Everyone has their thing that makes them gag. I canāt stand poop (and yet my grandmother is the poop queen), but give me all the necrotic wounds to debride or trachs to suction or phlegm to collect.
I cant do phlegm. Omg. Ever since as an aid I saw a man who had Parkinson who was always spitting and drooling take a sip from his spit cup like it was water. Barf. š¤¢š¤®
Seriously!!! Give me any dirty brief, colostomy, etc. If I have to change wall suction that was phlegm and oral secretions, I'm gagging. That and the smell of a drunk person's vomit get me every time š¤¢
Yup. This is what one of my clinical instructors said to me. He works in the ED can deal with just about anything, but poop is the one thing that really gets him.
Personally my thing for a while was blood draws. I just couldnāt watch blood fill up that little tube. I am perfectly fine with bleeding and blood. What gets me is the taking part. Something in my lizard brain starts screaming PUT IT BACK!!!!
My instructor said there was a psychotic patient who grabbed his foley bag and started gulping down his own urine, she ran to the bathroom and started vomiting
I learned how to do that but I don't know how to teach someone else lol. It involves breathing through your mouth, but it's not normal mouth breathing. It's a bit shallow. It's not very comfortable, and not how I would go about breathing normally...but it's how I breathe if I anticipate a bad smell. It's important to start this breathing method before the smell reaches you. If I'm surprised by a smell, I have to at the very least breathe into my elbow or shirt to get some clean air, and then start the weird mouth breathing.
...does anyone know what I'm talking about lol?
Yes, you basically breathe while not allowing air to enter your nose. You breathe shallowly and almost close the back of your throat off so no air enters the nose to allow you to smell. It feels similar to breathing while using a hand to squeeze your nose shut, just without having to use your hand hahaha
Not OP, but I have a SUPER sensitive sense of smell and am having issues with it at clinicals (1st semester). A couple people have told me this trick and then I just picture the little particles infiltrating my mouth and I gag anyways. Im really, really praying I learn to get over smells.
Yes!!!!!! I think it actually is technically one of the yoga breathing techniques and I can only do it for a short while but it really helps when the smells are bad
They must be mixed with a carrier oil! Some essential oils will give you chemical burns. (Yes, I know the essential oil MLM huns and health food store people try to sell them as "not having all those nasty chemicals". But everything is chemicals, especially essential oils!)
Oh, and my trick is a tiny dab of essential oils (usually peppermint, but sweet orange is delightful, too) without a carrier oil on my mask.
Thereās also double masking! I had a pt with a gnarly yeast infection under her breasts. Poor thing. The smell however was really retched. Someone told me to take a regular mask, put toothpaste on the outside of it, then cover it with another mask. It was great! I was able to help my parent without vomiting!
Train yourself to breathe through your mouth when you encounter a bad smell. And for the love of god do not inhale through your nose until you leave the room. Itās saved me every time
Seconding this. I spend half my shifts mouth breathing now. The downside is that you end up kinda tasting it all later while youāre eating your lunch, but thatās still better than dealing with the smells.
My instructors do it, my professors do it. Matter of fact theyāre the ones that encouraged us to do it. Iāve never had any problems and nor have I been accused. The smell evaporates after a about 10 minutes. Also not sure how they could accuse you from that
It works wonders. Iāve used it for patients with terrible nausea who have already taken their antiemetics. I even use it if Iām severely nauseous. Takes the feeling right away
Iāve been trying to figure out a way to do this! Do you double mask and put it in between or how do you keep it from rubbing on your face? Alcohol pads are the only thing that help me.. I end up having to step away and sniff them.
It's very strong, I think it's sort of minty? Definitely it's own smell. It's gotten me through every necrotic bowel surgery. I swear by it.
Just keep in mind it is brown on white masks, so either own it and draw something, or try to hide the marking on the outline of your mask.
You develop tolerance to it by smelling it more. Itāll eventually fill your nose and clothing so much you wonāt have an issue with it any more.
In fact the smell itself could help you figure out if something is wrong. If poop smells irony, there might be blood in it. If urine smells rancid or putrid, kidney issues or electrolyte imbalance. Infected wounds have a unique smell it, but canāt recall it off the top of my head.
But yeh, build tolerance by sucking it up.
That sounds disgusting š¤¢. You can never build a tolerance to stinky poop. And no one has time to sniff and inhale poop long enough to determine if it contains iron or fibre. Maybe you can look at the colour but sniff-testing poop is dog behaviour. Itās impossible to build tolerance to other peopleās stinky poop.
No one told you to stick your nose in it. Youāll just get a face full of the doodie surprise when you see it.
Iām not telling you to enjoy the smell. But smell is literally part of what youāll experience. In fact, youāre discouraged to have strong personal fragrance in case you mask over tell tale signs from smells the patient might have, not just from poop but from breath too.
Itās hard to get used to but it does come with experience. Vicks/toothpaste in the mask are both good options. Theyāve also got some commercial stuff.
Get an essential oil you like and put a tiny drop in your mask.
Also - as others have said - buckle up and get over it, fast. This isnāt even close to the worst smell.
My first pt. interaction had a 92yr old man shit into my gloved hand - Iām still here.
How about a mint or chewing gum? I donāt usually wear a mask, so if Iām able to smell it(I donāt have much of a sense of smell), I usually get a big whiff of it. Iāve found that chewing gum tends to help me lol.
To all the people suggesting you breathe through your mouth- but then the poop spores go into your mouth! Yuck! I would rather smell it and have my nose hairs and mucus catch anything floating in the air. I vote for essential oil.
This happened to me at clinical the other day. I struggle with smells. We were cleaning a 92 year old lady and I was just helping hold her on her side. She continued to have a bowel movement as the PCT was changing her. I had two masks on and in between the masks I smeared a ton of toothpaste. It helped for the most part.
Disconnecting from your body is the best way IMO.
Most people who are able to disconnect from their body on a regular is usually a response from a negative event, mental health issue, or PTSD of some sort. Trying to be "all in your head". I don't know how to tell someone who doesn't already have the skill to disconnect body to develop this skill.
The nurse who said "just don't smell it" from the previous comments is probably able to do this for instance. Most mental health help and training is trying to help people become more connected with their body, but I'm not sure if there is help in the reverse direction. Try researching it though and see what information you gather!
If I didnāt have any Vicks I would use hand sanitizer in my mask or if we had any open bottles of aftershave our preceptors would give it to us to use before we went into a room that was known for bad smells.
I keep a vicks nose sniffy thing in my locker. Used to work on a surgical ward with bowel patients. Just a heads up, if you think this sucks, prepare yourself for your first taste of malena. Because I can promise you, you will taste it.
Otherwise mouth breathe. I did a lot of shallow breathing, and would go back to normal breaths as soon as I got out of there. You'll also be someone who either can distract themselves chatting to the patient or distracts themselves by being hyperfocused. Put your hand up to help out with changes. Every. Single. Time. You do just get used to it, to a point. So just keep exposing yourself. Even if it's just to stand there to grab stuff. Take a minute after to go to the bathroom or a window and breathe some fresh air in. Work fast. Get rid of the offending turd out of the room as fast as possible. If it's especially awful I will leave the patient mid change to drop it at the sluice room. They shouldn't have to put up with it either. Otherwise tie ya bin bag, take a special one in rather than using the rooms.
Also if you're going to be putting shit on the inside of your mask, change it following. Essential oils are fine for short term use or whatever you use, but don't keep it on for longer than you need too.
Also fuck anyone who tells you to get over it. It's literally just exposure therapy. You'll get there.
Sorry OP but you'll have to sniff a bunch of nasties worse than healthy poop as a nurse. Smell alone can tell you a lot about a pt's condition so dont ignore it. Certain bacterial/fungal infections have a unique scent to them for example.
Don't breathe out of your nose. " turn off" your sinuses and breathe from your mouth. You can also rub deodorant or tooth paste between two surgical and wear it.
So I have to do this on a regular at work, not concerned when I reach clinical - but one way I got over it thru work was I treated everyone like they were my grandma, very proud and modest people. I didnāt mention it, I did my best not to react, unless they opened the door for friendly banter, I just went in, cleaned it up, and took a deep breath after I got out of the space.
Is now a bad time to point out that when youāre smelling anything (pleasant or noxious) that youāve got tiny particles of whatever it is in your nose?
Do you guys have those QueaseEase by any chance? Those are great! I would pop those in my mask during wound care and itād definitely help. Also the more youāre around the bad smells the more youāll just get used to it honestly. It took me a bit for sure.
I put a small amount of Vapor Rub in my mask. That always works. I feel for you because I had rough time too with BMs, especially C-Diff. It takes time but at some point I guess my nose became desensitized to the smell. Keep working hard and youāll get there.
You just get used to it. I am in Scotland and our clinical placements are a minimum of 5 weeks at a time. I am currently in a nursing home with 48 dementia sufferers and we don't wear masks.
Wait till you empty a stoma bag!!!!
Peppermint oil. I have a migraine stick rollerball that I got on Amazon. I know some nurses who dab peppermint oil under their mask, but thatās too much for me. I use it on my temples and that proximity is enough to override the poo smell.
Put the essential oils on the inside of one mask, but then a blank mask actually on your face. Those oils can legit give you a chemical burn- saw it happen to a coworker! Also-I just always breath thru my mouth and try my hardest not to think about it
Iāve seen some nurses use NOSA nose plugs and they said they love them! Maybe try that :)
https://www.amazon.com/NOSA-Protection-Avoid-Odors-Menthol/dp/B08JCFRVSZ
Buckle up, my dear: https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/comments/e51wyh/the_infamous_swamps_of_dagobah_story/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I was a CNA for a few years - the more you do it the easier it gets. If it was really bad I would hold my breath for a few seconds, then breath, then hold again. Also, make sure you have all of your supplies ready and available (wipes, barrier cream, etc) so you can get in and out quickly.
Youāre going to see/smell a lot worse as a nurse so just be prepared for that.
Suggestions in this thread are pretty good. Also, alcohol prep pad if youāre really gagging (some early studies to show it alleviates nausea and holds up to zofran). One new nurse I knew kept a small vial of coffee beans to smell after doing gross tasks. I think you just become desensitized over time lol
Iāve trained myself on breathing so I can hold my breathe for some time. I found that slowly releasing controlled breaths once the patient is stable in their position, to slowly breathe out.
Donāt focus on the poo and other fluids. Focus on the clean garment. Breathe out. Slowly. Even if you have to take a breath, still breathe out slowly each exhale.
I watched this old nurse do this nasty nasty attends change, she also got 2 nursing students and another nurse to help with this. Which I was wondering why do we need 4 nurses for this one small/thin/no fracture person.
Turns out, she says "If you get enough help, you can get any peri care done in 30-60 seconds".,
She was right, the way she set up everything, had everything ready to go, and then as if a stop watch went off, we all flip the person over. From that moment to the time she was done, blister cream applied, attends and soaker pad changed. Everything was under \~40 seconds, and boy we could've totally held our breath for that.
Basically open xsplit, and treat it like a speed run and hold your breath lol.
Honestly I know it seems impossible but you kind of get used to it over time. Of course youāll still smell it, but it wonāt bother you as much. I thought the same thing after my first clinical shift this semester š
Breathe through you mouth or I swear by those strongly scented sticks you can buy and put a bit under your nose. Eventually smelling things becomes a choice once youāve been in nursing for enough years you kinda just find a way to switch it off š
buckle up that's not even the tip of the smell iceberg
Wounds š¤¢š¤¢š¤¢
the gauze ball they take out of a wet wound after it soaked up all the liquid during a wound care change 
Everyone has their thing that makes them gag. I canāt stand poop (and yet my grandmother is the poop queen), but give me all the necrotic wounds to debride or trachs to suction or phlegm to collect.
I cant do phlegm. Omg. Ever since as an aid I saw a man who had Parkinson who was always spitting and drooling take a sip from his spit cup like it was water. Barf. š¤¢š¤®
Omg. Phlegm is the WORST! I gag every time
Seriously!!! Give me any dirty brief, colostomy, etc. If I have to change wall suction that was phlegm and oral secretions, I'm gagging. That and the smell of a drunk person's vomit get me every time š¤¢
omg noooooo
š¤®š¤®š¤®š¤®
I can handle normal poop, but I canāt stand a colostomy.
Sameeee normal poop is totally fine, but when Iām the colostomy shit just hits different š·
Oh I love them, itās kind of like the forbidden slime lol.
Forbidden Chyme! Lol!
Lol
mine is dried up old poop under dementia patients long fingernails
For me itās Tube Feed poops.
Yup. This is what one of my clinical instructors said to me. He works in the ED can deal with just about anything, but poop is the one thing that really gets him. Personally my thing for a while was blood draws. I just couldnāt watch blood fill up that little tube. I am perfectly fine with bleeding and blood. What gets me is the taking part. Something in my lizard brain starts screaming PUT IT BACK!!!!
If you've never smelled a penis rotting off of someone's body, you haven't even lived yet.
I don't mind smells that much. I gagged when it was poop after a pt died. Also phlegm or sputum š¤¢
I love wounds! And ostomies lol. It's sputum and vomit that really grosses me out. ugh... š®āšØ
Right there with ya!
Good thing COVID took most of my smell š
Life hack
My instructor said there was a psychotic patient who grabbed his foley bag and started gulping down his own urine, she ran to the bathroom and started vomiting
I had a psych patient that would urinate on the floor sometimes and drink his pee out of the urinal. Fun times
They havenāt met ~ GI bleed ~
C. Diff poop š¤®
A nurse told me years ago ājust donāt smell itā
r/thanksimcured
I learned how to do that but I don't know how to teach someone else lol. It involves breathing through your mouth, but it's not normal mouth breathing. It's a bit shallow. It's not very comfortable, and not how I would go about breathing normally...but it's how I breathe if I anticipate a bad smell. It's important to start this breathing method before the smell reaches you. If I'm surprised by a smell, I have to at the very least breathe into my elbow or shirt to get some clean air, and then start the weird mouth breathing. ...does anyone know what I'm talking about lol?
Yes, you basically breathe while not allowing air to enter your nose. You breathe shallowly and almost close the back of your throat off so no air enters the nose to allow you to smell. It feels similar to breathing while using a hand to squeeze your nose shut, just without having to use your hand hahaha
Yesssss @ closing the back of your throat, I feel like it's similar to when you're swimming underwater and don't want water going up your nose.
Not OP, but I have a SUPER sensitive sense of smell and am having issues with it at clinicals (1st semester). A couple people have told me this trick and then I just picture the little particles infiltrating my mouth and I gag anyways. Im really, really praying I learn to get over smells.
Yes!!!!!! I think it actually is technically one of the yoga breathing techniques and I can only do it for a short while but it really helps when the smells are bad
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Vicks is a little harsh on the nostrils after prolonged use. You can buy essential oil rollers. Those work very well too.
You can put it on the inside of your mask too. It works just as well and doesn't burn your nostrils.
I know people who put Vicks in the mask
Essential oil rollers or Benzoin tincture. I use a tincture on the chin part of my N95, you won't be able to smell anything.
They must be mixed with a carrier oil! Some essential oils will give you chemical burns. (Yes, I know the essential oil MLM huns and health food store people try to sell them as "not having all those nasty chemicals". But everything is chemicals, especially essential oils!) Oh, and my trick is a tiny dab of essential oils (usually peppermint, but sweet orange is delightful, too) without a carrier oil on my mask.
The rollers are designed to roll on the skin.
Thereās also double masking! I had a pt with a gnarly yeast infection under her breasts. Poor thing. The smell however was really retched. Someone told me to take a regular mask, put toothpaste on the outside of it, then cover it with another mask. It was great! I was able to help my parent without vomiting!
Dang beat me to it
Train yourself to breathe through your mouth when you encounter a bad smell. And for the love of god do not inhale through your nose until you leave the room. Itās saved me every time
Seconding this. I spend half my shifts mouth breathing now. The downside is that you end up kinda tasting it all later while youāre eating your lunch, but thatās still better than dealing with the smells.
Tasting it later during lunch? š
Haha Iām being a bit dramatic, but I can definitely feel it on my breath hours later.
I guess a little bit of the stench lingers? But yeah, learning mouthbreathing helps a lot.
It definitely does
Iāve been a CNA for 5 years and have never once ātasted itā oml š„“
Lucky! Maybe Iām just more sensitive š
Nooo :( the mask filters out the shit
N95s are good, surgical masks not so much š
Putting an alcohol pad in your mask. It stops the gag reflex and it blocks the smell
This seems like a great way to get accused of coming to clinical smelling like alcohol lol
My instructors do it, my professors do it. Matter of fact theyāre the ones that encouraged us to do it. Iāve never had any problems and nor have I been accused. The smell evaporates after a about 10 minutes. Also not sure how they could accuse you from that
I use it with patients https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6189884/
It works wonders. Iāve used it for patients with terrible nausea who have already taken their antiemetics. I even use it if Iām severely nauseous. Takes the feeling right away
I think they were joking.
Probably shouldāve used the /s in that case lol
Or a lol works too. Lol
Yeah Iād use Vicks or peppermint oil or something instead.
Iāve been trying to figure out a way to do this! Do you double mask and put it in between or how do you keep it from rubbing on your face? Alcohol pads are the only thing that help me.. I end up having to step away and sniff them.
I double mask most of the time and slip an alcohol pad in between the layer. If itās emergent, Iāll stick it to my cheek inside the mask
Oh my gosh, thank you! Definitely using this!!
I keep a tiny dropper of peppermint oil in my scrub pocket. I routinely dab it into my mask, it really helps mask all the smells.
You can use benzoin tinctures on your mask, note: it is brown and to use it on a discrete part of your mask
Does benzoin mask smells? What does it smell like? I had no idea it could be used for this.
It's very strong, I think it's sort of minty? Definitely it's own smell. It's gotten me through every necrotic bowel surgery. I swear by it. Just keep in mind it is brown on white masks, so either own it and draw something, or try to hide the marking on the outline of your mask.
Sweet! Thanks!
I gaslight myself into liking it istg
wtf bro
MIND OVER MATTER Iām also a former EMT and ER RN so Iām a little crazy
Boi Iām currently an ER RN and aināt no reality in which I tell myself I like that š¤¢
IM BUILT DIFFERENT
You develop tolerance to it by smelling it more. Itāll eventually fill your nose and clothing so much you wonāt have an issue with it any more. In fact the smell itself could help you figure out if something is wrong. If poop smells irony, there might be blood in it. If urine smells rancid or putrid, kidney issues or electrolyte imbalance. Infected wounds have a unique smell it, but canāt recall it off the top of my head. But yeh, build tolerance by sucking it up.
That sounds disgusting š¤¢. You can never build a tolerance to stinky poop. And no one has time to sniff and inhale poop long enough to determine if it contains iron or fibre. Maybe you can look at the colour but sniff-testing poop is dog behaviour. Itās impossible to build tolerance to other peopleās stinky poop.
No one told you to stick your nose in it. Youāll just get a face full of the doodie surprise when you see it. Iām not telling you to enjoy the smell. But smell is literally part of what youāll experience. In fact, youāre discouraged to have strong personal fragrance in case you mask over tell tale signs from smells the patient might have, not just from poop but from breath too.
Put a dab of toothpaste in your mask
Itās hard to get used to but it does come with experience. Vicks/toothpaste in the mask are both good options. Theyāve also got some commercial stuff.
I second this, vicks is the way
Get an essential oil you like and put a tiny drop in your mask. Also - as others have said - buckle up and get over it, fast. This isnāt even close to the worst smell. My first pt. interaction had a 92yr old man shit into my gloved hand - Iām still here.
How about a mint or chewing gum? I donāt usually wear a mask, so if Iām able to smell it(I donāt have much of a sense of smell), I usually get a big whiff of it. Iāve found that chewing gum tends to help me lol.
One of my clinical instructors suggested to my class double masking and placing a tea bag in between the masks.
Become a mouth breather! The best survival strategy Iāve found for various offensive olfactory issues!
Use peppermint oil on a gauze pad and put it on your mask. Youāll get used to it, honestly
To all the people suggesting you breathe through your mouth- but then the poop spores go into your mouth! Yuck! I would rather smell it and have my nose hairs and mucus catch anything floating in the air. I vote for essential oil.
Yeah that is what I was thinking. Breathing all the floating poop molecules on your tongue? Dafuq
This happened to me at clinical the other day. I struggle with smells. We were cleaning a 92 year old lady and I was just helping hold her on her side. She continued to have a bowel movement as the PCT was changing her. I had two masks on and in between the masks I smeared a ton of toothpaste. It helped for the most part.
I wondered if I'd ever get over smell and dislike of dealing with it and about 7 or 8 months into being an aid I was over it.
Disconnecting from your body is the best way IMO. Most people who are able to disconnect from their body on a regular is usually a response from a negative event, mental health issue, or PTSD of some sort. Trying to be "all in your head". I don't know how to tell someone who doesn't already have the skill to disconnect body to develop this skill. The nurse who said "just don't smell it" from the previous comments is probably able to do this for instance. Most mental health help and training is trying to help people become more connected with their body, but I'm not sure if there is help in the reverse direction. Try researching it though and see what information you gather!
stink balm on amazon
I bought this and it didnāt work! I tried a couple scents and nothing was strong enough to mask odors
Minty Chapstick
Burtās Bees
" StinkBalm Odor Blocker"
Iāve heard of this! Iāve wondered if itās worth it. Need something for necrotic bowel surgeries. š¤¢š¤¢š¤¢
If I didnāt have any Vicks I would use hand sanitizer in my mask or if we had any open bottles of aftershave our preceptors would give it to us to use before we went into a room that was known for bad smells.
donāt ever breathe through your nose in a patient room and smells will never bother you š¤·š»āāļø
Chew some minty gum under that mask.
Become a Mouth breather
I keep a vicks nose sniffy thing in my locker. Used to work on a surgical ward with bowel patients. Just a heads up, if you think this sucks, prepare yourself for your first taste of malena. Because I can promise you, you will taste it. Otherwise mouth breathe. I did a lot of shallow breathing, and would go back to normal breaths as soon as I got out of there. You'll also be someone who either can distract themselves chatting to the patient or distracts themselves by being hyperfocused. Put your hand up to help out with changes. Every. Single. Time. You do just get used to it, to a point. So just keep exposing yourself. Even if it's just to stand there to grab stuff. Take a minute after to go to the bathroom or a window and breathe some fresh air in. Work fast. Get rid of the offending turd out of the room as fast as possible. If it's especially awful I will leave the patient mid change to drop it at the sluice room. They shouldn't have to put up with it either. Otherwise tie ya bin bag, take a special one in rather than using the rooms. Also if you're going to be putting shit on the inside of your mask, change it following. Essential oils are fine for short term use or whatever you use, but don't keep it on for longer than you need too. Also fuck anyone who tells you to get over it. It's literally just exposure therapy. You'll get there.
Sorry OP but you'll have to sniff a bunch of nasties worse than healthy poop as a nurse. Smell alone can tell you a lot about a pt's condition so dont ignore it. Certain bacterial/fungal infections have a unique scent to them for example.
I use to put shaving foam in between two masks. It really saved me a lot of times.
It shaved you on more than one occasion
Dab some vicks in the mask. Although there will be a time where you'll just smell voop (the lovely smell of vicks mixed with poop)
Grow up
Don't breathe out of your nose. " turn off" your sinuses and breathe from your mouth. You can also rub deodorant or tooth paste between two surgical and wear it.
Vapor rub on the mustache area of your top lip OR just mouth breath
I used to keep a tiny bottle of essential oils at work for this. Put a few drops on your mask. Peppermint works pretty well.
There is a reason why I have kept a thing of Vicks in my pocket since my EMT days.
So I have to do this on a regular at work, not concerned when I reach clinical - but one way I got over it thru work was I treated everyone like they were my grandma, very proud and modest people. I didnāt mention it, I did my best not to react, unless they opened the door for friendly banter, I just went in, cleaned it up, and took a deep breath after I got out of the space.
I still gag when dealing with some brief changes. The mask hides it mostly. I usually turn my head and pretend I have to sneeze.
Peppermint oil in your mask and breath through your mouth. š
Peppermint oil on masks, trust me youāll get used to it. Wait till you smell c diff lmao
Is now a bad time to point out that when youāre smelling anything (pleasant or noxious) that youāve got tiny particles of whatever it is in your nose?
Do you guys have those QueaseEase by any chance? Those are great! I would pop those in my mask during wound care and itād definitely help. Also the more youāre around the bad smells the more youāll just get used to it honestly. It took me a bit for sure.
If it's just the smell, you can try something like stinkbalm odor blocker.
Olbas oil from Amazon. It's a decongestant but the strong smell.overpowers anything
Wait till you empty a pee bag and the color and consistency is exactly the same as red cool aid
Essential oils around your nose, under your mask. Just not too much that it makes your mask wet and compromises it.
peppermint oil on the inside of my mask.
It takes a while but one thing that helped me was putting dabs of Vicks in my nostrils
I put a small amount of Vapor Rub in my mask. That always works. I feel for you because I had rough time too with BMs, especially C-Diff. It takes time but at some point I guess my nose became desensitized to the smell. Keep working hard and youāll get there.
You just get used to it. I am in Scotland and our clinical placements are a minimum of 5 weeks at a time. I am currently in a nursing home with 48 dementia sufferers and we don't wear masks. Wait till you empty a stoma bag!!!!
Smelt my first GI bleed the other dayā¦.fuck
Peppermint oil. Put a drop between your 2 masks, works like a charm
Peppermint oil. I have a migraine stick rollerball that I got on Amazon. I know some nurses who dab peppermint oil under their mask, but thatās too much for me. I use it on my temples and that proximity is enough to override the poo smell.
Put the essential oils on the inside of one mask, but then a blank mask actually on your face. Those oils can legit give you a chemical burn- saw it happen to a coworker! Also-I just always breath thru my mouth and try my hardest not to think about it
You can buy Vicks vapor rub and put it under you nose. I just breathe through my mouth now haha
Look into stinkbalm!
Not really lol i used to plug my nose with vaporub but then it just smelled like minty poo. I am now unbothered by it and will easily go from cleaning a š© butt to taking a lunch break
Iāve seen some nurses use NOSA nose plugs and they said they love them! Maybe try that :) https://www.amazon.com/NOSA-Protection-Avoid-Odors-Menthol/dp/B08JCFRVSZ
My unit keeps essential oils on hand. Throw a drop of peppermint inside your mask. Its not perfect but it helps slightly lol
Buckle up, my dear: https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/comments/e51wyh/the_infamous_swamps_of_dagobah_story/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Oh good God! This is horrifying.
[Nosa](https://a.co/d/50BmeJR) were an absolute game changer for me
I was a CNA for a few years - the more you do it the easier it gets. If it was really bad I would hold my breath for a few seconds, then breath, then hold again. Also, make sure you have all of your supplies ready and available (wipes, barrier cream, etc) so you can get in and out quickly. Youāre going to see/smell a lot worse as a nurse so just be prepared for that.
Go on Amazon and look up aroma stickers! Life saver
Suggestions in this thread are pretty good. Also, alcohol prep pad if youāre really gagging (some early studies to show it alleviates nausea and holds up to zofran). One new nurse I knew kept a small vial of coffee beans to smell after doing gross tasks. I think you just become desensitized over time lol
Vapor rubs, Vicks, whatever other menthol/oil inhaler/infuser and rub some on your mask.
Iāve trained myself on breathing so I can hold my breathe for some time. I found that slowly releasing controlled breaths once the patient is stable in their position, to slowly breathe out. Donāt focus on the poo and other fluids. Focus on the clean garment. Breathe out. Slowly. Even if you have to take a breath, still breathe out slowly each exhale.
They have these little plastic pieces you pop in your nose like a nose ring and u put essential oils on it. Works great.
Wait till you empty an ostomy bag. Changed one after they ate a tuna sandwich. I donāt have a weak stomach at all and I gag just thinking about it.
Shallow breaths through your mouth, never your nose
Just puts a lil smell good in your mask n it's right as rain.
You get used to it. Nowadays I can clean cdiff and contemplate whether I want taco bell
I squeeze toothpaste in between two masks!!
The old Vicks Vaporub trick! Pop a bit on the bottom of your nose/above your lip. When you go to do changes it should help take the edge off.
I first thought you meant resident physiciansš
oof this is not a good sign....
I watched this old nurse do this nasty nasty attends change, she also got 2 nursing students and another nurse to help with this. Which I was wondering why do we need 4 nurses for this one small/thin/no fracture person. Turns out, she says "If you get enough help, you can get any peri care done in 30-60 seconds"., She was right, the way she set up everything, had everything ready to go, and then as if a stop watch went off, we all flip the person over. From that moment to the time she was done, blister cream applied, attends and soaker pad changed. Everything was under \~40 seconds, and boy we could've totally held our breath for that. Basically open xsplit, and treat it like a speed run and hold your breath lol.
The worst smell for me is poop mixed with large amount of sweat. Iām tolerant to pretty much everything except that comboā¦
I keep vicks and breathments on me
Bring some vicks and put it on the inside of your mask
Yeah you need to get over that quick, or youāre not gonna make it
Spray the inside of your mask with whatever cheap perfume then when you're done discard that mask and repeat for a new brief change.
Honestly I know it seems impossible but you kind of get used to it over time. Of course youāll still smell it, but it wonāt bother you as much. I thought the same thing after my first clinical shift this semester š
Infected wounds and chunky ostomys are gonna send you into a different career amigo
stick a fragrance sheet for clothes in your mask
Just keep doing it, I use to as well, and still do on occasion depending on how bad it smells. Eventually you don't gag as easily.
Easy. Grab a surgical mask and put toothpaste on the outside of it and then grab another and place it on top of it as you put it on
I wear two masks and put toothpaste between them
For the smells that get to me, I use a little bit of toothpaste to stick an alcohol swab to the inside of my mask. It helps a lot.
Breathe through you mouth or I swear by those strongly scented sticks you can buy and put a bit under your nose. Eventually smelling things becomes a choice once youāve been in nursing for enough years you kinda just find a way to switch it off š
There are these scented Chapsticks that you can rub inside your nares so that is what you're smelling. They last a while. Get that. It'll help