What can you tolerate the least?

[Infofreak411]

I've heard that every nurse has their one thing that they don't like and grosses them out and they don't like dealing with. What is your one thing?

For me it would be vomit! I cannot stand vomit!

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

Skanky feet. CANNOT DO IT. Blood, guts, poop, vomit, nasty wounds, whatever. I can't deal with nasty feet.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

Anything with eyes (no problem giving eye drops), can't stand the thought of eye surgery, the eye injuries.

Sputum still grosses me out, but not as bad as it used to. GI bleed poop, vomit gross. The smell.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

Oh and I got dizzy one time when assisting putting in an EVD in the neuro ICU. Having to hold the head still when they are drilling and you only gave the pt fentanyl and versed. Yuck. I assisted with tons of them along with Licox and camino bolt placement. All just bothered me.

[rubato, ASN, RN]

I haven't found my kryptonite yet, but I'm brand new to this. So far, non-compliant patients is what I can't tolerate.

[motherof3sons]

The thing out of 22 years of nursing that still makes me shiver in horror is a Chest tube put in at the patients bed side.....that scarred me for life.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

The thing out of 22 years of nursing that still makes me shiver in horror is a Chest tube put in at the patients bed side.....that scarred me for life.

Oh man! That's awesome stuff! I often wish that when we get pneumos on the floor that the trauma team will be too busy to put that sucker in downstairs and will wait until they are on the floor. I have seen it once. Awesome.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Poo, wounds, nasty feet, unbathed homeless, people who need mouth care.....all must be swiftly and efficiently dealt with. My cure for my gagging is to get everything washed and dressed and tidy. Love a nice clean dressing, a nice clean bed, a freshly cleaned homeless man who looks both bewildered and relieved at the same time.

The cure for anyone's "kryptonite".

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

I'm a NICU nurse, I couldn't tolerate any of that! I dislike tenacious mouth drool the most.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Oh, another one:

Breaking glass ampules.

It makes me mad. We can send man to the moon but some drugs still come in packages that basically threaten to lacerate you. WHY? After you free your patients' medications from its GLASS CASE OF DOOM, you have to make sure you filter out glass particles that threaten to swim around in your patient's bloodstream.

My hospital once switched manufacturers of a certain medication that I had to give often during my shift. These ampules were gigantic. They were so hard to break. I finally asked my non-wussy coworkers to break it for me and even they had trouble. It was maddening.

They don't give you those nice little metal files with them anymore, to weaken the glass around the neck? See if pharmacy has some to share.

Nothing to it, and wrap the top/neck with an alcowipe to protect your fingers, and ALWAYS use a filter needle to draw it up (change to a regular needle to squirt it out or inject it).

[Christy1019, ASN, RN]

Skanky feet. CANNOT DO IT. Blood, guts, poop, vomit, nasty wounds, whatever. I can't deal with nasty feet.

I'm assuming you meant STANKY Lmao!

[The Lady Kate]

Vomit, sputum, and skin flakes. Washing a patient with skin that is flaking and peeling all over my gloves just makes me gag!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I used to trade off with a coworker-- I would empty and measure her NG drainage, and she would empty my tracheal suctioning cannister. I never minded doing the suctioning, but that cannister... :::: bleck :::