What grosses YOU out?

[JenTheRN]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but what grosses you out as a nurse?

For me it's blood clots. Especially from a delivery with a large EBL. The blood sits in the placenta pan and congeals. Bleh. Shudder.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

Phlegm

[b.randolph]

I can handle almost anything. I once had a pt who vomited partially digested taco salad. GROSS!! And the smell of GI bleed.

[mariko4504]

I'm really not grossed out by anything, except if it SMELLS. When i was a student the first horrible smell i remember was when I dealt with necrotizing, purulent Stage 4 decubitus ulcers. Second one was when we had our clinical duty in the delivery ward, and one of the docs pointed me to where they dispose of the placenta. It was this huge 4 feet tall garbage tub half-filled with rotting placentae. Not sure if that hospital plans on SELLING it to some chinese drugstore or some beauty company that makes those kinds of creams but i sure would never use any of those on my face after smelling it. >

[jeffsher]

72 hour stool collection for fecal fat on a patient with cystic fibrosis.

Also, I caught a gastroenteritis about 6 months after I finished nursing school. I had been vomiting all night, was dehydrated, and went to the ED. It turned out that I had a partial bowel obstruction, and while I was in the ED, started vomiting feces. THAT is gross.

[blueskies469]

Haha!!! I'm a student nurse so reading all of this is cracking me up like crazy... and making my draw drop! Especially about the maggots.... I think I would scream if I saw that!

1) Where exactly is the pannus located?? I've read that a couple times in your posts. Wondering how a chicken wing would get stuck there.

2) One of my fellow student nurses told me a trick about smells: use VapoRub under your nose!! He keeps a small container in his pocket and dabs a little under his nose when he needs it. He then puts on a mask, and voila!

The worse thing for me is the smells!! I can handle seeing vomit and poop and such, but smelling it all is what makes me turn pale and gag!! I've been carrying around with me the suggested VapoRub but have yet had a need to use it since I got it.

Keep it comin' ! I'm lovin' reading your stories!

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

The stench of purulent Stage 4 decubitus ulcers and snot hanging from one's nose.

[rninformatics, DNP, RN]

nasal or tracheal suctioning of thick yellow or green secretions!!! Yes I'd do it but I'd have to hold my breath and squnt my eyes, suction, then turn away, inhale a big lung full of air, hold breath, squint eyes, suction, try not to gag, turn away, inhale big lung full of air..........you get the picture ;o

[rninformatics, DNP, RN]

OH, I just remembered another one! THE SMELL OF STAPH! yuck

[cathrn64]

Blueskies,

The Pannus is the fold of the stomach (can be very large on an overweight person)

[CTNurse678]

Confused patient pooping in bedside stand gross but at the same time funny. Feet especially with sloughing skin!!!! Ewww!!

[mariko4504]

1) Where exactly is the pannus located?? I've read that a couple times in your posts. Wondering how a chicken wing would get stuck there.

It's that huge "apron of flesh" covering a morbidly obese person's front, sometimes hanging down to their knees. You may be surprised by the kinds of flora and fauna one can find underneath it! :monkeydance:

[Poi Dog]

I noticed the smell of yeast while working on a patient who has MRSA. The smell was stuck in my nostrils until the next day...I thought about spraying bleach in my nose. I just wanted to be rid of the smell.:barf01::barf01::barf01: