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.

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

If it stinks, I hate it. I have a VERY powerful sense of smell. That being said, I learned to cope (mouth breathing worked).

I also hated dumping bed pans and emptying bedside commodes. I had to work hard not to gag. I didn't mind actually cleaning someone up, but dump and rinse has always gotten to me. I had the same problem 23 years ago when I tried cloth diapering of my oldest son.

Specializes in Emergency Department, ICU.
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.

Nothing like someone eating spaghetti and meatballs and having to suction that out of their airway after they've vomited and aspirated/gone into arrest. I have vivid memories of pinching meatball chunks up the suction tubing to get them out of it. Ick. I didn't eat spaghetti or meatballs for a solid 3 years after that, because it smelled almost exactly the same coming up as it would going down. Bleh.

I need to get better at mouth breathing. I always forget and breath through my nose and BAM! My lunch is on its way back up! I've done a lot of briefs changes, bedside commodes, emptied urine bags, inserted suppositories, done enemas, etc. Anything to do with urine and bowel movements. I use to have an iron stomach with that stuff. Now I'm out of practice since I've started working in a clinic where 90% of my job is desk work.

Specializes in Hospice.
Nothing like someone eating spaghetti and meatballs and having to suction that out of their airway after they've vomited and aspirated/gone into arrest. I have vivid memories of pinching meatball chunks up the suction tubing to get them out of it. Ick. I didn't eat spaghetti or meatballs for a solid 3 years after that, because it smelled almost exactly the same coming up as it would going down. Bleh.

Collard greens are fun to suction out too. Nice and slimy, almost whole, because that patient's husband didn't believe it when he was told his wife wasn't responsive enough to be given solid food, and shoved 'em down her throat.

And then I got to drop an NG tube. A nice big one, so any remaining greens wouldn't clog it up.

I hated my job that day *sigh*

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
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

Your post reminded me of a pt I had with a tunnels lady partsl fistula, that that had spinal surgery; I was the go to person for her bowel routine-irrigation and digital disimpaction-that experience changed my life.

My kryptonite is lady partsl prolapse; I had a pt during nursing school that had osteomyelitis, on a support bed, and I to perform peri care and saw IT.

That is my greatest fear. :eek:

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

Menstrual blood. The smell. :no:

Specializes in Nursing Faculty, ER Nurse.

While of course the smell of vomit slightly makes me want to vomit (never happened before I got pregnant; we will see how it goes when I come back from maternity leave), the grossest thing to me is a nasty mouth. I had a patient once who was from the nursing home and his only intake was through a peg tube. Obviously oral care wasn't performed anytime recently because his entire tongue and gums and buccal mucosa were covered in a film like flaky dried up snot. I gagged thinking about it the next day! I could never be a dental hygienist!

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.

I agree - those mustache hairs on little old ladies too. Drives me a bit bonkers.

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. :blink:

I was a vegetarian for a year after anatomy dissection theater.

:no:

You guys are hilarious. I am still a new nurse, but already have a few. I don't mind foley insertion that much, but when it is for a woman with excessive skin and I am literally searching and can't find it then I get a little nauseous.

I am getting better with ostomies. I find it helpful to have extra pairs of gloves on as well as a mask. As for obese patients, that is a whole other level of annoyance. There are those that are somewhat helpful, but the ones that still have functioning legs and don't even bother assisting with moving when being cleaned bothers me.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
While of course the smell of vomit slightly makes me want to vomit (never happened before I got pregnant; we will see how it goes when I come back from maternity leave), the grossest thing to me is a nasty mouth. I had a patient once who was from the nursing home and his only intake was through a peg tube. Obviously oral care wasn't performed anytime recently because his entire tongue and gums and buccal mucosa were covered in a film like flaky dried up snot. I gagged thinking about it the next day! I could never be a dental hygienist!

You would've keeled over when my kiddo who was post T&A wouldn't drink x5 days...parent brought them back and when she cried during the IV, their mouth looked like a stalagmite haven and had bubbles of secretions and sounded like the creature from the black lagoon...her mouth was atrocious! :bag:

You know what? I take mine back. I'll do colostomies.

My Kryptonite is Anti Vaxxers.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Eyeballs, mouths (dirty, gingivitis ones), and snot.

Nope, no dental hygiene or RT for me.

I will take poop, vomit, blood, guts, you name it but NOT the mucusy stuff coming from above the neck NOOOOOOOO.

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