Trache suctioning

How does one avoid gagging while doing it?? That is my weakness, my downfall. It grosses me out more than anything. I am going into med surge 2, which is critical care, and I know that I will most likely have to do it. I even gag on the dang dummies in lab :/ The sounds, ugh!!!

I learned once that smiling can help to suppress the gag reflex. It doesn't stop it completely but can help. I try it every time I empty an ostomy and it usually helps. But ileostomies really push that button for me.

It is something that you will learn to get over. I'm a smell person so I carry vicks in my pocket to put under my nose when something particularly offends me.

I didn't get this privilege yet in clinicals, but one of my classmates was describing it and it sounds horrid. I do not have a weak stomach, but this one might just be my downfall. I hope you figure out a way to get through it.

What I do is hold my breathe, why?

1- because when your suctioning, you holding or blocking their breath, and won't take too long

2- can't focus on anything, but task at and and you not breathing

For all of my visceral responses (and I used to be squeamish as heck), I try to:

(a) Really focus on ~what~ I'm doing rather than the sights, smells, and sounds

(b) Think about the physiology and pathology that is producing the noxious stimulus

© Try to step away and regroup ~before~ the parasympathetic system kicks in

(d) Wearing a face shield and mask helps for some reason... just separates me that much more from the stimulus

(e) Think about it regularly when it's not right in front of me

(f) Expose myself when I'm the observer and have the freedom to step back.

I've gotten so much better but there are still things that set me off on occasion, and usually without much warning.