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 Emergency.

Watching someone press on a bruise makes my legs go all funny- I can't watch! Also people cracking their knuckles gives me the horrors. Absolutely fine with vomit, poo, sputum, maggots, anything. Go figure.

Specializes in Emergency Department.

Lumbar punctures. UGH. I can't watch. Blood, guts, pus, internal organs? No problem. But LPs? Heck no.

And I HATE big balls of earwax. UGH. I'd rather deal with puke all day than face a mound of crusty earwax. Sputum is also not my favorite, but that is preferable to the earwax.

Specializes in ER / ICU.

Stool from a colostomy!!!

Colostomies. Hands down.

I deal by...muddling through. I deal by being empathetic towards the patient and giving the best care I can.

It is a challenge.

Specializes in Urology, HH, med/Surg.

Trachs. And suctioning anything. That noise!! I can usually do ok unless something thick clogs it up, then I'm gagging! When I worked in the hospital, I would trade putting in Foleys (strangely, one of my favorite things to do) for someone else to go suction my patient!

Specializes in ICU.

What an interesting question!

For me, obese patients who struggle to control their eating to their own detriment fall under the same umbrella of needing compassion and care as any other patient with a psych disorder, physical health problem or addiction.

Also, I am immune to ALL bodily fluids (which I am secretly rather proud of!).

HOWEVER, I struggle with any patient who is sleazy, creepy or attempting to engage in weird abusive power-control games. I don't mean as a result of an infection or dementia or head injury or frontal lobe damage. I mean people who are demonstrably the same in their personal lives. When I have them I have to try so hard to be neutral and professional, especially if I see them cornering any younger nurses who are less able to draw boundaries or deal with borderline inappropriate behaviour. I am ashamed of this and maintain a professional care approach but I hate doing it. Not a situation where I feel any real compassion or care for my patient, I have to manufacture it so I fulfil the requirements of my job, I wish I could get round this.

I know how important it is, and I just suck it up and do it, but I really have a strong aversion to mouth care.

Especially when it's a vent patient that hasn't been done for a while.. You know, the glob stuck to the suction swab that just strrretttches out :dead:

I know how important it is, and I just suck it up and do it, but I really have a strong aversion to mouth care.

Especially when it's a vent patient that hasn't been done for a while.. You know, the glob stuck to the suction swab that just strrretttches out :dead:

I get my hand in there with a gauze over my glove and dig. I'll do that, too. Just someone, please, for the love of all that is holy, trade off for my colostomies!

Specializes in Urology, HH, med/Surg.
*raises my hand*

I'll do both for you. :blink:

You are the bestest!! Fortunately, I haven't had any trach pts in HH... Yet. If I do, I'll ship them to you, unless you fancy a visit to the deep south!?

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I hate hate hate oral secretions. One of the reasons I'll never be a CRNA.

As for patients, I can't stand the ones that start screaming in "pain" while the IV cath is still 1.5" away. If you start flipping out before the IV even touches you, how are you going to handle having your sternum split in half?

I second the trachs. I have a really hard time suctioning them without has having to run from the room.

I took a splinter out of one of my secretaries at school and she screamed so loud my SW said, from the next room, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

That guy. :sarcastic:

And she HIT me! Before I even touched her! Good lord.

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