Weak Stomach

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Hi everyone,

I am almost done with my pre-reqs and I am very excited to start applying to nursing school.:yeah: Sometimes, I can have a sweak stomach and was wondering if anybody could tell if they have experienced this too and was able to get through it in nursing school. I am okay with blood, I've been in hospitals, and I was fine in A&P with dissections. It's just sometimes I can have a weak stomach in certain situations. Does this happen to everyone? Did others go through this and get over it? Do you think I will eventually get over it? Any experiences in nursing school that you just couldn't handle? LOL :lol2: Thanks in advance. :) I can't wait to be a fellow nurse :nurse:

Hi! I'm in the same boat as you...going to be applying to NS for Fall '11 and I have anxiety over having a weak stomach about certain things. For me, it's going to be mostly about vomit and certain smells. I have nurses in my family and they all tell me that you get used to it in time. There are some threads about this very topic...just do a search and I'm sure you'll find them.

Best of luck to you!:)

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i dont really have a weak stomach for the things i see or hear in clinical but i guess the smell bothers me sometimes. i just try to breathe through my mouth and get through the situation lol i mostly have a weak stomach when it comes to stressful or anxiety producing situations.

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Specializes in NeuroICU/SICU/MICU.

The sound of a really wet cough gets to me. Just imagining it, I can feel a lump rising in my throat :barf01:. Like others have said, though, mind over matter. I've never vomited in response to it, just felt like I wanted to :)

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Thanks everyone. I am more of a sight person. LOL. Anything like :barf02:or poop, I start getting really sick. I guess, I'll just have to deal with it, but it's nice to know I am not the only one that has dealt with this. I guess though once you get more experience, it's not that big of a deal. I guess it's just a learning experience.

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hi Stella....I'm in the same boat w you. I don't necessarily get sick from the smells, but just get grossed out by them. I am glad there is someone else who feels the same way, and is still pushing forward to become a nurse!

I don't know how the heck i'll get through it, but i will do my darndest!! poop so far is my biggest worry.

I am sure that even the best nurses get grossed out by a lot.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Everyone has a weakness in some shape or fashion.

I found out this summer my preceptors was people shooting loogies out of their trachs.

Mine still has to be cdiff poo because well, its the worst smelling thing in the world.

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I totally understand your dilemma. I'm finishing my pre req's but am still worried that I'm not cut out to be a nurse as I have a weak stomach. Not the poop, pee, vimit, mucus stuff...I can deal with that. For me it's the site of blood and the thought of wound packing and care. I've been watching short videos on youtube to try and get use to it but am finding things like picc line insertion, wound flushing and packing, and iv's a bit much. Not sure if this is something everyone goes through and can be overcome. any thoughts and/or advice would be great!

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Specializes in CWON.

yeah....I can handle most stuff, I think...and avoid smell issues by mouth breathing and scent blocking...but am hoping I can develop a bit of immunity to the effects of sputum. I dont mind poo, blood, broken bones, needles, etc (except on those I know...then it can get to me)...but exposure to prolific amounts of stringy, gooey, phlegmy stuff can make me dry heave. Hopefull exposure and learning to think clinically while dealing with it will help....?

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Blood doesn't bother me, snot is fine, pulmonary edema spraying people in the face during a code is fine. But I don't deal well with poop, never have. When a patient gives me a particularly interesting sample, I gag a bit. I just breathe slowly and make sure I don't yak in front of my kids. The older ones that are awake usually find it amusing. Mind over matter, and get through it.

I am cool with poo, EXCEPT when it is in a bedpan! I can clean c diff and regular poo off of hineys all day long, just don't put it in a bedpan....

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Poo and vomit smell gets me. No sight bothers me. No sound either. I could stare right at it, no problem. But once I get that whiff, it's an instant gag reaction.

I've tried training my gag reflex, I've subjected myself to horrible smells, but it doesn't change my reaction. I'd rather be proactive and prevent than wait to gag in front of someone hoping I'll get used to it. I would feel beyond terrible if I gagged in front of a patient.

I also use Vick's dabbed underneath the nose and I put like 3 peppermint Altoids in my mouth.

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I've worked in the OR and seen bowel surgeries with BM covering the room.. pts vomitting all over themselves and the floor... too many things, but the one thing I cant stand is pts, especially males, hacking and spitting. Especially on the floor. The sound of it grosses me out, and emptying kidney basins filled with spit. :lol2:

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Isn't it funny how so many different people have their own different things that bother them?

I have a friend (not going into nursing) who gets weak at the sight of veins. I would show her my wrist, where you can see my veins, she would freak.

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