I am not worried about most things that I am facing when I start nursing school next month, the long hours, complex subject matter, or high expectations. I AM worried about one thing that I will encounter when I enter clinicals... vomit.
I am so sorry to be gross, but I do not deal with vomit well (ashamed to say, not even my own children's). I am terrified that when I encounter this in school that no matter what my intentions are, that I won't be able to block it out and be as professional as I need to be (vomiting on my own is a REAL possibility)
I have talked to a couple of nurses about this, and they say that all nurses have "that one thing" that grosses them out, but eventually you get over it to where it is not a problem anymore. Has anyone else encountered something similar??
Again, I am so, so, so sorry for this subject matter, I just really need some advice. I am not naive enough to think, this won't happen to me, I am just trying to get prepared.
C-SECTION. Seriously freaks me out. The epidural... The blood (which typically doesn't bother me) combined with the sight of muscle and fat tissue, the gouging...coterizing... and the baby (all grey-ey and purpley), the spreaders, oh god. I can't even type about it without getting all willy nilly.
I've been trying to watch youtube vids to beat the fear out of me but nearly a hundred vids later I am no better off then when I started.
C-SECTION. Seriously freaks me out. The epidural... The blood (which typically doesn't bother me) combined with the sight of muscle and fat tissue, the gouging...coterizing... and the baby (all grey-ey and purpley), the spreaders, oh god. I can't even type about it without getting all willy nilly.
Hahaha. I may be a total weirdo, but I actually like that kind of stuff. I find it interesting to watch. Guess that's one less thing for me to have to worry about being quesy over!
C-SECTION. Seriously freaks me out. The epidural... The blood (which typically doesn't bother me) combined with the sight of muscle and fat tissue, the gouging...coterizing... and the baby (all grey-ey and purpley), the spreaders, oh god. I can't even type about it without getting all willy nilly.
Haha- I still have never once in my life seen a lady partsl birth (video or in person) because I passed out during my L&D clinical...loved seeing the C-sections though! Everyone has their thing.
Oh yeah, I also passed out during my L&D LECTURE...it's that bad.
Now you've got me really started to think after reading al lthe other posters. As I said earlier, I don't like the opening first surgical cut, but then I get really grossed out by the use of rib spreaders and those ortho OR thingy's that hammer/chisel bone. Have only seen these on TV which is good because I'd faint away in person. Now those C-sections, I watch AFTER they're opened up.
And one other really super naaaasty yuck...a big MAGGOT infection in a relatively contained-space wound (this I have seen; first time, the room went spinning and my CNA shoved me into a bedside chair, pushed my head down between my knees and she finished that drsg for me).
Our first day of clinical in LTC we had a patient that was immobile. There were three of us as a team. we had to do a full bed bath as part of our training. So me and B were on one side, K was on the other. The patient also wore briefs and was on iron sulfate :'/ We got all our supplies and gloved up and started the bath. When it came to the brief area I was using the wipes and cleaning her up. I got poop on my glove, so asked B if he'd get me a clean pair. He said ok and went to get some. I was still cleaning her up, waiting for a clean pair of gloves. B never came back! OMG! He was so grossed out that he had to leave*LOL*. we finished up the bath and went to find him. Taught me to carry extra gloves in my pocket!
Honestly, I think as nurses and nursing students we are all only human. Of course there are going to be things that gross us out, I mean we are not robots. I remember when I first started nursing school for some odd reason I couldn't deal with vomiting and then eventually throughout all the years of nursing school it just happened so frequently that I stopped having to gag everytime someone else was vomiting. Just like everything else it just takes getting used to and then it becomes second nature.
The one thing I already know I have a hard time is burns. Especially penetrating burns. When I took one of my medical tech classes in high school, we learnt about burn treatments and I had to leave the room after the pictures and descriptions. I nearly fainted and apparently literally went green. I'm not sure how I'll do about poop, maybe I'll just pretend it's the cat litter.
DENTURES for some reason...& I didn't even know til I had to remove them, rinse them, & hand them to my pt. Even tho I had a glove on, it was an uncomfortable feeling...
This topic makes me feel so much better! I have a phobia of vomiting (emetophobia). I go to therapy for it once a week. It's so severe that I will have panic attacks if I'm around it and if I feel nauseous...game over. Luckily I very rarely vomit. I am starting nursing school in a month and this phobia is making me so nervous. I am soooooo scared but being a nurse is my dream and I am not going to let this stupid phobia hold me back. I am hoping nursing desensitizes me to vomiting. I think myself doing it will still be a huge issue but I'll take what I can get. Thank you all for posting about the things that scare you, it made me feel a lot better and not so crazy and alone.
I have two actually. Bugs and eyes. I had a really bad car accident when I was a kid that left me with a huge scar from my Right eyebrow to cheek and a huge fear of eye issues - I feel for the patient. I know how uncomfortable, painful it must be and how incredibly hard it is to sit still and let someone even look. I can't do it. LOL. The bugs give me the heebie geebies. I had a patient in my ICU rotation that came in COVERED in fleas/lice/whathaveyou - it was a horrible infestation. We had to call an exterminator to the hospital to backtrack everywhere that patient was. I was professional working with the patient, but had to gown up and down every time I came near him and freaked when I saw a flea jumping down the hall...not exactly professional. I immediately went home and showered, scrubbed, and had hubby go through my hair just to be sure. *rolls eyes* I'm fine with vomit, poop, pus, blood, suctioning, etc. Hopefully I get over those things...it's going to be a long career if I can't. Oy vey!
once i was on a critical care transport in a small plane, in a storm, with no visibility out the windows, with a patient (blessedly comatose) who was bleeding out from everywhere due to a massive clotting problem-- messy, smelly, and i was running out of absorbent anything. i had been in a real hurry to make the flight on time when they called me and grabbed the first things i saw in the fridge for "dinner" as i ran out the door-- a couple of cold hot dogs and an orange soda.
you see where this is going. an hour later i, who never got carsick, never got airsick, never gagged in patient care, who even kinda liked suctioning trachs, was suddenly fumbling around under the seat for the covered coffee can we kept there for just this reason. relieved of the artificial "food" in my stomach i felt instantly better, snapped the cover back on, and went on caring for this awful trainwreck trying to ignore my resident snickering at me. he never let me forget that trip, the little twit.
point is that everyone has limits, the anticipation is far worse than the event, after you barf you feel better so it's better to do it sooner rather than later, and the worst that can happen is some snot-nosed third-year rags on you for a few more years until he leaves. welcome to the profession, dear!
2BRN123
166 Posts
Oof, good topic.
C-SECTION. Seriously freaks me out. The epidural... The blood (which typically doesn't bother me) combined with the sight of muscle and fat tissue, the gouging...coterizing... and the baby (all grey-ey and purpley), the spreaders, oh god. I can't even type about it without getting all willy nilly.
I've been trying to watch youtube vids to beat the fear out of me but nearly a hundred vids later I am no better off then when I started.