Tossing Your Cookies...

leslie :-D · Jul 17, 2009

My personal "tossing cookies" thing is colostomy bags. I've seen and cleaned up everything from GI bleed, c. diff, pseudomonas sputum, rotten crotches, yeasty beasties under large folds, even rotten wounds with maggots in them. Those are nothing compared to the way a colostomy bag grosses me out.

oh yeah...esp those high colostomies.

and stay away from those bags that look like they're over inflated.

my heart drops whenever i see one of those.

leslie

KY RN · Jul 17, 2009

Funky gunkies in the lady parts is the worst. :uhoh3: I had to do this foley catheter on a patient, who could not open her legs. I was cleaning her perineal area. We had four people trying to manipulate her legs and roll her side to side. It was horrible smelling and had white fungus all over her entire lady parts and legs. It looked like a cross between cottage cheese and little white mushrooms everywhere I have never seen or smelled anything like this since. Needless to say, the CNA's were written up because it was evident she had not had any perineal care in a several days.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

Needless to say, the CNA's were written up because it was evident she had not had any perineal care in a several days.

:eek:

rassccal · Jul 17, 2009

I have worked in several different fields, and my stomach turners are:

1. False teeth...I can't clean them or even put them in a cup without feeling the retching coming on...HATE it

2. Vomiting....when someone is vomiting and i'm holding the bucket, i want to ask the patient if we can share it together...although i never actually vomited........i have dry heaved several times with the patient.....uuuugh:(

JasmDasm · Jul 17, 2009

Wow, this is great, you guys. Thank you so much for responding. I am Google-ing a bunch of these ailments and looking at pics. Not only that, but you are giving me a glimpse into the future. :nurse:

DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 17, 2009

When I was in nursing clincials, I did my psych rotation on a lock-down unit (mostly schizophrenic pts).

One of the pts was wandering around with semen dripping down off his eyebrow.

Anyone seen the movie "There's Something about Mary?"

Yup, just like that. I almost lost it.

PS I work on a vent unit, I see bloody sputum, infectious sputum, vomit, poop, stage IV ulcers, gangrenous wound, colostomy bags, etc. Doesn't bother me at all. but that psych pt...

Best,

Diane, RN

DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 17, 2009

False teeth...I can't clean them or even put them in a cup without feeling the retching coming on...HATE it(

High five on that one.... :barf01:

Forgot about the dentures

DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 17, 2009

oh yeah...esp those high colostomies.
and stay away from those bags that look like they're over inflated.
my heart drops whenever i see one of those.
leslie

We have a pt on our unit that 'burps' hers when it's overinflated. but she always waits until one of us is in her room :madface:

NM nurse to be · Jul 17, 2009

OMG some of these are hilarious! I haven't got the pleasure of experiencing most of them yet though. I spent the night with a lady who heaved for hours before she got sent to the ER and that experience pretty much cured my gag response to vomit.

My ultimate oogy happened this morning. Was getting up a resident that I was unfamiliar with and didn't realize she had a false eyeball. Until It was looking at me from the table! That wasn't as bad as my nurse's description of how you take care of a false eye and the socket, that about did me in and I didn't even see it!!

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

I've never thrown up while at work. I do get queasy with any of the GYN cases-the stuff I've seen...blech!! I also don't like many of the ENT cases. I do mostly Ortho now so thank goodness, don't have to look at too many cooters or broken noses. :lol2:

Sputum bothers me(then again, does anyone actually LIKE sputum?) but not to the point where I've thrown up. Code browns don't bother me-just cleaned one tonight as a matter of fact. Severed limbs/fingers I'm fine with. Puke doesn't even make me flinch anymore.

Just those dang GYN cases-especially D/Cs :uhoh21:

chicookie, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

Sputum for sure. Second on my list is when a patient has their first bowl moment in like 2 weeks. NASTY. ugh. I am getting queasy just thinking about it. I don't do well with bowl moments anyway and when they haven't had one in a while its just so much worse.

CanuckStudent · Jul 17, 2009

Oh God, colostomy bag changes, without a doubt. I have almost yacked more times than I can count. Of course, the client never sees me react (thank God for my local theatre school scholarship in junior high), but inside, I am asking myself "how did I wind up doing THIS"?! :bugeyes:

As a student, guess who always 'gets' to do ostomy care? :wink2:

I have no idea how I am able to retain composure and be completely professional when clients are farting, oozing smelly bodily fluids (and well, 'solids' ), have gangrene, lady partsl discharge, and haven't washed in a week. One Resident in LTC had a lady partsl infection with discharge and a VERY strong odor (BV?) for sure, but the regular staff kept saying "that smell is normal for her". Uh, what?! You guys have been holding your breath when you walk into the room and yet think that is 'normal'? I'd almost pass right out and vomit from the smell.

Seriously. I have a really sensitive sense of smell and gag reflex. All of that said, I suppose I can hold it together because I try to provide the most professional, respectful, and compassionate understanding care that I can. That's a no-brainer, as I like to say. But inside, I'm not going to lie, BM makes me feel like crap.

As for everything 'medical' (surgery, blood, open/compound fractures, pulsating umbilical cords (hehe), etc.) none of that remotely bothers me to look at or touch. At least in theory. But I have heard of the odd student nurse or med student who has supposedly passed out in the OR....