What is your weakness?

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Specializes in CMSRN.

Hi everyone,

I am relatively new here. I spent the last year reading allnurses.com and recently registered and would like to know what is your weakness regarding medical care.

Everyone, at least that I know, has a weakness. Something that just makes them queasy. Some people say they can't handle sputum of any kind and others seem to get weak in the knees when they see broken bones. (I knew a ER nurse who admitted to this)

I tend to get a little woozy when someone palpates my inner arm to look for a vein. It even happens if I think about it too much. It is not the needle. I had them in my hand and does not do a thing to me. I can deal with anything else. Granted I am still a student so I have not experienced everything.

So, what does it for you? Inquiring minds want to know.

I hate poop. And I will never "get used to it." It's part of the job, but I always struggle with it. I'll take sputum, blood, guts, gore, etc. - but I cringe with poop.

Vomit. I even feel queasy when I see that smily (which I can't get hold of in my list. Bummer. Where do you guys get 'em?)! Give me blood, guts, and gore any day, just PLEASE no vomit!

It is not so much the poop but when someone goes to collect a stool specimen and they use a spoon to scoop it up with, or if someone has a huge diarrhea stool and they use a yankur to suck it up. I guess these items are ment to be put in your mouth and I will actually gag when I see someone do these things.

Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

GI Bleed poop..... the most god-awful smell on earth..............

Sputum. With a close second: vomit.

I can do everyhing else like clean poop or suction your lungs out but please don't ask me to clean your dentures. I don't know why but i have this strange feeling when holding them in my fingers. It's so freaky!

Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
I can do everyhing else like clean poop or suction your lungs out but please don't ask me to clean your dentures. I don't know why but i have this strange feeling when holding them in my fingers. It's so freaky!

Ditto. I don't like to even look at dentures. I can throw them in a cup and put the lid on, but please don't tell me I have to put them in or scrub the denture adhesive off! Fortunately, few of my patients are even able to eat :chuckle

Specializes in Surgical Nursing, Agency Nursing, LTC.

FIRST: I can't stand thick yellow smelly phlegm from suctioning a dirty trach.

SECOND: I can't stand VOMIT!!! the look and the smell!!!

YUCK!! YUCK!!! YUCK!!!!

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

Vomitus:barf02: :barf02: :barf01: :barf02: :barf01:

Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.
Vomit. I even feel queasy when I see that smily (which I can't get hold of in my list. Bummer. Where do you guys get 'em?)! Give me blood, guts, and gore any day, just PLEASE no vomit!

Lol...I cringe with the smiley too!!! I always quickly read before he, well you know. Then I adjust the page!!

I don't so much mind when the vomiting is done, but I can't stand that gagging, the sounds, etc. Usually if someone vomits, I start to vomit as well. I have a very weak stomach for that.

I also can't stand to suction. Good thing I never had to do it very often.

OMG! many moons ago I worked in a LTC as an assistant in the kitchen, I would have to set up the dinning room for lunch and fill the coffee mugs, WELL as I was refilling coffee, one of the residents which I dreaded going next to (he was known to always cough up phlem and spit it on the floor) as i filled his cup up I noticed phlem floating in his cup, he just drank his coffee and slurped up his big glob of yellow phlem right along with it!! YUCK!!!

Phlem and dentures gross me out!!!

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