Waiting room

[Marci4]

This morning my husband and I went to the hospital where he was getting an eye laser correction surgery which lasted 30 seconds. But, before that, we waited in the waiting room for almost 2 hours and I got to experience two different situations that grossed me out. One was the lady sitting next to me who was sitting quietly until she answer her phone and open her mouth..... a terrible smell came out!!!! OMG I couldn't breathe.

The second situation was when another lady sat in front of me with two Jackson Pratt devices hanging from her shirt. You can see the tubes coming out of the bottom part of her shirt and the device attached to the upper part. Both the tubes and the devices filled with reddish fluid. Isn't suppose to be hiding?????!!!!!!!! I understand if you are in a hospital bed, but in a eye center waiting room? in the elevator? in the parking lot?

I just wanted to share with you my experience and ask you what do thing is the best treatment for bad breath and which other gross experiences you have out of context.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

If you only want to see beautiful physical specimens there's always the club, the beach, or the gym. Or just thumb through the pages of a magazine.

Sometimes I go to the gym, beach, and club with my insulin pump and sometimes even need to use an inhaler while in those places or test my glucose. Best stick to magazines. Fashion ones, nothing health related, of course.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Sometimes I go to the gym, beach, and club with my insulin pump and sometimes even need to use an inhaler while in those places or test my glucose. Best stick to magazines. Fashion ones, nothing health related, of course.

Oohh, the horror. Good point!

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

Hey, I think it's okay to back off the OP now. I've said many many things that sounded good in my head at the time. Sometimes they have escaped my lips (or fingers). Thankfully I have people close to me that point out how insensitive I can sound at times. I hope I have learned from those times to be more sensitive. Let's give Marci4 a chance to learn before she gets too ganged up on.

[LandD_RN_chica]

Now intentionally hurting you makes them plain wrong as well. You can help someone to see your point without hurting them in the process. Just hope that my words opened your eyes :)

[amoLucia]

To Op - You did offend many of us.

Apology accepted.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Hey, I think it's okay to back off the OP now. I've said many many things that sounded good in my head at the time. Sometimes they have escaped my lips (or fingers). Thankfully I have people close to me that point out how insensitive I can sound at times. I hope I have learned from those times to be more sensitive. Let's give Marci4 a chance to learn before she gets too ganged up on.

Good point.

[WAheartnurse]

OK- on the bad breath. I have had patients with bowel obstructions who have been vomiting up what is basically fecal matter. Combined with cancer and they literally have a death smell coming from their mouth. I had to get up close and personal putting in a NG tube with someone who was constantly vomiting fecal matter and burping up death farts. She was much more miserable than I was and the response of the previous shift was to keep giving her zofran. Screw that zofran won't help that situation. Once we put the NG tube in and brushed her mouth out she was MUCH happier.

When you are around people who are dying, they can give off a peculiar smell, particularly if they are dying slowly from the inside out. When my dad was very ill at home, my dog was around him constantly and smelling him and comforting him. My dog knew how dire it was long before we did.

Amy

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I think we need to be respectful of the OP's thoughts...that while we may not agree...we need to understand where someone is coming from and explain why we think differently with put personal attacks.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I am sorry Altra and Aurora77, I didn't expect those comments, they seem a little rude. I just wanted to share my experience. I am new to All Nurses and always wanted to start a topic. My expectations were some kind of responses about my 2 questions: best treatment for bad breath and things that you saw, if any, out of the hospital environment that not all people (including children) should be seeing.

I am a LPN (not working as one) and also future LPN to RN student, and I did not freak out, it was my husband who did and other people in the waiting room who were looking to the JP and putting faces of discomfort.

Welcome to AN ! The largest online nursing community!

Here is the deal.....as a person in the waiting area.....what would/could you have done for the other persons bad breath.....technically it is not your place. Some people have medical conditions that lead them to bad breath and if that patient has had nothing by mouth it can also lead to some foul breath.

The JP's....in the current tormentor of medicine many patients are discharged with drains and medical equiptment and they are out in public...you don't know anything about that patient..maybe they were not supposed to touch them maybe they are afraid.

Should they be "secured" Yes....however....as another person in a public waiting room...it is not your place to intervene. If you were uncomfortable. The professional thing would be to tell the office staff that the dangling JP drains are disturbing the waiting room and could be a fluid exposure risk and let them deal with the patient. It is not your place.

I hope this helps your decision making process in the future

[kungpoopanda]

If you only want to see beautiful physical specimens there's always the club, the beach, or the gym. Or just thumb through the pages of a magazine.

Unnecessary and unworthy, particularly after she apologised.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

She did apologize.

I think sometimes we forget how shocking medical stuff is to non-medical people.

I would hope the majority would just feel empathy and hope the person gets better.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

I am sorry Altra and Aurora77, I didn't expect those comments, they seem a little rude. I just wanted to share my experience. I am new to All Nurses and always wanted to start a topic. My expectations were some kind of responses about my 2 questions: best treatment for bad breath and things that you saw, if any, out of the hospital environment that not all people (including children) should be seeing.

I am a LPN (not working as one) and also future LPN to RN student, and I did not freak out, it was my husband who did and other people in the waiting room who were looking to the JP and putting faces of discomfort.

Well, frankly, your original post seemed a little rude. How do you know that the "bad breath" woman isn't harboring an oral infection that she's seeking treatment for? Maybe her teeth are so badly decayed and she can't afford the dental care necessary to alleviate the problem? And the man with JP drains? Why should he "have" to hide them from view? If it offends you, don't look!!