Smelly Co-Worker

Nurses General Nursing

Published

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...

Hey....could we close this thread and open a new one with the "results" of your meeting/ confrontation? Inquiring minds want to know!!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
She's right about he smell. I've had a patient in the nursing home with a blood sugar of over 500 and they reeked of sweetness. I actually think it may have been higher--I remember a comment about a lab having to be done and that the accu check meter didn't even go up as high as this level was so they had to do a blood test in the hospital connected to the nursing home. It may have actually been 600 +.

yes, our accucheck meters don't go over 500 (I think) I can't recall getting any reading over 455, but we have seen some outrageous sugars come back from the lab.

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Specializes in Case Management.
Thanks. I did talk to her today ... just about setting up a time to 'chit chat' and we are meeting for breakfast in the morning before work.

I can now honestly say that there IS something that the anticipation and dread is worse -- than a root canal.

I almost wish I would have set up something during coctail hour. A "few" Rum and Diet Cokes wouldn't hurt.

This reminds me of when I was in college. I was working for a company that had supervised apartments for MR/DD adults. We had one guy that was NOT MR in the least. He was quite intelligent and a really sweet guy however he had severe CP. He couldn't walk so he rode one of those scooter things.

This guy was bright, he was in college, (I used to help with homework, I'd write for him since he was unable) he was fun, had a GREAT sense of humor, really a cool guy. Well, he wanted to go to a bar. I honestly couldn't think of a reason not to. He wanted to do what his college peers were doing. He wanted to go to a bar AND he wanted to go dancing. He couldn't dance, he couldn't STAND.

I talked to my boss and he said our job is to make their lives as absolutely normal as possible. He was of age, he was not mentally retarded, he was quite capable of making his own decisions and if he wanted to go to a bar and experience that, he had the right.

We get to the bar and I'm thinking... "Thank heavens the dance floor is up steps, he won't want to dance!" I simply didn't know how to dance with someone in a scooter. He insisted, he wanted to dance.

Okay, I admit... it took a Long Island Ice Tea but I agreed. Wasn't sure how this would work, but I agreed.

We go to get up to the dance floor and I'm at a loss. A few young guys saw what was going on and they picked Randy AND his scooter up, lifted it up three stairs to the dance floor and we started to dance. Keeping in mind it is a slow dance. Being a person with severe CP he was essentially sitting "side saddle" and flapping his arms and giggling in delight. I swear, I had no clue what to do. So I started doing something similar to what he was doing but not quite to the same degree.

People saw him dancing and actually moved out of the way so he would have lots of room. He was thrilled, he was having the time of his life. At the end of the "slow" dance people clapped for him and cheered him on. Thankfully the DJ played a fast dance for the next song as that is all Randy could dance to anyway, something verrrry fast.

That taught me a lesson in keeping things as normal as possible for folks. They deserve nothing less.

Anyway, sorry... I digress. My point is that I really feared that experience too just because I hadn't done it before and I didn't know how. Can't say I actually know how to do that one to this day, but I managed. I'm banking on the same theory in the morning.

Bipley, please keep us updated on how it went...

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Hey....could we close this thread and open a new one with the "results" of your meeting/ confrontation? Inquiring minds want to know!!

I'm hoping the thread will settle down. I don't want Bipley to have to go looking for us.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

weren't they supposed to meet for breakfast THIS morning before work?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
weren't they supposed to meet for breakfast THIS morning before work?

Yep, she posted at 8:31 last night she was going to talk to her this morning.

Boy, I missed a lot of potential cat fights from yesterday and the day before! This is turning into a very long thread. I just want to know how it goes too. Maybe I'll have to deal with this someday and I'd like to know how to handle it approprately.

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I just hope it goes well for the nurse who needs help.....

I pray for her she will be receptive to Bipley's attempts to help her.

Bless her heart....she must really be suffering thru this.

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Specializes in Case Management.
Yep, she posted at 8:31 last night she was going to talk to her this morning.

Boy, I missed a lot of potential cat fights from yesterday and the day before! This is turning into a very long thread. I just want to know how it goes too. Maybe I'll have to deal with this someday and I'd like to know how to handle it approprately.

You and me both! But I hope I don't have to!

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You know what? I thought this thread started out great. An honest compassionate desire to help someone. It has just gotten so tacky. Yes, I can not look at it, but think of all the visitors to this forum that do look at this. What kind of opinion are they forming about us? I love humor. I love all the edgier threads. Usually there is no humor to gross or tacky for me. How else do you deal with all the horrible stuff you have to deal with? This is the 1st thread I have ever wished to see closed because it has become a very poor reflection on what nurses are. That whole prostitute remark just was over the top. Have your fun, but for the original poster, and the person discussed, this is not at all helpful at this point. I was a GYN nurse for 10 years and I if that poor person ever saw this she would be devestated. Have your fun - I will leave you to it. I just felt the need to have my say.

Does anyone else really base their posts around what a visitor's opinion would be? I sure don't! We are all human. Not super-robotic-nurse people who have no sense of humor, no feelings, no thoughts, no opinions. I know society acts like we are ...but this is not the case. I thought allnurses was the one place on the internet where we could get together and vent, laugh, chat about life in nursing?

No one is getting hurt by the small amounts of humor injected into the thread. If they are...sticks and stones. These are just words on a screen and most of us are strangers in real-life, so if someone is basing their feelings on what complete strangers think...they've got bigger problems, don't you think? I think people in today's world get WAY too sensitive and touchy and offended over anything. Sorry, If I am coming off as insensitive, but I truly don't intend it to be that way.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

:yeahthat:

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
I seriously have to thank folks here. When I first posted my "issue" I was thinking that there was no way in he!! that I could post about lady partsl odor.

You folks made me realize how wrong I was. Now... after months and months I have the tools I need to help this young women.

How does someone thanks others for this? It can't be done, not adequately. Best I can do is... thanks!

No, Bipley.......... thank YOU. thumbsup5.gif

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
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.

Hi,

You are very correct. This is personal. Yet, is it too personal for her to be be told that she is not alone? In my previous post I related. You are right, this is a cunundrum! Okay, so printing out any of our posts could definately backfire.

How about sharing some links to support groups for bv, (I was so relieved when I found them and discovered that others had the same shame and so on). Here is a link to some information http://mcs.infomatters.com/gbs/microbioQA.html

Here also is link to many discussions in listserv format including several from fellow bv sufferers.

http://www.diagnosishealth.com/discussion1/disc78_frm.htm

If you like, feel free to pm me to get my email addy to share with the person, if she is receptive to your assistance.

Good luck,

Gen

p.s. links to support groups, yet, since my husband and I both got treated I pretty much stopped reading any of the bv support but, I know it is an emotional roller coaster, share these with your coworker, if in fact, these are appropriate, (along with the above links too)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BacterialVaginosisCure/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BacterialVaginosisCures/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/no_more_yeast_no_more_bv_no_more_lady partsl_infections/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cowboylimp/

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