The chance they'll touch you is inversely proportionate to their hygiene level...

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You know what I mean... you're just trying to hand them a Hydrocodone when you see three weeks of funk all over their nails, and you say a quick, silent prayer that you can make a clean hand-off... after all, who wears gloves to hand out pills??? Well, I do now with some of my "regulars" LOL! You know how it goes. You have that little pill cup in your hand, and you hold it out, they reach for it, and their fingers enclose the tips of your fingers as they retrieve the cup from your hand. And it's the sweaty, vomiting, snotting, filthy, blind diabetic who cried out to me "hold my hand!" as I stared at my ungloved paws.

And this morning, my back hurts because I was bent over my tub last night washing my hair. I couldn't get in the tub WITH my hair. This lady came in with her two kids, they're all badly infested with scabies for weeks, they already know so because a pharmacist told them so, and sure enough that pharmacist was right. So, I thought I'd kept a good distance. I even dodged the 6 year old as he changed chairs to sit RIGHT by my left thigh. But then, just as I was leaving the bedside, my assessment complete, the mom said "Oh, I just love your hair!" and even though I KNEW what was coming, I couldn't dodge it fast enough... she reached out and Touched My Hair with her Scabies Hands!! *shiver shiver heebeejeebee dance*

Why is it that the clean ones manage to keep their hands to themselves, but the dirtiest, smelliest ones are the ones who just have to touch you in some way?? Blecht.

Don't get me wrong, I realize it's a hazard where I work. We're the hospital where all the indigents go, and I wouldn't have that any other way. I love the traumas, I love the homeless drunks, I love our psych patients, I really do LOVE the population we serve. I just wish the dirty hands didn't make their way to my hair or arms quite so much :barf01:

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Specializes in ICU & LTAC as RN. FNP.

That made me laugh, because it's so true.

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Specializes in LTC.

I think this may be Murphys law. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong".

Like your thinking to yourself "please don't touch me..." and here comes murphy's law and they feel the need to touch you. :D:lol2:

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GAH, if I had potential scabies I'd be gowned and gloved and wearing a cap over my head!

I think I can feel the scabies on my just thinking about it, lol!

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Specializes in TSICU, Renal Transplant, IR, Cath Lab.
:lol2: That's one of the reasons I now shave my head! I don't know about its effectiveness, but it makes me feel better.
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thanks for the laugh!

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

this may seem like an offbeat thought, but here goes:

when i worked on a locked psych dept. in the state mental hospital, we used to get many homeless patients and patients who had homes, but couldn't/wouldn't take even basic care of themselves.

sometimes, they'd spontaneously hug me, touch me, etc. bugs... creepy crawlies...tiny livestock

of varying types... icky rashes... warts... shudder!

the way i found i could cope the best, was to remind myself, often, that the shower would wash me

clean, the washer and dryer would get rid of the funk my clothes picked up, and, though i might itch for

a bit, anything i did manage to pick up could be cured.:rolleyes:

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I work in hospice, and one of the residents has a bit of dementia going on. She has her good days and her really not so good days. I was sitting at the table getting report when she came up behind me and was playing with my hair. I love getting my hair played with and she was obviously in a great mood and I didn't want to disturb her... BUT... the thought of, "So... when was the last time you played in your Depend??" kept racing through my mind. My co-workers were getting quite the laugh over it as I tried to maneuver my way out without upsetting the resident :smackingf

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love the title ...... ty for the laugh :p

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Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.

THanks for the good laugh, it's true.

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Specializes in LTC.

This one time a 102 year old woman took out her dentures and grabbed my arm, and proceeded to suck/gum on it. my face was like :uhoh21:

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Specializes in Emergency.

That's why when I hand out pills, I ALWAYS tell them to hold their hand out, palm up and I drop the pill in their hand. If they drop it, they feel it's their fault and they find it themselves, has always worked for me

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