What makes you want to vomit?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I have just read an interesting article about nurses which says that there are certain things we do or see as Nurses which makes us want to vomit.

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/30/15286074-gag-me-many-nurses-squeamish-about-one-thing?lite=obnetwork

So what makes you want to vomit?

I don't really have much that makes me want to vomit, but a couple of incidents come to mind from my early days.

One was the first man who was incontinent of feces and it was spread everywhere

Second one was trying to take a specimen from an episode of malena

Both times it was the smell which caught me unawares

Specializes in Med-Surg.

Feet. Anything more than a 12 year old's feet lol. But specifically old people feet, how they are so dry, smelly, crusty, toenails yellow and thick and crumbly...*shiver*

Trach sputum. I think I was fine with it until I had a patient who coughed out his trach and it stuck to the wall on the other end of the room. Was so thick and yellowish-green...*more shivers*

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

Thick, green sputum. Gag.

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Listening to people bring up mucus. That snorting sound some people do before they hock that loogie...good god!Vomit used to do it, but I'm mostly over it. Smell + appearance though, occasionally = gagging!
This is sooo me! The sounds are what gets me more so than anything. I'm getting better with vomit though, and I'm sure that's only because I have 3 kids and puke kinda comes with the territory.
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Specializes in MDS/ UR.

I cannot disimpact someone.

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Specializes in cardiac CVRU/ICU/cardiac rehab/case management.

I absolutely loathe hairy backs! They just makes my skin crawl .

I am also not a fan of the surprise sputum catapult (The one where you ambu a pt and it shoots out with such a force you get splat if you don't duck! )

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Specializes in Oncology.

I can't stand the smell of poor hygiene, as in BO, just plain funk and stink. Some people just stink like they're filthy. Never clean themselves, stink of feces and old urine, BO, bad breath, stale cigarette smoke, etc. A BM or vomit or blood or whatever is one thing, but the smell of a bad odor that has been stinking for a while is the worst.

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Specializes in OB/GYN/Neonatal/Office/Geriatric.

I don't gag over anything but vomit or stringy sputum. I DO get lightheaded with certain sounds or images: Once I could hear the cutting of an episiotomy and thought I was gonna faint. When the ENT put the metal suction in the sinus and the whole thing just about disappeared, I got hot/cold sweats.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

foot fungus smell....bleech!:no::barf02:

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At work I can deal with about anything because that is my job, and I am in work mode. But when I am off-duty? No, I don't want to see your rash, or the hole in your leg that won't heal, or where you cut yourself, or your surgical incision. Off-duty I have a very weak stomach - maybe because of what I 'have' to see and take care of at work!

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
At work I can deal with about anything because that is my job, and I am in work mode. But when I am off-duty? No, I don't want to see your rash, or the hole in your leg that won't heal, or where you cut yourself, or your surgical incision. Off-duty I have a very weak stomach - maybe because of what I 'have' to see and take care of at work!

You know I think when I take off my scrubs and I am at home I am the same LOL

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I'll tell ya, I get sick at the idea of a reputable news outlet like CBS promulgating that same tired old nurses-deal-with-poo-poo-and-puke meme. Do they ask the heroic firefighter paramedic, "What makes you really want to toss your cookies? Is it when you find a barbecued toddler under the bed, or what?"

We all do so much more that the public is so unaware of-- this just reinforces the same old, same old, and makes it harder for us to attract outstanding people to the field. I actually saw them solicit for this story and wrote them a cranky letter about it. The editor told me his sister was a nurse, he thought she was tough and smart and he respected her infinitely-- and he would certainly do better....but they ran the damn thing just the same.

Go to The Truth About Nursing (The Truth About Nursing) if you really want to help with this.

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

Sputum. Had a patient once with psuedomonas in her sputum, stunk so bad. Bad breath. Thats about it, can deal with everything else.

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