Worst nursing proceedure ever....

[night owl]

OK c'mon fess up everyone. There is ONE absolute most worst nursing proceedure that everyone can't stand to do, but you have to when the time arises...what turns your stomach and ties it in a knot for hours after and makes you dred doing it it hours before?????

For me, it's trach care! Uuuuuuugggggggghhhhhhhhh!

I dred doing it. I love when I come on duty and the traches are all nice and clean, but it seems they never stay that way for long. After awhile they become all gooey and bubbly and crusty and then I have to come along and clean this stuff. My God! It's times like this I wonder why I couldn't wait to be a nurse! I mean what was I thinking??? And it's times like this I'd rather be cleaning my cats litter box! The most disgusting part of it all is when I'm almost finished and Joe patient gives a good cough and out flies a loogie and lands on the freshly made bed linen...I can't stand it!!!Why people find this stuff fasinating I'll NEVER know. I'd rather be doing a code brown in all honesty.

So what makes you want to launch your lunch? Don't be shy, tell us why!

[nilepoc]

I could feel something.....a bubbling, crackling movement, just under the skin.....

And then I heard a rustling sound....something sinister was lurking below.

Maggots??????????

if so, thats pretty bad.

[TNcanNURSE]

I used to gag a pretty good bit in nsg school and immediately after. Sorry to say you get so used to the funk that it'll eventually all but disappear.

Oh and another too nasty smell............throat cancer. When it gets bad it absolutely reeks.

[nilepoc]

Also, what do you do id a patient gets your uniform all dirty..do you keep a spare with you or what, and also who washes the contaminated uniform?

We had an orientee on our unit, that got a nice big sample of poo (from the patient), land on her pants, and she promptly undid the draw string and dropped here pants in reaction.

Lets just say the thong song should have been playing. I unfortunately wasn't there, but a good friend was her preceptor. I am also friends with the victem, she went on to work in the unit, and is a very good nurse.

The one time I got a bunch of blood on my scrub pants I just poored a bunch of peroxide on it and continued to work. We were not allowed to get new scrubs, as we provided our own.

Anyway, thats enough off topic rambling.

[Gromit]

Make it Trach Care for me. Just have a tough time stomaching it. Well, and for some odd reason, I cannot stand brushing someones' teeth (total care types).

Caca, urine, filth, I don't mind this. Wash 'em away, no problem. But mouth and trach? Ugh!

[Luv cats]

I agree with all that I have read, but also need to add the removal of a pessary that has been in for some time. You can only stomach so much volume of lady partsl drainage at once from a 98 year old! eeeewwwwwwooooo....

[kids]

Originally posted by c.wicks

...I could feel something.....a bubbling, crackling movement, just under the skin.....

And then I heard a rustling sound....something sinister was lurking below...

AACCCKKKK!

Tell us...what it was.

I have to go to work in the morning!

[char_future_RN]

Originally posted by nilepoc

Maggots??????????

if so, thats pretty bad.

That's what I was thinking it was and that's why I said I had to know or I'd always be wondering. And if it is....omg! I never even imagined stuff like that, ER does nothing for real life nurses...lol

[ShortFuse_LPN, LPN]

We have a resident in my LTC who has had a CVA which has cause her to drool quite a bit. I can't stand the smell.....REALLY gags me. But the worst thing for me would have to be the lovely residents who take their teeth out in the dining room or those who want to hand them to you......blech!!!!

[semstr]

I think that bubbling, cracking might have been gasgangreen?

Had a patient with that once, I'll never forget that sound, smell, feeling and look!

[LPNtoBSNstudent, BSN, RN]

Definately think gas gangrene with the bubbling and crackling....that is my guess too. Strange.

Come on! Tell us what it is!

My vote for most disgusting is trach care. Can't stand it.

[NS_RN]

Disempaction is my ultimate worst....always double glove now, especially since that time my glove broke!Ewwww.

Trach care ranks right up there too.

I vote for gas gangrene re:c.wicks story!

[NICUNURSE]

You see, I can handle puke, mucous, blood, trach care, etc. You can throw anything like that at me, but please DO NOT ask me to take care of a pt. with any kind of nasty skin condition. AAAHHHH!!!. I once had a pt. ( a homeless man) who's skin was so dry that it was just peeling off. But to make matters worse, he would just sit there in bed, and peel his skin off. And I don't mean little peices, but big strips! So I walk into his room and there's all these peices of something on the floor. So of course, I take a closer look and discover, it's his skin. GROSS!!!!!!!!!!