What Freaks You Out?

jared · Apr 2, 2002

"The smell of the burning bone when the drill is in use gets me!" That's odd, I actually like that smell.

Anyway, back in my residency days I was 27 hours into what was a shift from Hell. We were staked 3 deep in every room in the ER and I was asked to assist with a walk - in appendectomy. The procedure itself went fine but afterwards I realized my wedding band was missing. Since we were short on gloves in the prep, I went in bare and I quickly realized my wedding band was somewhere inside my recovering patient. Needless to say, I waited till no one was around and "went back in". Thankfully I found it, and all went well with the patients recovery.

micro, RN · Apr 2, 2002

micro on gross things in nursing:

slip, slurp, suction, suction, suction.......

gi bleeds and stool frank red/new bleeding

occult blood finally making its way out

pseudomonas wounds so very deep that during wound care you get all your senses energized....touch, smell, sight, sound.....god no I hope not taste.........yikes.....micro uses universal precautions.

pulling out the old packed iodofoam gauze.....that old dressing look and smell

wound so large that your whole hand gets lost when doing cleansing and packing.........and then you watch the plastic surgeon that you greatly admire do their version of a packing change and they are even going deeper than you are.........

I will suction any day.....we all got a little spit.........

but why does the dry heaves bother me.....yes, I said the dry heaves.....the sound, motion, emotion but nothing coming out.....

and god, don't come at me with a needle....I can dish it out.....but I am a wimp.........on the other end of the syringe.........

no wonder you gotta be a bit warped to be a nurse.........now what is everybody bringing for the potluck????? am hungry.....

The Skeptic · Apr 2, 2002

I am not a nurse. I could never be a nurse. What you people do ASTOUNDS me.

I thought I had a strong stomach. I found looking at stuff like rotten.com to be disrespectful, as I empathize a bit much. But, sickness and death are a part of life.

I was recently in New York and left my cat at home. When I returned, I felt a scab on her hindquarters and was a bit worried. I looked, just a scab. I figured I would take her to the vet the next day. Of course, during the night she developed a fever and I knew she would be going first thing.

I took extra care not to touch my kitty's hindquarters as I caried her to the car and to the vet's office.

I like to learn and am naturally curious. So I think I am all big shot and am watching them examine my poor little Abu. She sees the one wound (turns out she got bit by my sister's cat) and immediately begins to look for another. She takes the razor and begins to shave Abu's hindquarter. Without the hair, I could see the two bitemarks. The vet said, "I'm going to check her wound now, you ok?"

I say, "oh sure.. I watch six feet under every week. how bad can it be?"

Ummm... yeah.

I have never in my life fainted, but when she pressed the skin around the wound and thick yellowish pus just oozed out (more like a shake version of the soft-serve), i had to look away, grimaced and for some reason, fanned my face with my hand.

Again, she tells me, "I am going to check her wound." after she has wiped up a LOT of pus from my poor cat. I am determined not to be a baby and watch closely. As i got an exact rerun, I felt suddenly very hot, sweat started oozing out of my glands and I felt not like i was going to throw up, but not very nice either. I must have turned a strange color or looked "stricken" as the literatti say, because she looked up and over at the other vet and said, you better sit down, you are white as a sheet."

I will never ever forget that pus. Dealing with it on a regular basis, sheesh, you guys have all the respect from me in the world. I think it takes a very special kind of person to take care of the elderly, the sick, the less fortunate. The way you guys have handled this topic, non-judgementally and non-disparingly (except to maybe those who deserve it) is truly a testimony to what you do and how you handle it.

As someone who is the most VIOLENT retcher and had to have my stomach pumped and then drink charcoal , I just want to say thanks. Serisouly, I do not know how you do it. Hell, i do not know what half the wrods in here mean. Sputum? NG cannister?

Anyway, thanks for all your hard work and maintaining a great attitude about it. (mental note to self: NEVER let a wound that does not heal go untreated. BLECH.)

kmchugh · Apr 2, 2002

Sputum does not bother me. Body secretions? Bring em on. Two things I hate: The first drainage from a new colostomy. That has to be the most hideous smell I have ever encountered. As a CRNA, I have seen nearly every surgical procedure, and they don't bother me, until... I can't even look over the drape when a neurosurgeon is "tunneling" the catheter to put in a VP shunt. The sympathy pain is excruciating.

mattsmom81 · Apr 2, 2002

I guess my number one freaker is those patients who beg for and obviously derive sexual pleasure from enemas, suppositories, digging out--any type of anal stimulation they can get.....I avoid these patients like the plague.... nobody warned me about these types when I was in school...LOL!

General E. Speaking, RN, RN · Apr 2, 2002

I could clean poop all day. I can't stand secretions from trachs or deep suctioning. I had a bad experience while pregnant. Guess it stuck with me!

Goofball · Apr 2, 2002

Originally posted by jared
"The smell of the burning bone when the drill is in use gets me!" That's odd, I actually like that smell.

Anyway, back in my residency days I was 27 hours into what was a shift from Hell. We were staked 3 deep in every room in the ER and I was asked to assist with a walk - in appendectomy. The procedure itself went fine but afterwards I realized my wedding band was missing. Since we were short on gloves in the prep, I went in bare and I quickly realized my wedding band was somewhere inside my recovering patient. Needless to say, I waited till no one was around and "went back in". Thankfully I found it, and all went well with the patients recovery.

I don't get this. Could you be more specific and give us the gorey details?

Goofball · Apr 2, 2002

Originally posted by mattsmom81
I guess my number one freaker is those patients who beg for and obviously derive sexual pleasure from enemas, suppositories, digging out--any type of anal stimulation they can get.....I avoid these patients like the plague.... nobody warned me about these types when I was in school...LOL!

Well if they really need the procedure, I do it, but stay with as flat an affect as possible, then get the heck out.

What is way worse to me than this type of pt., is the pt. who has a Voyeur-type family member who refuses to leave the room, and the pt. agrees with them -they don't want to help, they just want to WATCH while you do things to the pt. that should be done in private. These types are rare, but very creepy.

Makes me so disgusted, I usually refuse to do whatever the activity is to give the peeper any satisfaction of titillation, even bathing a pt., unless their visitor is going to step out.

mdavid1081 · Apr 2, 2002

I am just starting nursing school and haven't started A&Ps or clinics yet. Any tips or words of wisdom to help me get through the "gross" stuff?

Goofball · Apr 2, 2002

MDavid, do not breathe through your nose. Learn to work and speak normally while breathing only through your mouth. Until you get well away from the gross thing, and out of the room, mouth-breathe only! Also, don't chew gum. It somehow makes you taste the things you smell and see. And if something is stinky, open the window up first and whatever you do, don't shut the door! (your co-workers in the nursing station may thank you in a special way for sharing, however, as the breeze blows the smell that way).

If it is realllly bad to look at, pretend you are all actors, and that is fake blood or fake pus

like they squeeze from capsules in the movies.

Catie · Apr 3, 2002

A man where I work had this really tiny area on buttocks. One day a CNA came to me and said there was drainage coming from this area, so another nurse and I went to check it out. She checked the depth and I thought the whole damn sterile Q-tip was going to go in, this sucker was deep, and stink to high heaven. So really small, deep decubes gross me out. Also pinchable things, blackheads and stuff, after you pinch them babies and theres big crators, I can't even stand to talk about it any more !!

Aime · Apr 3, 2002

O.k. I sat here and read the lot, and my verdict??? The dog !!! The dog takes the prize. I was going to have a snack and go to bed, but now I'll just go to bed.....yes, with my trusty hound curled up beside me. If I hear her licking ANYTHING during the night, it'll be puke time for me. Why is my mouth so dry???