What's your nursing kryptonite?

Nurses General Nursing

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It goes without saying that to be a nurse, you need to have (or quickly develop) a strong stomach. But even with a stomach of steel, nursing kryptonite can leave you nauseated and gagging, even if only on the inside. ;)

I'm only starting clinicals next semester, so granted, I still have much to see... but thus far in my life, the thing that disgusts me the most is, oddly enough, tonsil stones! How can something so small be so repulsive?

What's your nursing kryptonite?

Teeth! I can handle a lot of things but teeth are my true kryptonite. I think I have PTSD from traumatic wisdom teeth extraction in 2006, ever since then, I've been completely unable to handle anything to do with teeth. :no:

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Specializes in surgical,urology, ENT.

melena stool...that purge constantly, on a bed pan, worst the patient pooped on bed...i can died period...

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Specializes in Geriatric/Sub Acute, Home Care.

vomiting. period. the smell of it will just get me going as far away as possible...in fact just thinking about it I feel my stomach turning.....ugh.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
It goes without saying that to be a nurse, you need to have (or quickly develop) a strong stomach. But even with a stomach of steel, nursing kryptonite can leave you nauseated and gagging, even if only on the inside. ;)

I'm only starting clinicals next semester, so granted, I still have much to see... but thus far in my life, the thing that disgusts me the most is, oddly enough, tonsil stones! How can something so small be so repulsive?

What's your nursing kryptonite?

Patients above the age of 1 month.

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Vomit and phlegm. Ick!!!

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Specializes in I/DD.

Give me your trachs, your necrotic wounds, your c-diff and GI bleeds. But a puking patient? I just can't do it. The smell, the sounds, everything, it gets me every time. The worst was an AIDS patient I had a couple weeks ago. I don't remember the name of this HIV medication; it is the one that comes in a pouch and is BRIGHT yellow. I mean, it looks like yellow acrylic paint. Mix that with an entire can of vanilla ensure and imagine THAT as projectile vomit. It gave me nightmares...

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I will pay anyone anything to suction a trach for me. I hate them.

I can tolerate most anything else. But the stuff that comes from a trach? I could hurl just thinking about it...

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

[color=yellow]sputum and [color=olive]vomit yucky!![color=yellow][color=olive]:lol2:[color=yellow][color=olive] t[color=yellow][color=olive]he smell of vomit and the sound of suction makes me gag. i can usually control it, but if i have a patient puking and it smells really bad i grab the mask lol! [color=yellow][color=olive]:lol2:[color=yellow][color=olive]:barf02::igtsyt:

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Emesis, without a doubt.

Sputum is a close second.

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My son broke his wrist last month. The bone had moved out of place. So you could clearly see the deformity in his wrist. The ER triage Nurse could NOT deal with it. She said this was one of her weaknesses. That and eyeballs!

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
Patients above the age of 1 month.

Good, because patients under the age of one month totally freak me out! You take the babys and I will gladly take the crabby old folks!:lol2:

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Feces.

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