What is your Nursing Kryptonite?

You know, your weakness ... your one "thing" that makes your stomach flip over when you see a patient with it/them/whatever. I had my first "maggot" patient recently (maggots living where they shouldn't be, you understand), and it really grossed many of my coworkers out. I was relieved to find that the maggots didn't bother me ... apparently my only Achilles heel thus far is nasty dentures, LOL -- EWWWWW.

When I was a tech, I had a nurse offer me $5 to suction a patient because sputum makes her queasy.

[amoLucia]

OP - you did say "SILLY" :

little old ladies with 'chiny chin chin hairs'. It's a pet peeve of mine. Yes, I know it's just the post-menopausal testosterone/estrogen imbalance.

Please. Just trim 'em!! It's a 'dignity' issue that I find awful.

[nursemcsleepy, BSN, RN]

DMSO. That smell makes me gag. I've had to go 'grab something real quick' three times after a transplant just so I could go vomit.

[MedicFireRN]

Patients who come in to the ED screaming about their pain and the wait to see a doctor that then get medicated with narcotics and then pull out their own IV, leaving blood everywhere all over the room so that they can leave AMA and drive themselves home instead of getting a ride... just to come back and do the same thing on an at least weekly basis.

Also, patients who tell you they have 10/10 pain but then scream bloody murder about how much you're hurting them when you go to start an IV (usually a 20 or 22 gauge). I thought it couldn't have hurt any worse?? Hmmm....

I will also get on the dirty nasty feet train. I think some of this came from being a medic and thus having the feet in my face loading stretchers. The worst is pt's who also have some kind of weeping edema so their socks and shoes are dripping wet when you take them off. When their shoes talk and say squish squish squish as they are walking in, I know it's not going to be a fun time.

ETA: Gangrene. I can handle it with about 3 masks and some vicks sandwiched between each one and in my nostrils, but.... still, gag. Funny story- once upon a time I was working on a truck and we had to transfer a patient 2 hours away to have amputations done d/t dry gangrene. I put on 3 masks and vicks as per usual and my partner stood outside of the room and told me how mean I was, asked "how will the patient feel?" and then said "it can't be that bad". I said "oh, you'll see". Sure enough, I walked in the room, said hi and started talking to the patient and walked to the other side to face the door so I could watch the smell hit my partner's nose. He flew out of the room and came back in with at least 3 masks on. I heard him gagging in the hall. After the call was over (which, btw, I was the one in the back for the 2 hour ride) he said "How come you didn't warn me that it would smell that bad?" I thought my three masks and vicks made it pretty clear. lol

[kalycat, BSN, RN]

DMSO. That smell makes me gag. I've had to go 'grab something real quick' three times after a transplant just so I could go vomit.

I like the smell. We used to use it back in the day under our horses' leg wraps if they had an injury. It's nostalgic for me. (As is the garlic taste when it accidentally comes in contact with skin!)

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Was working in the ER when a burn victim came in. Third degree over at least 50% of her body.

To me it smelled just like fried pork. I couldn't eat any meat for awhile after that one.

[kalycat, BSN, RN]

Was working in the ER when a burn victim came in. Third degree over at least 50% of her body.

To me it smelled just like fried pork. I couldn't eat any meat for awhile after that one.

I actually permanently became a vegetarian after an experience like this. That and I simultaneously worked in a micro lab and part time breaking auction horses in the cattle feed lot while taking nutrition classes. I felt that the universe had to be sending me some sort of message.

Oh, which reminds me of another piece of kryptonite: no parasites, please.

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

I don't know if anyone else has said this on this thread, but my gross out is cleaning a poopy patient and having to dig in the lady parts to get it all out. yuck

[Farawyn]

I don't know if anyone else has said this on this thread, but my gross out is cleaning a poopy patient and having to dig in the lady parts to get it all out. yuck

All the "nooks and crannies"!

[PewpSmith]

DMSO. That smell makes me gag. I've had to go 'grab something real quick' three times after a transplant just so I could go vomit.

Uuuuuugh I forgot about that crap! That's the thick white cream we slather on high skin risk pts right? I haven't had to deal with that stuff for a while since I moved to ED

[KCMnurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

As a 'seasoned nurse' I have to admit that I cannot handle fresh vomit. By fresh I mean you ate real food and regurgitate it all. The smell makes me heave. Give me pee, poop, colostomy and dentures - no problemo.

When my kids were little and threw up my hubby would have to clean it up. I remember him saying 'but you're a nurse, trained to handle this sort of thing...'

Mucus comes in a close second...

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

Dirty, scaly, crusty feet, with those yellow toenails wrapped over the ends. You know the ones. You try so carefully to remove the stiff, gray socks and the snow storm of dry skin explodes in your face. The spaces between the toes are filled with petrified globs of of dead skin, probably cemented together with urine. And the smell!

I think I just threw up in my mouth, a little bit.

I was reading through posts thinking "I don't really have a Kryptonite besides bad behaviors. Sputum, saliva, colostomies, urine.. meh" and then I thought of all the skin clouds I've lived through while pulling off socks for skin assessments. And those little fluffy flakes go EVERYWHERE.

*hork*

[NotYourMamasRN]

I have a patient who refuses to shower, get a bed bath, and is a hoarder. Their entire room is my kryptonite!