What grosses you out?

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We all know it takes a strong constitution to handle the "messes" that CNAs deal with. Very little actually grosses me out, poop included. However, it's dealing with mouthcare and dentures that gives me the heebies and makes me want to gag at times. What grosses you out while going about your CNA day?

This is making me gag thinking about it...........

When resident's take their dentures out at night before going to bed and there is long, thick, slimy, stringy spit that is attached from their mouth to the denture as they put it in the denture cup.... and they slurp it back in their mouth! Uhhhh omggggg... can't even watch that!!!

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Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.
When resident's take their dentures out at night before going to bed and there is long, thick, slimy, stringy spit that is attached from their mouth to the denture as they put it in the denture cup.... and they slurp it back in their mouth! Uhhhh omggggg... can't even watch that!!!

Ewwwww! That's a good one! Lol!

Don't get grossed out too much anymore. It's amazing what you can get used to.

Vomit bothers me. I wrap trash bags around basins then put 5 or 6 paper towels in the bottom so I can change out the bag & not see so much liquid, instead of cleaning the basin.

I also have problems with BM that has really off the wall odors.

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Specializes in LTC.

I'm reading this thread and eating a snack at the same time. But when I first started out and I had to wipe someone's butt I lost my appetite for about 3 days and thought "yay I'll lose weight!"

...nope.

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I agree with all the spit and mucus ones. I used to be really really grossed out by trachs, but I've spent the last year working primarily on a trach wing and they no longer get to me.

But I agree with the weird smelling poop. I mean, there's normal poop smell, which is never pleasant, but you get used to it. But then there's the "OMG what literally crawled into your orifice and DIED" poops that you can't figure out how they even come from a living being, lol. I've actually dry heaved from a few of those!

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Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

I've had the dry heaves too! Eyes watering and stepping out into the hall just to BREATHE!

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Specializes in LTC.

We have one lady who has such a rotten crotch! This morning I practically stuck my whole hand up there to really get at it. By the time I was done she smelled fine. An hour later we stood her up to take her for a walk and the other CNA was almost bowled over by the smell again. I felt compelled to say that I swear I washed her! I think she has BV.

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Oh man, we have one of those, too. She's a sweet girl (and only 17) but sometimes you can smell her all the way down the hall.

It's really hard to get her completely clean, though. She weighs a bit over 500 pounds (and I aim not trying to be rude or insensitive about her weight - I am not a small girl, myself), and she has a lot of folds and creases around there that seem to collect odors and sweat. You know it has to be so embarrassing for her, too...I feel bad but there are times you have to hold your breath when helping her change.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Seeing/hearing/and smelling a person vomit.... Other than that, I'm good. :cool:

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Specializes in Geriatric.

Cleaning vomit off wheelchairs is rough for me. I don't mind wiping it off a face, chest, changing vomit covered clothes, etc, but trying to get the bits (ewwww) out of the nooks & crannies of a wheelchair is just :barf01:

BM hardly ever bothers me... The only times I can honestly say it has bothered me much involved dealing with ostomy bags. I don't know... For some reason, to me, the odor from an ostomy bag is like a million times worse than the worst (milk of mag induced) dirty brief that I've changed.

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Specializes in geriatrics, dementia, ortho.

I can't believe I forgot this one: semen in a wet brief. Thank God I don't have to deal with that anymore, but at my old job there was one horny old man that made me really uncomfortable and would often have a "#3" in his brief. The part that just killed me is that he had full use of his hands & so one would think he would masturbate into a tissue or something. But nope. I always just hoped that at least the urine came second. Feel icky just remembering that!

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Mmhmm, we get a few of those - we have a few teenage boys who tend to have...well...wet dreams, for lack of a more delicate way to phrase it. Yikes.

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When ure alzamr pt had bowel on their diaper, and they put their bare hands inside,try toget some of it n put it in their mouth

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