What makes you want to vomit?

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

I'm a cna and can do mouth care, but the sound of dentures coming out of a residents mouth makes me want to GAG. And I there's a resident that has a colostomy bag. Omgosh, it's awful. It's not all colostomies. Just this one. There's another resident with 1 and hers doesn't bother me as bad.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

I got super light-headed when I was watching a doc do an I&D at the bedside of an infected knee... when he 'expressed' a bunch of pus and blood, I almost passed out.

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Artichoke hearts.

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Sputum. Both The real thing and the noise when it comes up. Gag. And when dentures come out with food still on them. Ughhhhh it takes a lot for me to hold in the gags.

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Smell of c. diff :(

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Specializes in community small-town med/icu unit.

I thought nothing, until I had the pt w/ the worst lack of hygiene EVER in my icu!!. We had to wash his feet 3 times to reduce the stench upon his arrival at 23h and day-shift (who start at 8am) were complaining about the residual stink in the unit... and wouldn't beleive that it was already 1,000,000 times better than it was when we stripped his shoes and socks off at admission.

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

Debriding hand burns. Especially deep hand burns where the skin degloves off. Factor in having to remove fingernails and just...ugh. I also get antsy when doing hand dressings because I've had bits of fingers fall off during dressings. Feet and toes don't bother me 'tho.

Escharotomies are hit or miss with me. They either make me disturbingly hungry (and I've been a vegetarian for a long time!) -- or, when we're doing a lot on a single person, the burning electrical smell of the equipment predominates over the burnt flesh smell and makes me want to puke.

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Specializes in Emergency, Med-Surg, Progressive Care.

Looking at the assignment sheet when I get to work.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

90something year old contracted dementia patients with infection and failed kidneys and everything else under the sun for whom the family wants "everything done".

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Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.

Feces make me gag. Always has. Always will.

Apologizes to those who get so upset over this.

............and no, I will "get use to it".

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Specializes in PCCN.

being a floor nurse:no:

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