What squicks you out?

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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.

Specializes in Adult SICU; open heart recovery.
The only other thing that grosses me out real bad is severely flaking, dry, crusty skin (had a guy tonight with the worst case of psoriasis I have ever seen - huge white flaking pieces all over his entire body, with red oozing cracking skin underneath - I almost couldn't touch him)

Eww, that skin with the thick flakes is so nasty! I had a really gross patient when I was in nursing school who clearly wasn't very well schooled in manners. I was putting socks on him or something, and he barked at me to peel off those flakes (they covered his entire lower leg -- the other leg was a BKA). So nasty!!!!

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I haven't gotten to the clinicals yet, but the only thing that really grosses me out is BO. I cannot stand that. Also, for some reason, If I pass someone with really strong cologne or perfume it gets to me. Vomit and poop smells don't do that to me. I'm sure once I start my clinicals, I will be able to add to the list, but the basics (blood, puss, poop, vomit) don't gross me out. The post about the maggots made my skin crawl. I HATE bugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :no: Even harmless, not gross bugs (like ladybugs)....I cannot stand anything that crawls or jumps (even worse)!!!!!

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My "squick" is from back in my ER days: unattached or barely-attached body parts. Even the little stuff, like people who accidentally cut their finger off with a saw and bring it with them in a baggy. I don't know what's worse, that or when they are just hanging by a few icky threads. GACK! Can't do it, no sir.

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watching an epidural being started in clinical(L +D)I've seen(and smelled a lot), but watching that epidural gave me the cold sweats and fuzzy around the edges vision! Thank God, I could walk to the other side of the room and take some deep breaths. ALSO- WEEPING EDEMA(in a unventilated, filthy house!) ohmigod, i could TASTE that smell the rest of the day. :barf01: :barf01: I just keep a poker face and concentrate on what needs to be done..God Bless us all! :chuckle

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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:barf01: Fresh burned skin just after lunch (in this instance) 30% 2nd and 3rd deg burns on an infant - made me loose my lunch!!

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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spuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

yuck.

Especially from a trach!!!

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Anything smelly .... ditto on the caked on dentures .... mattery false eyeballs ... sour vomit ... I can usually handle most of these if I'm quick and there's a window open somewhere. However .... a suppurating sinus and palate cancer were my worst. This poor fellow had grey, foul slime oozing day and night, from his mouth and nose. I actually cried a couple of times after helping him clean it up.

If we're trading assignments? ..... I'll take disimpaction over vomit any day of the week!

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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.

From Home Health

I can honestly say I have been there done that. I don't remember any of the things talked about in this discussion as bothering me too much today. You need to learn to breathe through your mouth not your nose. In a nursing carrer you will run across everything gross. Just dive in and take care of the problem. The next day will be better and you are helping another person to better health. Don't let body wastes and fluids keep you from becoming a nurse. WE NEED NURSES!

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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.

My first clinical experience was with a patient who had it, and OMG, the smell is something I will never forget! Also, mucus of any kind gets my gut!

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the smell while changing an ostomy bag-'nuff said :barf01: :barf01:

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Give me an MRSA infected wound or a trach patient with pneumonia and I'm your girl. Hand me a pair of clean dentures and I can put them in the denture cup. Hand me a set that haven't been cleaned in a while or take them out to "take the bits out of them" and I am out of there in a flash. Yucka!!

I'm also freaked out by eyeballs. I had a patient lose one (a contact lens) up inside his eye lid and he asked me to get it for him. I tried, but as soon as I lifted the eyelid, my stomach heaved. Couldn't do it. The ER show with the guy with the expanding eyeball? I turned off the TV!

:crying2:

I am right with you Jaquie, dentures make me gag, Especially when I have to take them out of a mouth that is all slobbery and gooey.

I dealt with a pocket wound about 3" down and that never grossed me out like dentures do.

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Specializes in ER/PDN.
the smell while changing an ostomy bag-'nuff said :barf01: :barf01:

changing, burping, whatever! It makes me gag! Also ditto about c-diff!!

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