I was working a night shift on a tele floor as a new Nurse.
We had this one poor old lady who was confused and was restrained as usual for her safety. She was our designated resident nightmare geri from hell, so she was placed near the Nurse's station.
So we are chilling out at the Nurse's station, chatting and trying to get through another night...
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see our lady in question standing in the dimly lit doorway of her room!
I instantly leap out and run to her. As I approach her, she appears to be falling towards me, so I meet her in a bear hug...my arms around her waste, and her arms around my shoulders.
As I catch the lady, I notice a very strong smell of feces, and I feel something warm on my hands, arms and shoulders...
My fellow heroes come in behind me, and as the lights are turned on, my worst fears are instantly realized.
Yes, I caught the poor old lady with a good old bear hung football catch, but I was also covered in the lady's feces.
As I look at her, she has feces smeared all over her arms and hands... (and even her face!)
I've got a gross one. I've worked in an ER and I can handle just about any body fluid (and have) except earwax. Earwax grosses me out. Was working in an ER in Puerto Rico while in the Navy and we had homeless dependent uncle or some relation come into ER c/o trouble hearing. On exam, doc found both ears severly packed with thick, green earwax. YUMMMMEY!
Well, yours truly gets to irrigate his ears, not the thrill of my life. I irrigated so much earwax out of that man's ears, it was coming out in big, green nuggets. When I showed pt emesis basin of what I had cleaned out of his scuzzy ears, he proceeds to get a big smile on his face, picked up one of the greasy nuggets and eats it!!! YUCK! I just about pucked on myself with that one. To this day, can barely clean my own ears!
Specializes in OB, critical care, hospice, farm/industr.
I had a renal patient who used to sit right across from the nurse's station where we were charting. She'd wait until we'd look up and then pick the blue pseudomonas scabs off her trach and eat them. I would actually gag, a rare occurance for me.
This wasn't me, but happened to a good friend, an RT. He was in the burn unit and was suctioning some poor soul from a third world country. He had removed the red robinson and was very puzzled. It was at least 10 inches longer than when it had gone in. My friend is holding it in the air and trying to figure out what was going on when the end of the rr turns around and LOOKS at him. It was a huge red ascaris worm in the patient's lungs, the same shade and diameter as the cath.
I said, "OMG, what did you do?"
He answered, "Oh, just screamed and threw it across the room."
this wasn't me, but happened to a good friend, an rt. he was in the burn unit and was suctioning some poor soul from a third world country. he had removed the red robinson and was very puzzled. it was at least 10 inches longer than when it had gone in. my friend is holding it in the air and trying to figure out what was going on when the end of the rr turns around and looks at him. it was a huge red ascaris worm in the patient's lungs, the same shade and diameter as the cath.
i said, "omg, what did you do?"
he answered, "oh, just screamed and threw it across the room."
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
i had a renal patient who used to sit right across from the nurse's station where we were charting. she'd wait until we'd look up and then pick the blue pseudomonas scabs off her trach and eat them. i would actually gag, a rare occurance for me.
this wasn't me, but happened to a good friend, an rt. he was in the burn unit and was suctioning some poor soul from a third world country. he had removed the red robinson and was very puzzled. it was at least 10 inches longer than when it had gone in. my friend is holding it in the air and trying to figure out what was going on when the end of the rr turns around and looks at him. it was a huge red ascaris worm in the patient's lungs, the same shade and diameter as the cath.
i said, "omg, what did you do?"
he answered, "oh, just screamed and threw it across the room."
eeeeeewwwww!!!!!!!! poor guy. no wonder he was having breathing problems. ugly thing. yuck!!
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
I have an interesting one that my caregiver told me about this morning. She has a friend who's an ER nurse, and she had the following experience:
A young couple came into the ER. He with an injury to his member, and she had a head injury.
As the nurse was taking the patients history, she learned that they were at a restaurant having a wedding anniversary dinner. While they were waiting for their meals, he said to her, "I dare you to get under the table and service me." The loving wife did as was told, and during the process, she had a seizure. That was when she received the head injury. Her husband was stabbing her in the head with a fork to get her to loosen her grip.:roll :chuckle
I have an interesting one that my caregiver told me about this morning. She has a friend who's an ER nurse, and she had the following experience:
A young couple came into the ER. He with an injury to his member, and she had a head injury.
As the nurse was taking the patients history, she learned that they were at a restaurant having a wedding anniversary dinner. While they were waiting for their meals, he said to her, "I dare you to get under the table and service me." The loving wife did as was told, and during the process, she had a seizure. That was when she received the head injury. Her husband was stabbing her in the head with a fork to get her to loosen her grip.:roll :chuckle
:chair: And all he got was an injured member? Got off lucky (no pun intended, really) I'd say.
I think we need an icon for 'under the table' naughtiness!
Not so long ago we had a patient come into our ER with a huge abscess on his back. It was first thing in the morning and we woke our doc up to come take a look. She examined him and suggested the usual course of antibiotics for a week or so and then an incision and drainage. He refused, saying it was too painful to tolerate that long (although he had waited nearly a week before coming in at 7 a.m. on a Sunday).. Anyway, our doc was about to end her shift and was in no mood to argue so she complied. After carefully numbing the area she made her first incision and whoooosh... the pus came out like a shotgun ..right into her mouth and eye!..... We were so grossed out, but also kinda wanted to laugh (we didn't). She didn't say anything, went to the sink and washed thoroughly. She finished the procedure with grace... after having put on a mask (which I suggested before we started but she refused).
So you think she would learn a lesson from this right? No. Several weeks later we were instilling charcoal into the NG of an uncooperative and unhappy overdose. She came in to see how things were going and despite our gloved, gowned and masked appearance, got close to the patient. He promptly vomited/spewed/spit charcoal in her face.... her mouth again!
She still doesn't mask up as much as I'd like, but certainly more than she did before.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
Not so long ago we had a patient come into our ER with a huge abscess on his back. It was first thing in the morning and we woke our doc up to come take a look. She examined him and suggested the usual course of antibiotics for a week or so and then an incision and drainage. He refused, saying it was too painful to tolerate that long (although he had waited nearly a week before coming in at 7 a.m. on a Sunday).. Anyway, our doc was about to end her shift and was in no mood to argue so she complied. After carefully numbing the area she made her first incision and whoooosh... the pus came out like a shotgun ..right into her mouth and eye!..... We were so grossed out, but also kinda wanted to laugh (we didn't). She didn't say anything, went to the sink and washed thoroughly. She finished the procedure with grace... after having put on a mask (which I suggested before we started but she refused).
So you think she would learn a lesson from this right? No. Several weeks later we were instilling charcoal into the NG of an uncooperative and unhappy overdose. She came in to see how things were going and despite our gloved, gowned and masked appearance, got close to the patient. He promptly vomited/spewed/spit charcoal in her face.... her mouth again!
She still doesn't mask up as much as I'd like, but certainly more than she did
before.
Some are slower learners than others. She happens to be one of the slower learners, unfortunately. Hopefully she will never be exposed to and or infected with hepatitis c or AIDS, or any other of the multiple bugs out there before she learns she has to fully cover herself before performing procedures that involve the possibility of bodily fluids coming in contact with her own.
By the way, I has one of them abcesses when I was a kid. but it was on the inside of my upper right thigh, in my perineal area. It hurt so much I was unable to lay, sit, stand, or do anything else without pain. I was taken to the doctor about a week later where he lanced it, and the same thing happened. He then placed a hugh drain in it, and he removed it a week later.
:chuckle 
Ugh I'm such a clean freak sometimes... and squeemish when it comes to poo poo, bad smells, and people eating there own feaces/ear wax.
Chibi Baka
69 Posts
He ate it!! HOLY god no!