What squicks you out?

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Specializes in NICU.

According to CSI: every criminalist has a fluid that especially grosses them out. From my admittedly non-scientific polling, it's the same with nurses. So what's yours? What's the one thing you'd take another nurse's entire assignment to avoid?

Going by my reaction to our lectures today, I think mine's necrotic tissue in a pressure ulcer. :barf02: Thank god I'm going into an NNP program! Give me poop, blood, vomit, ANYTHING before a festering wound.

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Specializes in ER.

Any fluid related to the eye...grosses me out...eww...queasy just thinking about it...

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.
Any fluid related to the eye...grosses me out...eww...queasy just thinking about it...

I'm with mommatrauma, eyes freak me out. My eyes are watering just thinking about it. Gives me the chills.

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

spuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

yuck.

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

I've said it before: two words that should never go together...

fecal emesis.

Edited to add: I'll trade for the OP's wound tissue - love a good debridment ;).

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Specializes in NICU.
I've said it before: two words that should never go together...

fecal emesis.

:eek:

Oh, and earwax all clumped up w/ hair.

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ANYTHING that comes out the MOUTH......

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Specializes in NICU.

Edited to add: I'll trade for the OP's wound tissue - love a good debridment ;).

Deal. I should probably finish more than a week and a half of my BSN-MSN program before we hammer out the details, though. Clins start Wednesday!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
:eek:

Oh, and earwax all clumped up w/ hair.

Now you're talking. I flush ears all the time and it is the most satisfying task-oriented thing I do lol.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Nothing much bothers me. But a drunk's emesis can take my breath away.

Also liver failure poop can be noxious.

Sputum doesn't bother me a bit.

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Okay, see you all are totally making me re-think this nursing gig again!

Years ago nothing much like this stuff would have bothered me, but since I'm older, I get grossed out so much easier for some reason.

You'd think with all of the nasty situations 7 kiddos can bring, I wouldn't be bothered by much.

I used to be a CNA (years ago) and could do just about all of that work without a problem, now for some reason it bothers me and my gag reflex has really kicked in.

The "grossness factor" is what terrifies me most going into clinicals. :uhoh21: I can take all the book work they want to throw at me, but gross stuff? Like I said, now I'm re-thinking nursing! LOL! Even though its the only thing I've ever wanted to do for as long as I can remember - except being a mom.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

I'm pretty easy going, usually things that get me get most people; GI bleed poo, that sort of thing.

I do work with a nurse who has a particular "squick out". I work NICU and as some may know, sometimes babies are born with extra digits, the ones without bony joint connection to the hand are simply tied off and eventually they fall off. Until they do they hang there on the side of the hand (usually) purple and dangling. This one nurse who is very good and very compassionate cannot take those at all. She calls them "grapes" and always shudders when they touch her. She says they just freak her out and she's always afraid they are about to fall off (which is the objective).

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