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Would this be very offensive?
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:36 pm
I am a nursing student and there is one thing that I struggle a lot with which is changing bed pans and cleaning patients after the toilet. I know that this comes with the job, and I really do want to get used to this so that I can help them. However the smell makes me feel I am going to vomit, it happened to me last week and it was extremely uncomfortable and shameful as the patient knew this. The other nurses know this and they laugh and because I am new they are nice to me and say I can just observe and don't have to do it. But I know that I have to be able to do this maturely and that it is part of my job. I was wondering if I could keep a mask in my pocket and put it on when I feel I need it. I would NOT wear this at any other time of interaction with patients. Would you, as my patient, find this insulting? I do NOT want to insult any patient or make them feel degraded in any way. However, I feel this would help me out a lot, and enable me to provide the help they need.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:39 pm
I would find it more offensive to have a bunch of nurses standing around laughing about my bed pan situation.

Thank you for carrying so much about your patient's feelings. I think a mask would be okay. You wear gloves for other things and no one gets offended my that!
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debsey




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:39 pm
I don't think it's offensive. just say you are careful about germs, or even more diplomatically - you wouldn't want to share any of YOUR germs with them.....
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ValleyMom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:41 pm
Ogod-I'm sorry but I think I might be offended.
Im just being open and honest.

THINK.. I am relatively young and IF I needed a bedpan changed I think that would be humiliating enough...
But to have someone show up with a face mask... I think I would probably break down and cry.

But thats just me.

Maybe other people would not care.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:48 pm
It would not be offensive, in my view.

A couple of years ago I got food poisoning while staying with my aunt. It lasted a week and was pretty bad. My aunt's house has no bathroom upstairs and I couldn't make it downstairs in time. So I kept a chamber pot in my room. I'd go and empty it, usually, but sometimes I was so weak I could hardly move and she had to do it. I felt so humiliated, and she was disgusted and angry at me.

As long as you don't make your patients feel bad, just wearing a face mask is ok!
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:51 pm
The mask itself isn't offensive IMO. Make sure to project a cheerful attitude and you're definitely OK- showing the patients that you're happy to be there for them is all they want.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:52 pm
I am also relatively young, and have been on magnesium sulfate to keep my babies in me and develop their brains in case they come too early- it makes you very dizzy and some dr.s don't let you get up because you are so dizzy you could fall.

I don't think I would mind at all. of course it is gross! nurses are heroes! I am too busy being dizzy and confused and having a headache to care too much.

so nice of you to be concerned.
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Peanut2




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:52 pm
I think it can be fine as a temporary solution maybe.
Can you work on something with your breathing? Smell something else discreetly beforehand? Deal with whatever part of this is psychological?

Best of luck!
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 9:58 pm
What about putting vicks up your nose? I read that's what medical examiners do when they can't stand the small.
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 12 2014, 10:04 pm
Squishy wrote:
What about putting vicks up your nose? I read that's what medical examiners do when they can't stand the small.


Vicks should never be used inside the nose, but it definitely helps to rub some right under your nostrils.
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chickpea_salad




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 4:39 am
Op, I have no advice but it sounds like you have better middos than your colleagues. That will make you a better nurse, in the long run.

Good luck!
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 4:52 am
If I were a patient, I would be so embarrassed about needing to be tended to, that your mask would be the LAST thing on my mind. I'd probably have my face buried in my pillow the whole time!

I don't think it would be offensive at all. Hospital safety protocols change all the time. Doctors and nurses hardly ever wore gloves outside of surgery until after the AIDS crisis. Now we have Ebola to worry about.

Then again, if you showed up in a full Level 4 Hazmat suit, I'd really be worried! shock

I suggest you use the mask, and maybe add a dab or two of your favorite essential oil or Bach flower remedy. Not strong enough that it would bother the patient, but just strong enough to help you get through it.
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Dev80




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 4:52 am
I think that's fine to do, completely understandable. I'm guessing the patient knows it's not the best smell and you are human....I say try it out
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 4:54 am
PS: Buy a copy of this to keep at the nurse's station for some comic relief.

http://www.amazon.com/Everyone.....85725
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DrMom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 5:03 am
I would assume it was for hygiene purposes (the same way all bodily fluids are handles with rubber gloves, etc. these days) and not anti-gross-out purposes.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 6:31 am
DrMom wrote:
I would assume it was for hygiene purposes (the same way all bodily fluids are handles with rubber gloves, etc. these days) and not anti-gross-out purposes.


Same here.

I bet that you won't need it for long. You'll probably get used to this aspect of the job over time until you realize that you aren't bothering with the mask any more.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 7:13 am
I am a newly graduated nurse, and don't see why that would be a huge problem, I have seen nurses wear masks at various times and I do myself sometimes too. I definitely understand you, no nurse enjoys this side of the job, and it takes a long time to get used to it. Believe it or not, as a nurse in training one of the first things you are expected to be able to participate in is personal care, which includes bed bathing, bed pans etc. I was exactly like you, very uncomfortable with it so you are not alone. But ultimately, if you want to be a nurse, and a good nurse, you just have to get used to it, because it is a part of the job, at least if you work in a hospital and many other areas. So it's always going to be there. Trust me that you will eventually get "used" to it, and although no nurse enjoys it, they manage.
What helps me , is forgetting what I am doing and focusing on the patient as a human being. If the patient, an adult or elderly patient, has to suffer the humiliation and embarrassment of telling me that they have soiled the bed, or that they need help going to the toilet (and I can only imagine how difficult that must be?), then the least I can do for them is help them to feel clean and comfortable, when they are so ill, whilst treating them with the greatest respect and maintaining their dignity to the utmost possible. I am friendly and chatty with my patients. I get to know them, we chat about what book they are reading or their family. The task is to maintain that same level of dignity and to make them feel that you view them, despite their situation and their utter vulnerability, as a human being - nothing less - every time. That is the challenge for me, and that gets me through.
Do you know that though it's not pleasant, I enjoy the feeling now, that once I've finished, I can tuck my patient into their blanket, wish them goodnight, and know that they feel clean and comfortable. I know that they don't feel so disgusting with themselves anymore but slightly more self respect. Do you know what this means to them?
You did not sign up to be a doctor, you are going to be a nurse. We care for the patients physically, emotionally and spiritually. We offer holistic care. The patient will usually forget their doctor in a second - but they will remember their nurse for a lifetime.

Good Luck.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 7:16 am
I am the amother from above - I didn't mean to sound harsh - just wanted to give you some inspiration to get you through x
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 7:30 am
MaBelleVie wrote:
Vicks should never be used inside the nose, but it definitely helps to rub some right under your nostrils.


I don't know anything about where Vicks should or shouldn't be used. All I can tell you is that when I have read crime books the pathologists put Vicks up their nose. Evidently the ME is aware of where it should or shouldn't be used and they choose to go forward with this. I have read this in 3 books by best selling authors that I can think of off hand.

According to the Mayo Clinic you should never put Vicks around your nostrils either. OP is a nurse and can make an informed decision.
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avigail




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 13 2014, 5:16 pm
As a nurse working in hospital for several years, this is not considered offensive at all! We do it all the time. If I have a bit of a cold, I'll wear a mask any time I'm with a patient. If I'm doing dressing changes... I have yet to hear a parent complain.
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