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 Dialysis, Hospice, Critical care.

"Sputum... of any kind. Especially have an aversion to trachs... ya know, when they cough and a glob will fly across the room. I just can't even.

But along this same topic, does anyone find that their ability to handle blood/bodily fluids is getting worse, rather than getting better? This seems to be the case for me. Most things seemed not to bother me early on, but as my career gains length, I'm getting grossed out more."

Hasn't bothered me for years. I do, however find it amusing that casual conversation among nurses eventually turns to poop... ;)"

Specializes in Dialysis, Hospice, Critical care.
Even worse than that smokers smell is the Stinky Perfume that some use to cover up their smoking habits..

I call these people "secret smokers" and I detest them more than those who are real smokers.

Had one family the other day crowded in a room after the patient passed, the room smelled like a wet ashtray even after is was cleaned.

Skin tags, just writing this now is making me feel all funny. When I see someone who is covered in skin tags I just want to run away and hide. And then I worry that I'm letting it show on my face. Give me poop, puke, sputum any day over skin tags bleauuuggh!

i actually have one myself and I can't bear to look at it, I hate it. People have told me to tie cotton round it but I'm just too much of a wuss to face the damn thing.

Trachs !!!! Not cause of the stuff that come out of it , just the hole its self. I can't even look at it. :nono:

Spit fistulas! Yuck

Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

Colostomies and Trach care! I hate them both! I get gowned. masked and gloved up when doing either!

I get really upset when I hear a mother speak of her newborn or very young child as "stud" or "sexy". Where does this come from, thinking the child is sexy?

I get really upset when I hear a mother speak of her newborn or very young child as "stud" or "sexy". Where does this come from, thinking the child is sexy?

It sounds kind of warped! Why would that even enter your mind with your child...or any child?!

Specializes in Adult Psych.

When patients come into psych institutionalized with criminal histories (assault charges, armed robbery....) and habitually reoffend to get recommitted, who have a personality disorder as their committing diagnosis, who constantly get out of going to jail because "i'm suicidal, i hear voices" - i go from 0 to 1 billion. These people are manipulating the system and should not be committable to a psych facility!

on a lighter note we have a patient who spends half the night in line at the med window and it sends me from 0-60 because hes like the first guy in line and he forgets 5 seconds later but comes back, SHOVES everyone else out of the way and then tries to hang over the med window and demand MEDICATION AND GINGERALE, and won't let me leave or anyone else get in line. omg it drives me nuts!!!

Quite honestly it's patients who time their sleep/wake cycle based on when their pain meds are do. No joke. How in the heck does someone say they have a pain level of 9 and on their phone at 1 am after having 1 ML of hydromorphone 30 minutes ago? Then say they want Phenergan for their heart burn?

I had to go to the ER Thursday due to severe abdominal pain, but I also still have my gallbladder and appendix and was spiking a fever of 102 with HR of 120s. 4 ml of morphine early knocked me out, I still had some gut pain, doc gave me bentyl and I was fine in 24 hours. I didn't even realize I was in the ER for 2 hours!

I don't mind treating patients for pain...but people who rate their pain 9/10 and on their phone talking and testing, and had the strongest narcotics on the market ... and actually write down when next pain med is due...very irritating.

Sometimes I just want to tell them relax and let the darn thing work!

I'm not a nurse yet, but I already know my issue is going to be feet. I've wiped butts, measured poop/urine/vomit, I've suctioned trachs and helped clean wounds.

But feet? I'm already saving up for treats to bribe my co-workers with.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Kryptonite - Very smelly poop is the one thing that makes me gag.

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