING THEM BUT I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SHE CAN COME TO WORK SMELLING FINE AND THEN SMELL LIKE A FISH MARKET LATER INTO THE SHIFT..... ARE YOU WORKING 2-3 I8 HOUR DAY SHIFTS IN A ROW???????? THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE........AND IF YOUR FOR REAL, THEN YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE TAKING HER TO THE SIDE OR TELLING YOUR SUPERVISOR FOR THE SAKE OF HER HEALTH AND HER PATIENTS........:uhoh21: :imbar :uhoh21:....THIS IS JUST TOOOOOO UNBELIEVABLE. IF THIS PERSON IS A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER THEN SHE CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH, WHICH I DON'T BELIEV IS BEING TOLD HERE.......

Ever done GYN assistance in a public health clinic? You can smell it before you even walk in the room.....ever heard nurses talk about rubbing vicks under their noses? That's why. This is very real and I don't question Bipley at all. I have never noticed a case this bad, but I have noticed funny smells throughout the years before I began nursing school......just didn't have the knowledge base or experience to pinpoint what they were. Let me tell you that NOW.... I can smell alcoholics, diabetics, elderly people, and I don't have a sensitive nose either (smoker).

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

Not being a Nurse, to me, some of you, not all, sound very rude and uncaring... too big for your "britches"..a better word would be...I just don't know.

Sorry, if I'm wrong..I won't know for some time.

Angelsarch

please explain...........there has been some joking around but EVERYONE that has posted on this thread regularly from the beginning has nothing but compassion for this woman

I wish you people would read the entire thread BEFORE posting geez

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

oh you must have edited this! They are not rude and uncaring. This has been a very difficult situation for the OP to address. Have you read the entire thread?? Some humor is sprinkled throughout, but that is how nurses handle uncomfortable situations. You say you are not a nurse, so maybe you shouldn't judge at face value how we handle things until you yourself have been there.

I am not a nurse either but even a half wit could recognize the compassion for this nurse being elaborated on this thread!

[Gennaver, MSN]

is flagyl used to treat bv.....i thought it was used mostly for trichomonas?

hi,

yes, metronidazole, (flagyl) is used also to treat bv. copying from my ati nclex rn study guide book:

it is active against anaerobic organisms, specifically,organisms that cause amebiasis, giardiasis, and trichomoniasis, also h. pyloria , also c-difficile and gram neg bacillus (when used in combination with aminoglycoside).

when i worked at a women's health center the docs used to prescribe it for bv at 500mg for 7 days, (i think, not sure anymore!)

you know what, after i had chronic bv for over 5 years, i was so relieved to be free of this stress, i had been asking my one doctor for years what was wrong but, because it was not daily, of course it was absent when i went for my visits...the worst time is mensus, ugh, again, i am so grateful. the deciding factor to speak up at my work and ask one of my employer docs to write a script was indeed righth after an ekg class, which was when i had my mensus, and one of the nurses looked around the room with an obvious displeasure and said, "oh goodness, we need ventilation in here." i was embarassed and hurt but, you know what, i realized that whatever was going on, was not normal.

i am soooo grateful to this day that this nurse looked around with disgust and spoke up. it is obvious, not only odor but, the poor sufferer usually has watery chronic discharge.

antibiotics really gave me back my sense of self! that was nooooo fun.

actually, i had to get treated twice, because after it went away the first time it did come back a couple of months later. my new docs said that sometimes they treat spouses too. which the next treated both myself and my partner and thank goodness that was the last of my bv, (been over two and a half years now). i have serious empathy!!

good luck bipely!!! i know this coworker will be forever grateful. heck, print out this post and share it with her, let her know that i personally have felt her pain, her shame, her guilt and frustration and that it is not her fault! it is a bacteria that got a strong foothold when her system got out fo wack one time. acidophillus supplements or yogurt help, (yup, just like it does for any yeast infections).

i really do hope that this is her problem because it is so easily fixable.

gen

[hdorsey]

She may have an infection of a female nature, like Trichamoniasis or something. It may not be her armpits at all!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

DO NOT print this out for her. The last thing she needs is to know that this was posted and bandied about. I believe the intent from everyone here is to help with the problem, but it would be crushing for her to know about this. Handle it privately, quietly, gently, and if she cannot handle it back off. She knows about the problem and may or may not appreciate help. All you can do is try to help and if it is not desired or to hurtful for her back the heck off. I am glad you are trying to help, but please do not ever let her know about this thread. That would just be adding insult to injury. While I am the 1st to always appreciate handling adversity with humor, even if tacky at times, I believe it has no place in this particular situation. This is a hugely personal and sensitive matter.

[nurse4theplanet, RN]

She may have an infection of a female nature, like Trichamoniasis or something. It may not be her armpits at all!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

THIS is just soooooooo funny I can't even comment on the irony